The GOSPEL TRUTH
LETTER OF

CHARLES G. FINNEY

1858

To Julia Finney

13 January 1858

 

[MS in Finney Papers, Supplement # 63]

 

Boston 13. Jan. 1858.

My Dear Julia.

Your la[s]t to Mother is recd

I have been quite sick & confined to my

bed for several days. I had first two boils

under my arm, These were immediately

followed by four more. These lingered day

after day & there was not not vitality

enough to bring them to a head. In

the mene [sic] time I would get up & make

a skeleton & go & preach & then

return to a restless bed. These 4 finally

discharged & were immediately followed

under the same arm two carbuncles.

We attempted to kill these with Lunar

caustic, But this only cut off the skin

& let the caustic into the blood. This

produced the most excrutiating suffering

for several days. With this I had the rheumatism

in my chest. These together used up my strength

rapidly. Your Mother nursed me day & night.

[page 2]

Slep[t] on the sofa, took a violent cold & is

now sick herself. I am able to preach

again, & hope Ma will be well again

soon. The work of the Lord progresses

hopefully. I had to omit preaching for

several evenings, & once on the sabbath.

The fact is we were & are neither of us

able to be here & work as we do. We have

thought seriously that we should be

obliged to give up. But I have

now more hope of holding out.

We are delighted with your letter,

& especially grateful to God for his

kindness to you in our absence

Mother will write you soon, & send you

Aunt Sarah's letter. Is Miss Tuck[e]rs eyes

so that she is unable to read to you.

I must write to her. I am too full of

labors to write much to any one.

Dear Julia. You spoke of the dying

agonies & outcries of the pig. Did

not even the outcries of a dying

swine excite your compassion?

[page 3]

I hope so. When you receive this write

us how much lard you had. How

much this hog weighed. &c. But will

you ask Wm Bryann to write me

what he has done since I left & how

he is getting on with matters.

Ask him to write about the horses,

& cows, & pigs, & the fruit trees &

whether he has ploughed any & where.

Give our kindest love to Miss Ranson.

By the by how do the apples get on.

Ask Bryan to write me about them.

I hope you will send some to Miss

Ranson. To Mrs. Weed, & Mr. Bunker,

Especially to those who need but are

not able to buy them. I promised to

supply Br. Morgan & I think your

Uncle Edward. I have now my sore

ear again. I suppose there are

boils or carbuncles in my ears.

They are painful. I hope Mr. Babco

ck will conclude to go to O. in the

Spring. But he is not yet quite decided.

[page 4]

If you see Prof. Cowles, Prof. Fairchild

or Dr. Johnson, tell them I am

in frequent conference with him

on the subject & am of opinion

that he will conclude to go. But

I am not yet authorized to

say that he will. Give my

kindest love to Miss Tucker.

To William & Olivia. We

rejoice to hear that Olivia is

about to join the church. Why

do you not do so, My Dear

child. The Lord bless you.

Ma joins in much love to

you all. Will write as soon

as she is able.

Your aff. Father

C. G. Finney.

P,S. I will write to Bryan about the

apples so that you need do nothing

about them.

 

Footnotes:

The word "not" is repeated.

Lunar caustic or argenti nitras (fused or toughened nitrate of silver) was a concentrated mineral acid used for cauterisation. The word Lunar (from luna, Latin for the moon) was the old alchemical name for silver. See John A. Price, A Dictionary of Terms used in Medicine and the Collateral Sciences 12th edition (London: Whittaker & Co., 1892, pp. 128, 423.

This was William Spriggs a farmer from England. He and his wife Ann and their daughter Amy were living with the Finneys. See Census Schedule, Lorain County, p. 63, dwelling 442.