Charles the Lawyer
Charles the Lawyer: In 1818, Charles’s parents persuaded him to enter the law office of Judge Benjamin Wright in Adams, New York, rather than move south to instruct at an academy. The office was not far from their home near Lake Ontario. Though he had never attended law school, young Charles’s mind took to the law profession with a passion.
A Skeptical Seeker
In Adams, Charles met the Reverend George W. Gale, the pastor of the town’s Presbyterian church. Charles was not greatly moved by Gale’s sermons, but he spent a good deal of time discussing them with him. Charles was determined to make sense of what he heard. However, the more he talked with Gale, the more questions formed in his mind.
Gale found Charles rather well-informed about religion but hardened to it at the same time. When church members considered making Charles a special subject of prayer for his conversion, Gale advised against it. He thought it unlikely that Charles would ever be saved.
The Power of Prayer Meetings
Gale believed that no matter what he said to Charles, he would not be converted. This was because all Charles ever did was debate doctrine. Despite Gale’s doubts, Charles faithfully attended a weekly prayer meeting near the law offices.
Whenever his legal work allowed enough time, he went to listen to the prayers offered by those assembled. This experience would affect him much like his conversations with Gale. Again, Charles generated more questions than answers.
The Bible Speaks
As Charles studied the law, he began to notice how writers repeatedly quoted the Bible as an authority for many of the great principles of common law. This piqued his curiosity to the point that he went out and purchased his first Bible.
Whenever he came across legal texts that referred to Scripture passages, he checked the references and their biblical context. Though he didn’t understand much of it, he found himself reading the Bible more and more, with ever-increasing interest.
READ ALSO: WILLIAM AND CATHERINE BOOTH (PART 3)
The Word Starts Working
Finney described the impact of this practice on his soul:
“As I read my Bible and attended the prayer meetings, heard Mr. Gale preach, and conversed with him, with the elders of the church, and with others from time to time, I became restless. A little consideration convinced me that I was in no means in a state of mind to go to heaven if I should die. It seemed to me that there must be something in religion that was of infinite importance; and it was soon settled with me, that if the soul was immortal I needed a great change in my inward state to be prepared for happiness in heaven… The question, however, was of too much importance to allow me to rest in any uncertainty on the subject.”
A Stumbling Block
However, one major stumbling block fed his confusion: as far as he could tell, no prayer offered at the weekly prayer meetings was ever answered.
As he read the Bible, he came upon passages such as Luke 11:9–10:
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”
He saw that God was more willing to give His Holy Spirit to those who asked Him than parents were willing to give good things to their children. Yet, week after week, he heard prayers offered up to heaven and saw nothing come back in return.
A Frustrated Soul
The issue troubled his soul so much that it nearly drove him away from the Bible and Christianity. In fact, as his frustration continued and became visible in the way he carried himself, the people who led the weekly meetings offered to pray for him.
He responded to these offers:
“I suppose I need to be prayed for, for I am conscious that I am a sinner; but I do not see that it will do any good for you to pray for me; for you are continually asking, but you do not receive. You have been praying for a revival of religion ever since I have been in Adams, and yet you have it not. You have been praying for the Holy Spirit to descend upon yourselves, and yet you complain of your leanness…”
TO BE CONTINUED…
Tale Tuesday 063
Date: 14th November, 2023
Title: : Charles Finney – The Father of Modern Revivalism(part 3)
Source: The Azusa Street Revival
Author: Roberts Liardon
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