I wrote a longer answer under the sabbath topic a minute ago.pub4.ezboard.com/ffreedom...1145.topic

Meanwhile, here is an exchange I saved in my scrapbook awhile back between myself and someone else who reads the board. It records the thought that led to me looking up the info. on Finney. Oddly enough Daniel, you have a reverse take on the same question about whether Jed understood Finney. I was led in by my doubts that any serious historic figure could spout the idea of "sinlessness" by one's own efforts, since it is so unorthodox. The article didn't give much confirmation of a Jed error unfortunately but here is the reader's response:

FA : I've wondered if Finney ever said
> anything like what the jeddies interpret him to say.
> I have always assumed so and just thought Finney was
> a pioneer fringe type. But ... what if it
> was like this: Finney stressed that "Jesus did not
> die to leave you in sin." Finney meant what all
> ordinary Christians grasp, even if they mix in
> goodly doses of guilt for their lapses...namely,
> that you are FORGIVEN, even if you mess up again and
> again, because Jesus stands at the door and knocks
> forever, so to speak.
>
> Sorry to lapse so theological here, but instead, the
> Jeddies interpret Finney to be saying "Accept Jesus
> and you become miraculously sinless." Oops. Not if
> they would use a good mirror.
>
> Also troubling to Jeddies is that they think other
> Christians are saying "Since sin is inevitable, go
> out and revel in it." They just don't "get" the main
> point at all, namely that they cannot SAVE
> THEMSELVES by their OWN EFFORTS.

Reader: I know what Jesus meant. You know what Jesus
meant. The most liberal "grace"-believers understand that
it's not a license to sin, sin, sin away (and the
point of sin being that it's basically empty calories
in your soul). This is the least useful doctrine I've
ever seen, a destroyer of perspective.