LETTER OF
The GOSPEL TRUTH CHARLES G. FINNEY
1850
To John Angell James
c. January 1850
[MS in Finney Papers #1406]
Finney's note to James was appended to the letter from Potto Brown to Elizabeth Finney.
Houghton Huntingdon
25 Jany 1850
Mrs Finney
Birmingham
My esteemed Friend
I have been for some time past
daily expecting a letter from you to
inform me when my best time would be
to have a little more of your & your
dear husbands company - I feel considerable
delicacy in coming as I know you both
(as you were here) are both constantly en-
gaged, yet I suppose there may be times
when there is not so great an excess of
labour as at some other times - I am well
aware you have no excess in your labour
of love in seeking to save souls, it is not
in Mr Finney's nature: please give me your
consent for my coming as early as you
can ----
[page 2]
The work has gone on here more
prosperously than I had faith to believe
thus we have a renewed proof that God
is more willing to bless, than we are to
expect the blessing - Old John Clark the
drunkard is going on well so is Barnes the
blasphemer - Ellis the pugalist - & Bass the
harlot - with many others whose names
I cannot find room for in this letter
The educated & talented C. P. Tebbutt is
also doing well has given his hands to
the work at Bluntisham The educated
& discriminating Goodmans - Neville Mary
& Susan I fully believe will make able
agents for the Saviour - We have
received abundant blessings - high & low
rich & poor unlearned & educated; you have
done well in coming to see us no
doubt our Heavenly Father sent you here
to labour & bless - You will soon require
a little recess from your exertions I am
& we all are expecting you at Houghton
[page 3]
shortly for that purpose - Please let me
know in your next when about the
time will be - Give my love in Christ
to your dear partner and believe me
to be
Yours sincere friend
Potto Brown
Our Christian regards to Mrs Roe
Dear
Dear Br. James. This letter is, as you see, from
Mr. Potto Brown a wealthy christian man who
is one of the most precious spirits I have met
with in England. We staid at his house while
at Houghton. The accompanying note is from
an accomplished Lady whose family seem nearly
all hopefully converted at Houghton. The educated
& talented Charles Tebbutts named by Br. Brown
above is her son. He is certainly one of the most talen
ted young men I have seen in this county. You love
such things as appear in these notes & will I doubt
not think them worth the time of reading.
Please preserve them for us as we value them enough
to keep them. C. G. Finney.
The letter from Mrs Mary Tebbutt is as follows:
Bluntisham
Jany 7th 1850
My dear Friend,
You will perceive from
the date of this, that I am
once more in the midst
of my own dear Family -thro
the Providential care of our
Heavenly Father I was permitted
to have Mrs Allon and her
dear little Baby both doing well
and then to visit for a few
days my own Daughter at
Nottingham with whom Harriet
you is now staying - on reaching
Bluntisham last Monday eveng
I found a kitchen full of praying
people - not less than 40 - with
Mrs Simmons just delivering an
[page 2]
address adapted to the condition
of young converts - exhorting
them to stedfastness and entire
devotedness to the service of Christ
It seemed as I received the welcome
of one and another - as if I had
entered an element of Holy Love
I had often before rejoiced in
the affection of my children - but
now it seemed it inexpressibly
sweet and tender - united as
we felt we were by stronger
and purer bonds than Earth
can furnish -I am thankful
to be able to write of the progress
which I trust all are making
in heavenly things - all appear
to be anxious to testify their love
by doing something for Christ
The young ladies have had some
very interesting meetings on
Saturday Evengs with some Children
[page 3]
about whom they are interested
last Saturday it was quite a little
Congregation 13 Sunday Scholars - with
8 or 9 - others including our own =
Charles is evincing many valu
able parts of the Christian character
so that my hopes are greatly
raised that he will be very useful
in this neighbourhood - He yesterday
addressed the Children at the School
for the first time. He wishes
me to send his love to yourself
and Mrs Finney. I believe I may
also say that he is hoping before
long to be with you for a few days
at Birmingham - And now
my dear Friend I must express
to you the anxious desire which
many are feeling to welcome
you both here - There is certainly
a spirit of anxious enquiry
in the minds of some, who
have till lately been quite indif
ferent about their eternal welfare
[page 4]
and many Christians are
awaking to a sense of their
obligations to live more to the
Glory of God - so that I trust the
ground is preparing for the Seed
to be scattered successfully in, when
God shall direct your steps hither.
This season of the year is so much
more favorable for attendance in
an Agricultural district - that we
are almost wishing that we could
keep the short days a little longer
this year, untill we are permitted
to see you with us - We rejoice
however greatly to hear that God
is manifesting his great power
in subduing the hearts of both
Saints and Sinners at Birmingham
may the work still go on - untill
there shall be a great multitude
Redeemed from among Men -
who shall go forth as witnesses for
God - seeking to extend his kingdom
& his glory - I am commissioned
[continued across the top of page 1]
with love from
Susan & Louise
to Mrs Finney Mrs
Roe & yourself
in which most
cordially unites
Your attached
Friend & Sister
M. A. Tebbutt
Footnotes:
John Clark was one of the original members of the Houghton Church when it formed in December 1844 (Houghton, Huntingdonshire, Union Chapel Record Book, in the possession of the Chapel).
George Barnes was one of the 17 people who had been the first intake into the Church at Houghton on 6 January 1850 after the Finneys had left. He was subsequently excluded from the Church "having embided [?imbibed] Hyper-calvanism".
Henry Ellis of Houghton was admitted to membership of the Church on February 3rd 1850. He was subsequently "excluded".
Mary Bass was one of the first members when the Church formed in 1844. She died in 1852,
Neville Goodman (1831-1890) was the eldest son of Joseph and Rose Goodman. He went into the milling business, first in Royston and then in Bow. But he gave up milling in 1862, went to Cambridge where he entered the university, and subsequently devoted his life to scientific and literary pursuits. He was a prominent figure in local affairs in Cambridge. In 1856 he tried to get Finney to return to England. (Goodman to Finney, 22 March 1856, Calendar of the Finney Papers [letter missing])
Susan Goodman (1831-1885). In 1858 she married Robert Walker Dixon of Wickham Bishops, a flour miller and farmer. Her brother Albert describes her:
Susan Dixon was of such an extremely retiring disposition that many of her acquaintances never knew that she probably was more intellectually talented than any others of her brothers and sisters excepting perhaps Joseph. She was a devoted sister, wife and mother, and was highly respected by all who knew her. Like some others of her family she was never a Church Member as her religious opinions closely resembled those of the Society of Friends (Goodman "Genealogy", pp. 235-36).
This word was originally written me, but changed by Potto Brown to us.
Finney started to write his note here, but smudged it out and commenced it again below the fold in the paper.
This note was probably the letter of Mary Ann Tebbutt to Finney, dated Bluntisham, 7 January 1850, in the Finney Papers.
Eliza Goodman (1827-1894), the eldest child of Joseph and Rose Goodman, who had been brought up since she was seventeen by Mrs Tebbutt, had married, in 1848, the Rev. Henry Allon, joint minister with Rev. Thomas Lewis, of Union Chapel, Islington. Their first child, Rose, was born on December 18th 1849. In 1875 she married William Thackray of Sunderland. See Goodman "Genealogy", pp. 227-229.
Her daughter, Nancy (born 1826), was the wife of Thomas Ashwell, a hosier of Nottingham. Harriet (born 1834) later married Sir Thomas Birkin, a lace manufacturer in Nottingham. (See Albert Goodman, "Genealogical Book", p. 130.)
Susan Goodman (1830-1885)