Deep Conviction of Sin

Earl Carns, An Endless Line of Splendor, Tyndale Publishing, page 338.

“Revival has been characterized by common manifestations during its long history. Conviction of sin after personal witness of a Christian by life or word or the preaching of the Word is one such characteristic. This may bring about an emotional reaction with tears and crying (as in Scottish revivals or Wesley’s meetings), or with physical actions, such as prostration, leaping, jerking, or other forms of action (as in the camp meetings). The duration of conviction today seems to be shortened, perhaps unduly, by modern methods of decision. Deep remorse for sin and sincere repentance might create stronger Christians.”

Physical Manifestations

Earl Carns, An Endless Line of Splendor, Tyndale Publishing, page 338.

“Revival has been characterized by common manifestations during its long history. Conviction of sin after personal witness of a Christian by life or word or the preaching of the Word is one such characteristic. This may bring about an emotional reaction with tears and crying (as in Scottish revivals or Wesley’s meetings), or with physical actions, such as prostration, leaping, jerking, or other forms of action (as in the camp meetings). The duration of conviction today seems to be shortened, perhaps unduly, by modern methods of decision. Deep remorse for sin and sincere repentance might create stronger Christians.”

Corum, Fred T., and Rachel A Sizelove, Like As Of Fire. E. Myron Noble, Editor. Washington D.C: Middle Atlantic Press, page 1.

Daniel Williams recorded instances of phenomena in the Welsh Revival of 1904: “The manifestation of power was beyond the human management. Men and women were mowed down by the axe of God like a forest. . . The weeping for mercy, the holy laughter, ecstasy of joy, the fire descending, burning its way to the hearts of men and women with sanctity and glory, were manifestations still cherished and longed for in greater power. Many were heard speaking in tongues and prophesying. So great was the visitations in Penygroes and the districts that nights were spent in churches.”

Strickland, W.P., Editor. Autobiography of Rev. James B. Finley. Cincinnati: Cranston and Curtis, 1953, page 165.

James Finley writes in his autobiography concerning the Cane Ridge Revival of 1801: “A great revival broke out in the state of Kentucky. It was attended with such peculiar circumstances as to produce great alarm all over the country. It was reported that hundreds who attended the meetings were suddenly struck down, and would lie for hours and, sometimes, for days, in a state of insensibility; and that when they recovered and came out of that state, they would commence praising God for His pardoning mercy and redeeming love.”

Potts, James H. Living Thoughts of John Wesley. New York: Hunt and Eaton, 1891.

“John Wesley and George Whitefield had common manifestations of physical prostrations and contortions in their ministries. John Wesley wrote in his journal how Whitefield’s initial alarm at these powerful manifestations later modified: ‘I had an opportunity to talk with him (Whitefield) of those outward signs which had so often accompanied the inward work of God. His objections were chiefly founded on gross misrepresentations of matters of fact. But the next day he (Whitefield) had opportunity of informing himself better; for no sooner had he begun (in the application of his sermon) to invite all sinners to believe in Christ, than four persons sunk down, close to him, almost in the same moment. One of them lay without either sense or motion; a second trembled exceedingly; the third had strong convulsions all over his body, but made no noise, unless by groans; the fourth, equally convulsed, called upon God, with strong cries and tears. From this time, I trust, we shall all suffer God to carry on His own work in the way that pleaseth Him.’”

Baptism with the Holy Spirit

Charles G. Finney: An Autobiography. Flemming H. Revell Publishing, pp. 20-21.

“As I turned and was about to take a seat by the fire, I received a mighty baptism of the Holy Ghost. Without any expectation of it, without ever having the thought in my mind that there was any such thing for me, without any recollection that I had ever heard the thing mentioned by any person in the world, the Holy Spirit descended upon me in a manner that seemed to go through me, body and soul. I could feel the impression, like a wave of electricity, going through and through me. Indeed it seemed to come in waves and waves of liquid love, for I could not express it in any other way. It seemed like the very breath of God. I can recollect distinctly that it seemed to fan me, like immense wings. No words can express the wonderful love that was shed abroad in my heart. I wept aloud with joy and love; and I do not know but I should say, I literally bellowed out the unutterable gushings of my heart. These waves came over me, and over me, and over me, one after the other, until I recollect I cried out, ‘I shall die if these waves continue to pass over me.’ I said, ‘Lord, I cannot bear any more;’ yet I had no fear of death.”

Charles G. Finney: An Autobiography. Fleming H. Revell Publishing, page 21.

