Charles Finney Biography Book

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him still. I then asked him if he would respond to the call, if he would come to Jesus, if he would lay hold upon eternal life then and there. He was an intelligent man, and the Spirit of God was upon and teaching him, and making him understand every word that I said. When I saw that the way was fully prepared, I called on him to kneel down and submit; and he did so, and to all human appearance, became a thorough convert right upon the spot. “Oh!” he afterwards said, “if Dr. Green had only told us this that you have told me, we should all have been converted immediately. But my friends and companions are lost; and what a wonder of mercy it is that I am saved!” I recollect a very interesting incident in the case of a merchant in Reading, one branch of whose business was the making of whiskey. He had just been fitting up a very large distillery at a good deal of expense. He had constructed it with all the latest improvements, on a large scale, and was going deeply into the business. But as soon as he was converted, he gave up all thought of going any farther with that business. It was a spontaneous conclusion of his own mind. He said at once, “I shall have nothing to do with that. I shall tear my distillery down. I will neither work it, nor sell it to be worked.” His wife was a good woman, and a sister to Mr. B——, whose conversion I have mentioned as occurring on that stormy night. The merchant’s name was O’B——. The revival took a powerful hold in his family, and several of them were converted. I do not recollect now how many there were; but I think every impenitent person in his household was converted. His brother also, and his brother’s wife, and, I know not how many, but quite a large circle of relatives were among the converts. But Mr. O’B—— himself was in feeble health, and was rapidly passing away with the consumption. I visited him frequently, and found him full of joy. We had been examining candidates for admission to the church, and a large number were to be admitted on a certain Sabbath. Among them were those members of his own family, and those relatives of his that had been converted Sabbath morning came. It was soon found Mr. O’B—— could not live through the day. He called his wife to his bedside and said to her,


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