Great Evangelists and Temperance

White Ribbon, Volume 18, Issue 10, 1 November 1946, Page 6

Great Evangelists and Temperance

Ji\ VICTORIA (»KIG(i M A

No. 4 CHARLES FINNEY

'S o man was used more mightily in America tlian Charles (i. Finney. lie was horn in Warren, C onnecticut, 1792, but his childhood wa> spent in New York. At the age of twenty, he commenced teaching in New Jersey, having acquired in the course of his studies a lair knowledge of Latin, (ireek, and Hebrew. W hen lie was twenty-six years old, he decided t<» abandon teaching for the old study of law, and he says that in these studio he found the old authors frequentl. quoting the Bible, particularly the Mosaic Law. This led to hi> purchasing the first Bible he had ever owned, and he began to study it intently, tak ing special note of what Christ had said m regard to prayer and answers to prayer.

He noticed that at the C hurch lie attended the members were always pravtng for revival, yet at the same time complaining that they were making no progress in securing it. "(>n further reading my Bible,' he says, “it •truck me that the reaion why their prayers were not answered was because they did not pray in faith in the sense of expecting God to give them the things that they asked for.” When he was twenty-nine, he passed through an intense religious crisis in his life, when he experienced a very real baptism of the Holy Spirit. He then became a candidate for the Presbyterian ministry, and from that time was very wonderfully used in revival work liotli in America and England. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, he was used for the conversion of hundreds, and the leading into deeper spiritual life of many church people. His logical arguments, greatly helped by his legal mind, appealed to other lawyers and other professional people, but he helped all classes. His Work for Temperance

The cause of Temperance was very dear to Finney’s heart, and he stated that he had never known a minister who opposed temperance reformation to have a revival in his church. Finney was just as strong against slavery as against drink. "The time was,” he says, “when ministers and Christians could enjoy revivals notwithstanding that ardent spirit was used among them. But since light has been thrown upon the subject, and it has been found that tlu* use is only injurious, no church member or minister can be innocent and stand neutral in the cause. They must speak out and take sides. And if thev do not take ground on one side, their influence is on the other. Show me a minister who has taken ground against the tcmperat.ee reformation who ha> had a revival Show me one who stands aloof from it and has a revival. Show me one who now temporizes upon this point who has a revival. It did not use to be so.

But now the subject has come up and has been discussed, and is understood, n*» man can shut ln> eyes to the truth. Hie mail s hands are red with blood (Finney's emphasis), who stands aloof from the Temperance cause, and can he liav e a rev iv al r” To him, the silence of Christians iijMiir stieh evils a> slavqry and drink was as if they said that they did not consider these evils as sms. He considered that the Church should take up right ground on the subjects of temperance and moral teform, and all subjects of practical morality which came up for discussion front time to time. “I is not needful, he says, "that a person should rail at the cold water society in order to be on the best terms with drunkards and moderate drinkers. Only let him plead for the moderate use of wine, only let him continue tv* drink it a> a luxury, and all the drunkards account him on their si v h*. It he refuse to give his influence to th * temperance cause he is claimed, of collide, by the other side as a friend. On all these subjects, when they come up, the churches and ministers must take up the right ground, and take it up openly, and stand to it and carry it through if they expect to enjoy the idessing of God in revivals.” He considered and practised in his own ministry, \h?- the church should cast out of its communion such members as, i.i contempt of the light that was shed upon them, continued to drink or tiattic in ardent spirits, and engaged in the slave trade. How mam ministers dare to do this to-day? Such fearlessness, a> you may imagine, brought him many enemies, including fellow ministers, but the names of those who opposed him are forgotten, while only recently, extracts from Finney have been reprinted, and are having a good sale. My copy of Finney’s Lectures was printed in 1840, so it is over a hundred years old. I am fortunate in possessing the full copy, which so far as I know is not obtainable new to-day. If Finney were alive to-day vvliat would he say about the proposals put forward by the Licensing Commission?

Flic Commission says there is too much drunkenness, but for some extraordinary reason, evidently in the hope of reducing ibis, proi*oses increased hours of sale and widespread facilities for obtaining drink. The Commission lias been dealing with a subject that creates a craving for itself, and absolutely ignores the fact that every drunkard was once a moderate drinker, also, that no drunkard ever intended to become such After the repeal of Prohibition in America, the Brewers stated that they would have t 9 get the taste for beer into thousands of young people who had never known it. It is

the duty of every Christian man and woman to fight any increase whatever in the facilities for drinking, and tin sale of liquor. Says Charles Finney: “The evils have been exhibited. The call is made for reform. And what is to reform man kind but the truth? And who shall present the truth if not the Church and the Ministry? Away with ie idea that Christians can remain - jtral and yet enjoy the approhat* >•1 r» nd blessing of God.”