“How long I remained in this state (baptism with the Holy Ghost), with this baptism continuing to roll over me and go through me, I do not know. But I know it was late in the evening when a member of my choir---for I was the leader of the choir---came into the office to see me. He was a member of the church. He found me in this state of loud weeping, and said to me, ‘Mr. Finney, what ails you?’ I could make him no answer for some time. He then said, ‘Are you in pain”’ I gathered myself up as best as I could, and replied, ‘No, but so happy that I cannot live.’

Gifts of the Spirit

Corum, Fred T., and Rachel A Sizelove, Like As Of Fire. E. Myron Noble, Editor. Washington D.C: Middle Atlantic Press, page 1.

Daniel Williams recorded instances of phenomena in the Welsh Revival of 1904: “The manifestation of power was beyond the human management. Men and women were mowed down by the axe of God like a forest. . . The weeping for mercy, the holy laughter, ecstasy of joy, the fire descending, burning its way to the hearts of men and women with sanctity and glory, were manifestations still cherished and longed for in greater power. Many were heard speaking in tongues and prophesying. So great was the visitations in Penygroes and the districts that nights were spent in churches.”

Holy Laughter

Charles G. Finney: An Autobiography. Fleming H. Revell Publishing, page 21.

“How long I remained in this state (baptism with the Holy Ghost), with this baptism continuing to roll over me and go through me, I do not know. But I know it was late in the evening when a member of my choir---for I was the leader of the choir---came into the office to see me. He was a member of the church. He found me in this state of loud weeping, and said to me, ‘Mr. Finney, what ails you?’ I could make him no answer for some time. He then said, ‘Are you in pain”’ I gathered myself up as best as I could, and replied, ‘No, but so happy that I cannot live.’ He turned and left the office, and in a few minutes returned with one of the elders of the church, whose shop was nearly across the way from our office. This elder was a very serious man; and in my presence had been very watchful, and I had scarcely ever seen him laugh. When he came in, I was very much in the state in which I was when the young man went out to call him. He asked me how I felt, and I began to tell him. Instead of saying anything, he fell into the most spasmodic laughter. It seemed as if it was impossible for him to keep from laughing from the bottom of his heart.”

Falling Under the Power of God

Charles G. Finney: An Autobiography, Fleming H. Revell Publishing, page 136-137.

“A few years before, there had been a revival there under the labor of the Methodists. It had been attended with a good deal of excitement; and many cases had occurred of, what Methodists call, ‘Falling under the power of God.’ This the Presbyterians had resisted, and, in consequence, a bad state of feeling had arisen, between the Methodists and the Presbyterians; the Methodists accusing eh Presbyterians of having opposed the revival among them because of these cases of falling. As nearly as I could learn, there was a good deal of truth in this, and the Presbyterians had been decidedly in error. I had not preached long, before, one evening, just at the close of my sermon, I observed a man fall from his seat near the door; and the people gathered around him to take care of him. From what I saw, I was satisfied that it was a case of falling under the power of God, as the Methodists would express it, and supposed that it was a Methodist. I must say that I had a little fear that it might reproduce the state of division and alienation that had before existed. But on inquiry I learned that it was one of the principal members of the Presbyterian church, that had fallen. And it was remarkable that during the revival, there were several cases of this kind among the Presbyterians, and none among the Methodists. This led to such confessions and explanations among the members of the different churches, as to secure a state of great cordiality and good feeling among them.”

Strickland, W.P., Editor. Autobiography of Rev. James B. Finley. Cincinnati: Cranston and Curtis, 1953, page 165.

James Finley writes in his autobiography concerning the Cane Ridge Revival of 1801: “A great revival broke out in the state of Kentucky. It was attended with such peculiar circumstances as to produce great alarm all over the country. It was reported that hundreds who attended the meetings were suddenly struck down, and would lie for hours and, sometimes, for days, in a state of insensibility; and that when they recovered and came out of that state, they would commence praising God for His pardoning mercy and redeeming love.”

