No words can express the wonderful love that was shed abroad in my
heart.
"I wept aloud with joy and love. These waves came over me, and over me,
one after the other, until I recollect that I cried out, 'I shall die if
these waves continue to pass over me.' I said 'Lord, I cannot bear any
more.'"
We will note, that although Dr. Finney says that he could not remember ever
having heard the thing mentioned by any person, yet he felt "the baptism of
the Holy Spirit." It is practically impossible that Dr. Finney could have
lived in an age and a community which was essentially strict in its
Orthodoxy, without having heard of the phrase "baptism of the Holy Spirit,"
even though the words had escaped his immediate recollection. However, the
point that characterizes Dr. Finney's experience, in common with all
others, is that of seeing an intense light, and of the realization of the
overwhelming force of love.
The relation of this experience to a creed or system of religion, is
something which, we believe, may be accounted for, as Professor James has
said, on the fact of "historical determination.
Pages:
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151