The GOSPEL TRUTH
LETTER OF

CHARLES G. FINNEY

1864

To Edwin and Mary Lamson

4 June 1864

 

[MS in Finney Papers 2/2/1]

 

Oberlin 4th . June 1864.

My Dear Br. & Sister Lamson.

I returned yesterday from my visit

to my relatives in New York, & found,

of course, sundry letters waiting for me.

I reply to yours first. I am afraid to

urge Mary to come out here lest something

might happen to her on the way that

would kill you, & me, & the children.

For if she came to oblige me it would

kill me to have you & the children

lose her. Again, I am afraid to urge

it because we are not worth taking

so much trouble for. We should be great

gainers, & rejoice exceedingly to see her,

but for her it would not pay. It would

be making a sacrifice of time, & strength,

& money, that I dare not urge upon her.

There are no persons on earth that I should

so rejoice to see as you & your Dear Mary.

For the reason that I so long to see you I [am]

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afraid to urge your coming lest I should

be selfish. I have stood my journey much

better than I expected. Whether I shall ever visit

Boston again I can not say. O if Mary could

have come out here as she thought of doing

what a blessing it would have been to us.

If the Lord will send her, or you, or both

of you, we will praise him for it.

I dare not urge her to come, yet, I may

ask him, if he can wisely do it, to send

her. My general health is as good as usual.

My brain can not endure the excitement

it

that ^ formerly could. The religious anivers

aries in Boston are are [sic] great weariness to

the Christian Ladies who provide for the

attendents on them. Such are our com

mencements. Our exercises commence on

monday & close on wednesday evening at

10. or 11. oClock. But the friends from abroad

are generally here for many days before & after

these exercises. Tuesday & Wednesday the crowd

is great. Your acco[u]nt of the successes & discour

agements of the Meionaon enterprise was what

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I should expect. The pieces you sent me

in opposition to that enterprise & to evange

lists I regard as weak. I wonder some

on[e] does not reply to them. Were it not

that I desire & think it duty, as far as I can,

to spare my brain & let it recover itself,

which appears to be doing, I should reply

to them myself. My mind acts, so far as I

can see, as readily & rigerously as ever,

but strong excitement, for a length of time,

wearies the brain & causes a very unpleas

ant sensation. My spine strongly sympathizes

with it, of course. Ange & Julia are well

& the babe is well. Charles is in the army

of the Potomac, Norton in the far off west.

Dolson Cox with Sherman.

Dear Mary I thank you for your

note. But are you not overdoing again?

I fear you are. You can not long endure

this pressure which is revealed in this

& in your former note. My Dear Daughter

be careful what, & how much you

do. Love & kisses to the lit[t]le ones

God bless you C. G. Finney.

 

Footnote:

Cox was in Georgia in command of the 3rd Division of the Army of the Ohio, participating in Sherman's grand march to Atlanta.