The GOSPEL TRUTH
LETTER OF

CHARLES G. FINNEY

1831

To Fanny Gulick

14 November 1831

 

[MS in Gulick Papers, Houghton Library, Harvard University.]

 

Boston 14th Nov. 1831.

My Dr. Mrs. Gulick.

As the missionaries for your

Island are about to leave Boston, I must improve

this opportunity to write a line & let you know

that I rember you & greatly desire to see your

face once more in the flesh.but probably that

will never be. I never saw your husband but he

will have heard you speak of me probably, so that he

will know who I am. But if he should not have heard of

me you can tell him where you saw me. I trust you

will always remember where you first had an interview

with me. I am confident that the circumstances of

that meeting will remain in my memory as long as

our souls exist. If you have not heard of the unpar

alleled revival of God's work in America, you will

receive intelligence by the present conveyance. I say

unparalleled, because there is no account on record,

that I know of, of so great a work in so short a

time every having occured in this fal[l]en world.

I should think not far from 100 000 souls

have passed from death unto life in the U.S.

within one year. "The Spirit of the Pilgrims" 2 months

since said 60000, but my opinion is that the

estimate is too low, he not possing full means of

information, & multitudes have been converted since.

The work is still spreading & increasing & the

publick mind is becoming more & more awake

to the things of Eternity. There has been a great

change in publick sentiment in relation to

revivals & the best "measures" otfo promoting them.

[page 2]

The stereotyped theology & measures of the church is

at length undergoing a revision & O, My Dr.

Sister do you & your Husband pray with strong

crying that we may all be driven to the bible.

I want to converse with you much about your spiritual

state. You are a Missionary to the heathen. & how does

your own soul progress. In attending to the hearts of

others I hope you dont neglect your own. I hope also

that your husband does not become mechanical &

professional in the discharge of the high & holy duti[e]s

of his awful station. O. the danger & the sin of

ministers, how insincere & hollow their hearts often are

in the exercise of those hallowed functions that pertain

to their office. In this I speak from experience &

perhaps you Dr. Mr. G. will think it wrong that I should

think [suppose] that others resemble me in these hateful

particulars. O that there were no evidence that they

do. I have never recd a letter from you nor heard

directly from you since I saw you at Utica. I was

pleased when I heard that God had opened the

door for your entrance to the Missionary field.

& now are you too busy to write me a long letter

& give me an outline of the dealings of God with

you since your comnsion? I should have written

to you before but have been greatly overwhelmed with

multiplied duties. Am now preaching almost every

day & have many other duties pressing hard upon

me. Such multitudes of letters to read & write

that you must not expect long letters from me.

Will not your husband write me also for your

[page 3]

sake. I should be delighted to see him

or hear from him. Father Nash is I

believe at present in Oneida County N.York.

He is nearly worn out. O how he wd be

gratified to see you. He prays much, I

have no doubt, for you & your mission.

His spirit of prayer remains I believe

unabated. I have written to D.r Judd &

wife. & shall expect to receive by the first

conveyance your lengthy replies.

Direct your letter to Boston to the

care of Dr. Wisner. (Rev. B.B. Wisner D.D.). if

the ship by which you send is comming to B.

But if to N.York. Direct to the care of

Arthur or Lewis Tappan. or to A.G. Phe

If the ship is going to Philadelphia direct

to the care of Thomas Elmes Esqr. Or to

Caspar Schaeffer M.D. Letters directed to

any of these persons will be forwarded

immediately. I wish you would give Dr. Judd

an abstract of these directions as I forgot

to mention them in my letter to him.

'Tis uncertain how long I stay in Boston.

My family are with me: we are in usual

health Mrs F. joins in love. Do let us

pray more for each other. The great opposition

to western men & measures that so much prevailed

when you left America has ceased in a great

measure & the good work goes on. Your Brother

C. G. Finney

 

[written along the margin]

P.S. I have been so often interrupted since I began this

letter that perhaps the haste & confusion in which it has

been written will render it nearly unintelligible

 

[written along the margin of page 1]

P.S. I am not certain that I spell your husbands name

right. I dont know his christian name. Shall direct to you but

am not certain how you spell your name Frances or Fanny.