- Home
- Speakers
- Charles Finney
- Letter To Gerrit Parmele Judd
Charles Finney
Charles Grandison Finney (1792–1875). Born on August 29, 1792, in Warren, Connecticut, Charles Finney was an American Presbyterian minister and a leading figure in the Second Great Awakening. Raised in a non-religious family, he studied law in Adams, New York, until a dramatic conversion in 1821, when he experienced a vision of Christ, abandoning law for ministry. Largely self-taught in theology, he was licensed by the Presbyterian Church in 1824 and began preaching in western New York, sparking revivals with his direct, emotional sermons and “new measures” like the anxious bench. His campaigns in cities like Rochester (1830–1831) led to thousands of conversions, influencing social reforms like abolitionism. In 1835, he joined Oberlin College as a theology professor, later serving as its president (1851–1866), promoting Christian perfectionism and co-educational, anti-slavery values. Finney authored Lectures on Revivals of Religion (1835) and Systematic Theology (1846), shaping evangelicalism. Married three times—Lydia Andrews (1824, died 1847), Elizabeth Atkinson (1848, died 1863), and Rebecca Rayl (1865)—he had six children. He died on August 16, 1875, in Oberlin, Ohio, saying, “The moral law of God is the only standard of holiness.”
Download
Sermon Summary
Charles Finney expresses deep affection and concern in his letter to Gerrit Parmele Judd and his family, lamenting their separation and the inability to meet before their departure. He shares his joy about the work of the gospel and the involvement of Miss Fanny Thomas in missionary efforts, emphasizing the importance of prayer and support for one another in their spiritual journeys. Finney's heartfelt words reflect a strong bond of love and commitment to the mission of spreading the gospel, urging them to stay connected through prayer and correspondence.
Scriptures
Letter - to Gerrit Parmele Judd
To Gerrit Parmele Judd 22 October 1827 [MS Group 70 Box 1.6ff, Judd Family Papers, Bernice P. Bishop Museum Library, Honolulu, Hawaii.] Address: Doct G. P. Judd. Boston. Massachusetts. Letter: Stephentown Oct. 22nd 1827. Doct & Mrs Judd. Beloved Brother & Sister. We have with no ordinary degree of interest heard from you, once & again, & regret exceedingly that Providence prevented our seeing you once more before you left these shores of America. But the good work of our God was in such a state, both when we recd your first & last letter, that I deemed it inco mpatible with duty to leave the ground even for a day. The work is still in as interesting a state, so far as I can understand the state of things, as it has been at any time. My anxiety to see you is so great, that were it possible for me to leave, I should visit you at Boston before you embarked. I should have written to you, but have all along until now, indulged the hope of seeing you. When you mentioned that Miss Fanny Thomas was to make one of your number, I could not recollect that I knew any such person. And never learned until the arrival of Broth Frost on Saturday evening who she was. O, Is it possible that that dear girl is going to carry the blessed gospel to the poor heathen. "Bless the Lord O, my soul". I have desired exceedingly to see her, & really it seems to me that I can hardly deny myself the luxury of seeing you all before you go. But, I must [page 2] be still. Give my dearest love to her & to her husband whom I suppose I have never seen. O I have ten thousand things to say to you & to her. & O that we could pray together once more While you & we live I trust myself & wife shall not forget to pray for you "exceedingly". You are almost constantly on our minds & we can pray for you with many tears. O may "the arms of your hands be made strong, with the strength of the Mighty God of Jacob."! And now My dear Garret, & Laura, & Fanny beloved for the Lords sake, blessed servants of Jesus, & Missionaries of his cross, if when you arrive at the place of your destination, you can get time from your other labours to write to your unworthy friends, brother & sister F you confer on us a great favour. Direct your letters to Utica to the care of Thomas Hastings if you get time to write. My dear Wife mourns sore like a dove, because she cant see Laura once more. She would have visited Troy at the time you was there but for the rain on monday, in which I thought it would not do for her to venture out, in her feeble state of health. But I must drop my pen. Yours most affectionately in the bonds of the gospel. C. G. Finney.
- Bio
- Summary
- Transcript
- Download
Charles Grandison Finney (1792–1875). Born on August 29, 1792, in Warren, Connecticut, Charles Finney was an American Presbyterian minister and a leading figure in the Second Great Awakening. Raised in a non-religious family, he studied law in Adams, New York, until a dramatic conversion in 1821, when he experienced a vision of Christ, abandoning law for ministry. Largely self-taught in theology, he was licensed by the Presbyterian Church in 1824 and began preaching in western New York, sparking revivals with his direct, emotional sermons and “new measures” like the anxious bench. His campaigns in cities like Rochester (1830–1831) led to thousands of conversions, influencing social reforms like abolitionism. In 1835, he joined Oberlin College as a theology professor, later serving as its president (1851–1866), promoting Christian perfectionism and co-educational, anti-slavery values. Finney authored Lectures on Revivals of Religion (1835) and Systematic Theology (1846), shaping evangelicalism. Married three times—Lydia Andrews (1824, died 1847), Elizabeth Atkinson (1848, died 1863), and Rebecca Rayl (1865)—he had six children. He died on August 16, 1875, in Oberlin, Ohio, saying, “The moral law of God is the only standard of holiness.”