"
It is perhaps natural to assume that most instances of the attainment of
Illumination, have been inseparable from religious devotion, or at least
contemplative mysticism. This view is held almost exclusively by
Orientals, and seems to have been shared to a great extent by western
commentators upon the subject.
A notable example among Occidentals, bearing the religious aspect, and one
which is important from the fact that the person detailing his experience,
was a man of mental training, is the case of Rev. Charles G. Finney,
formerly president of Oberlin College.
In his "Memoirs," Dr. Finney describes what Orthodox Christians generally
call the "baptism of the Holy Spirit":
"I had retired to a back room for prayer," writes Dr. Finney, "and there
was no fire or light in the room; nevertheless it appeared to me as if it
were perfectly light. As I went in and shut the door after me, it seemed as
if I met the Lord Jesus Christ face to face. It did not occur to me then
nor did it for some time afterwards, that it was wholly a mental state.
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