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Charles Grandison Finney (1792-1875) was a lawyer and a religious
skeptic before a conversion experience turned him into one of the greatest
evangelical revival preachers in American history. "The Great Itinerant" attracted huge crowds with over 500,000 people converted through his ministry. The intense and sometimes disorderly aspects of western camp revival meetings concerned many Congregational and Presbyterian Church leaders. This sermon by Finney, "How to Change Your Heart" exemplifies the Second Great Awakening's emphasis on the ability of people to prepare themselves to experience salvation. His "Change of Heart" is a change from preferring one's own happiness to preferring the happiness and glory of God.