Soul Travail

12. S. B. Shaw, The Great Revival in Wales. Allegheny Publications, Salem, Ohio, pp. 138-139.

“A reporter of the Evening Press, Cardiff, Wales gives a ‘description’ of the scene which occurred in Ramoth Chapel, Hirwain, during the soul-travail of Evan Roberts, for such it really was. No such extraordinary scene has yet been witnessed during the course of the revival. It was an ordeal as dreadful as that through which the young revivalist passed at Blaenanerch, when he got the Spirit’s baptism which sent him on his great mission. I talked on Friday and Saturday to two of the leading ministers of the Calvanistic Methodist Church in Wales, who were on either side of him in the pulpit when it occurred. No words can depict the awfulness of Evan Robert’s agony, they say. He clutched the Bible nervously, turned over its passages hurredly, and then suddenly his face became distorted with pain. He fought against manifesting the emotion that convulsed every fiber of his being, and exclaimed despairingly in an undertone which those standing near him distinctly heard, ‘O Lord, do stay Thy hand. I can endure this no longer.’ The next moment he was on the pulpit floor, and there he lay prostrate for nearly a quarter of an hour. He was concealed from the view of the congregation by those standing around him but his sobs rang through the building, and the ‘Oh! Oh! Oh!’ repeated over and over again in varied tones, were heart-piercing in the extreme. When he recovered himself and emerged from the ordeal and sat down, these two ministers told me his countenance was well-nigh transfigured and was quite angelic in its calmness and repose, and they both heard him exclaim peacefully, ‘O for the strength of body to bear this weight of glory!’ He subsequently told them that he was sure God had for some days previously been building up his body to stand the intense strain of the ordeal in which he had, in a most realistic sense, been partaker of Christ’s sufferings. He himself believes that it is by such an ordeal that God enables him to agonize for souls. Attempts of course are made to account for this on physical grounds, such as hysteria, overwork, intense nervous exhaustion, and the like. But others who are familiar with the experiences of David Brainerd and other saintly revivalists of former days, and who know how day by day this young man in private as well as in public lives in fellowship with God that is intimate and deep, interpret such as an incident in the light of these words, ‘Ye shall indeed drink of My cup and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with.’”

13. Charles G. Finney: An Autobiography. Fleming H. Revell Publishers, page 175.

“One of his (pastor of a church) principal women had been so deeply exercised in her soul about the state of the church, and of the ungodly in that city, that she prayed for two days and nights, almost incessantly, until her strength was quite overcome; that she had literal travail of soul, to such an extent that when her own strength was exhausted, she could not endure the burden of her mind, unless somebody was engaged in prayer with her, upon whose prayer she could lean---some one who could express her desires to God.”

14. Frank Bartleman, Azuza Street, Bridge Publishing Inc., pp. 14, 17, 22.

“I found most Christians did not want to take on a burden of prayer. It was too hard on the flesh. I was carrying this burden now in ever increasing volume, night and day. The ministry was intense. It was ‘the fellowship of His sufferings,’ of ‘travail of soul,’ with ‘groanings that cannot be uttered.’---Romans 8:26, 27. Most believers find it easier to criticize than to pray. We prayed for a spirit of revival for Pasadena until the burden became well nigh unbearable. I cried out like a woman in birth pangs. The Spirit was interceding through us. Finally the burden left us . . . We knew we were workers with Him, fellowshippers of His suffering, in the ministry of ‘soul travail.’ Real soul travail is just as definite in the spirit, as natural birth pangs. The simile is almost perfect in its sameness. No soul is ever born without this. All true revivals of salvation come this way. . . At Smale’s church one day I was groaning in prayer at the altar. The spirit of intercession was upon me. A brother rebuked me severely. He did not understand it. The flesh naturally shrinks from such ordeals. The ‘groans’ are no more popular in most churches than is a woman in birth pangs in the home. Soul-travail does not make pleasant company for selfish worldlings. But we cannot have souls born without it. Child bearing is anything but a popular exercise these days. And so with a real revival of new born souls in the churches. Modern society has little place for a child-bearing mother. They prefer society ‘flappers.’ And so with the churches regarding soul-travail. There is little burden for souls. Men run from the groans of a woman in travail of birth. And so the church desires not ‘groans’ today. She is too busy enjoying herself.”

Charles G. Finney: An Autobiography. Fleming H. Revell Publishing, page 193.

“I shall never forget what a scene I passed through one day in my room at Dr. Lansing’s. The Lord showed me as in a vision what was before me. He drew near to me, while I was engaged in prayer, that my flesh literally trembled on my bones. I shook for from head to foot, under a full sense of the presence of God. At first, and for some time, it seemed more like being on the top of Sinai, amidst its full thunderings, than in the presence of the cross of Christ. Never in my life, that I recollect, was I so awed and humbled before God as then. Nevertheless, instead of feeling like fleeing, I seemed to draw nearer and nearer to that Presence that filled me with such unutterable awe and trembling. After a season of great humiliation before Him, there came a great lifting up.”