The GOSPEL TRUTH
LETTER OF

CHARLES G. FINNEY

1859

To Thomas Rees

27 January 1859

 

[Ms in the Rees MSS, 384D, National Library of Wales.]

 

Finney received the following letters from Thomas Rees:

 

Beaufort Jan. 10 1859

Dear Sir

I am happy to find

that you have once more

visited this country. May I

beg of you if possible to pay

a short visit this time to

Wales. There are thousands

here who desire to see and

hear you. You may be the

means of doing much good

amongst us. We are willing

to defray all your expenses

May the Lord bless you and

make you blessing

I am

Dear Sir

Yours in the Gospel

Thos Rees

 

and:

 

Bristol Jan. 17 1859

My Dear Sir

I am exceedingly

glad to find that you will

pay a visit to Wales Any

time will suit us after say

the 10th of February I will

make arrangements for the

services if you will kindly

inform me when you will

be able to come It will take

you a day to travel from

London to Beaufort where

I hope you will begin your

labours You will I hope be

able to preach once every

day and hold an hour or

two of religious conversation

with ministers and others

The best plan would be for

 

[page 2]

you to remain about two days in

one place and then proceed six or

seven miles to another locality

me

If you will informeŸwhat day you

will [be] able to begin with us and

how many days you will favour

us with your services I shall

be then able to make the arrangement

I expect to reach home next

friday and therefore you will be pleased

to address your letter as before to

Beaufort Monmouthshire I will

furnish you with as full a statement

as [I] can of the character of the people

and the spiritual state of the churches

in the localities you will have

to visit, in a future communication

May the Lord comfort and bless

you and Mrs Finney and may your

visit to our churches be attended

with much good.

I am

My dear Sir

Yours in the Gospel

Thomas Rees

 

Finney's reply is as follows:

 

St. Ives. 27th Jan. 1859.

My Dear Br. Rees.

Yours of the 17th is before me.

So numerous & urgent are the calls for labor

in various directions, that I can not now

decide upon the question of visiting

Wales. I am for a short time engaged here,

where I have preached a few times, & where

a good work is evidently begun. From here

I must, D.V. visit London. I hope not to

spend a long time there, but I desire to

visit more especially the manufacturing

districts. I can not say as yet in what order

God intends I shall visit the numerous

fields which he has thrown open before me.

The character & design of my labors are

incompatible with my making so rapid

a movement through the country as it seems

you contemplate in Wales. I must take

more time, lay the foundations deeper

in the convictions, & build up a more

permanent structure, than I could do

[page 2]

by a few appeals addressed to the feelings.

Perhaps my preaching is not adapted to

the state of the Welch mind. Have any

of your leading men ever heard me preach.

I must reason with the people. I can not

approach them with confidence in any other

way. This at first seems tiresome to an excitable

& impulsive people. It takes therefore more time

to carry them, but is sure by God's blessing

finally to prevail over sin & Satan.

This course is with me 1. A necessity of my

constitution, I can not respect myself in making

appeals unless I have first laid hold on

the intelligent convictions. 2. It is a matter

of judgment with me. 3. It is sustained by

nearly 40 years experience. I often see very sudden

outbursts of a revival, & sometimes a first

sermon will shake a community. But these

are exceptions, the rule being a considera

ble number of searching discourses needed

to break up the fallow ground, before

the seed will spring up on every side.

[page 3]

Much depends on the state of the church.

When the hearts of God's people are

prepared to offer prevailing prayer

the word will take immediate effect

with the ungodly. If the church is

backslidden in heart, it often requires

a thorough searching to get them into the

work. Should the Lord direct me to

Wales the brethren must not expect such

a journey as Whitfield used to make.

I must take more time. i.e. if time

is allowed me of God. Could I make

no other than such an one as you

contemplate, it would doubtless be

productive of much good. But it

would not secure that permanent

state of things that I labor to secure.

The Lord bless you my Brother

C. G. Finney.

 

Footnotes:

In Finney Papers.

George Whitefield.