The GOSPEL TRUTH
LETTER OF

CHARLES G. FINNEY

1855

To Julia Finney

8 January 1855

 

[MS in Finney Papers # 1581]

 

Westernville 8. Jan 1855.

Dear Julia.

I do not know when I

have written you. We have heard

from you through Ange, but suppose

your eyes have not allowed you to

write. Your Mother was so ill about

the time of your going to Brooklyn

that we were talking of her going

down with you, when behold we

recd a letter informing us that you

had gone. Your Mother is well

again. She had seasons of severe

vertigo. I feared that she might die

of it. But she seems quite over it.

We hear frequently from your broth

ers. Norton is, I believe, about decided

to study law. Brothers were well a

few days since. And ho[w] do your

eyes do Dear Child. We hope

ere this that they are quite well.

[page 2]

I suppose that you & Ange &

cousin Fanny, are having nice

rah

times. And Aunt Saharah with

her nice girls, with sincere

hearts around her, rejoicing that

she is doing you all so much

good, & is so much beloved by you

all. And then Uncle Ford,

comes home at night & finds every

thing so snug - Such a wife - Such

daughters - Every face so full of

smiles & every heart so grateful

& so loving - What a little circle

of happy ones & what a blessed home.

All hang around him & he smiles

on all. So it goes from day to day.

His home is an almost dangerously

happy one. Almost too happy for

an earthly one, but it should

make him forget or litely esteem

hope

his heavenly one. But I ^ trust the

Lord has taught him how tender

 

[page 3]

is his hold on earthly blessedness

& that "the spiders most attenuated

web, is cord, is cable, to mans tender

tie on subliming bliss." The work of

the Lord is very interesting here.

hearts

Tall oaks bow & "hard ^ cases."

are softened by the Holy Spirit.

How long we shall be here we do not

know, nor whether we shall go when

we leave. We are called by man

many ways, but we are not yet

sure that we have a call of God.

Detroit, Mi, & Springfiel[d] Ohio,

are fields from which we are

receiving special & pressing calls.

Should we be able to get away

from here in time, I think it

that we shall go to

But appearan

ces indicate that we may not be

able to leave here, in time for

any other field this winter.

I do so want to see you my dear

[page 4]

child. We have not heard from

Helen direct, for a long time.

Give a great deal of love to Dear

Aunt Sarah & Uncle Ford.

To Dear Cousin Fanny say

I do want to see very very

much. What are you doing.

Or are you able to do nothing.

I hope My Dear, that the Lord

is not neglected by you in the

midst of your happiness with your

Brooklyn friends. Do write us

often either with your own, or

by anothers hand. Ma sends

a world of Love to you all

Your aff. Father.

[signature removed]

 

 

[endorsement in the handwriting of Julia Finney Monroe.]

 

Name taken out to serve as

an autograph signature for

the portrait in Encyclopedia &c

March. 1887-

 

 

[The signature from this letter was published under an engraving of Finney in the article on him in Appleton's Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Vol. 2, 1888, page 462. The Cyclopaedia was published in 6 volumes by D. Appleton & Co., of New York. The signature under the engraving in the article in the National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Vol. 2, p.402, is taken from a different letter.]

Footnote:

This quotation is from Edward Young, Night Thoughts (night 1, l, 178)

The spider's most attenuated thread

Is cord, is cable, to man's tender tie

On earthly bliss; it breaks at every breeze.

A piece of the letter was cut out containing the signature on the reverse.