Snow on St David's Day

It was meant to be the first day of Spring.
Early daffodils promised warmth,
Their yellow beckoning the sun.
But now they are frozen to the roots,
Submerged beneath chilly white dust.
You can never tell with the Welsh.
Always awkward.

What have the Welsh done for you?

Especially for St. David's day:

1) Shown the English how to play rugby.
2) Invented cheese on toast, 'Welsh rarebit'.
3) Dylan Thomas
4) R. S. Thomas
5) Doubting Thomas - must have been Welsh with a name like that.
6) Ivor the Engine - better than Thomas the Tank Engine any day. Could Thomas (not Welsh because Thomas was his first name) sing Cwm Rhondda (see here)? Er, no.
7) The Severn Bridge that ensures England is not cut off from civilisation.
8) The bloke from The Alarm's mullet.
9) Majestically mournful minor key hymn tunes, Aberystwyth, Trewen, Llan Bagan.
10) Powerful preachers, John Penry, Vavasor Powell, Howell Harris, Daniel Rowland, William Williams, John Elias, Christmas Evans, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones....

Need I say more?

Exiled Revamp

I've given the blog a little makeover. The main difference is the use of a picture of the old (but still used) Severn Bridge in the header. Concerned American readers sometimes contact me to ask why I'm an "Exiled Preacher". I tell that that it is simply because I am a Welshman living in England, on the "wrong" side of the River Severn. The river separates England from South Wales where I was born and bred. In the photo the sun is setting in the west, disappearing behind the mountains of my homeland. Its a symbol of the hiraeth or homesickness that Welsh people feel when living away from the Land of our Fathers. But the "Exiled" bit also has has spiritual significance. Christians are "elect exiles of the dispersion" (1 Peter 1:1 ESV). Our home is not the wilderness of this fallen world, but the heavenly Canaan. We look foward to the coming of the new creation, where in resurrection glory we shall enjoy the sweetest communion with our Triune God and all his people for all eternity. William William's hymn quoted below gives a marvellous sense of the hiraeth that the believer feels in his heart as he contemplates the glory to come. He speaks for all "elect exiles",

A PILGRIM in a desert land,
I wander far and wide,
Expecting I may some time come
Close to my Father’s side.

Ahead of me I think I hear
Sounds of a heavenly choir,
A conquering host already gone
Through tempest, flood and fire.

Come, Holy Sprit, fire by night,
Pillar of cloud by day;
Lead, for I dare not take a step
Unless Thou show the way.

So prone am I when on my own
To stray from side to side,
I need, each step to Paradise,
My God to be my guide.

I have a yearning for that land,
Where the unnumbered throng
Extol the death on Calvary
In heaven’s unending song.

William Williams, 1717-91;
tr. by Robert Maynard Jones (Bobi Jones), 1929-

The 1859 Revival in Wales (Part 3)

A three-part series based on a talk given at one of our Wednesday evening Prayer Meetings. You might like to catch up with Part 1 and Part 2.

4. The Revival Spreads

In February of 1859 a Calvinistic Methodist presbytery meeting was held in Aberaeron, south of Aberystwyth (pictured above). The churches had been urged to pray for God’s blessing upon the meetings. David Morgan was booked to preach during the presbytery gathering. Some were hostile to his presence and attended his first meeting with an antagonistic spirit. But such was God’s evident presence in the service that the all opposition was subdued. Morgan was given to preach most powerfully in the second meeting. Evan Philips witnessed the occasion,

"The revivalist stood in the pulpit and glanced around the audience, gazing more especially at the crowd of young people in the audience. That gaze was terrible. Hardly any one in the gallery could endure it. With one impulse they bent their heads like a sensitive plant touched. 'The world's sin is great', he says. The words fall like lead on the hearts of the multitude. 'Christ's atonement is greater,' he adds; and a shower of tears falls through a bright sky of joy." (Revival Comes to Wales, Eifion Evans, Evangelical Press of Wales, p. 73. All quotes where only a page number is given are from this title).

By the end of the week following the presbytery, forty people applied to join the Aberaeron church. The work begun under David Morgan’s ministry went from strength to strength. By the end of 1860 about 200 were added to the fellowship. After the Aberaeron presbytery, Morgan’s influence began to grow and the southern Cardiganshire churches embraced the revival. Soon many parts of Wales would experience a powerful outpouring of the Spirit.

As the year progressed the revival spread throughout Wales. David Morgan preached extensively throughout the Principality and was a powerful instrument of revival blessing. In the autumn of 1859 the preacher was invited to hold meetings in Ebbw Vale, Monmouthshire.

"A deputation waited upon him at the Llangeitho Association in 1859 to invite him to Ebbw Vale and district. They were headed by David Hugues, who had arranged his previous tour in the days of his comparitive obscurity. The revivalist expressed a fear that he could not arrange a tour in Monmouthshire. 'Look you, David, my boy'' expostulated a the quaint old deacon, 'we at Ebbw Vale were dealing with you when you were carrying a basket on your arm and trading on a small scale, and now that you have opened an emporium, don't you think that you can turn the cold shoulder to your old customers.' This arrow found a joint in the revivalist's armour, and he yielded at once." (p. 91-92).

But Wales also experienced a moving of the Spirit independently of Morgan's ministry. Almost every county was touched. Thomas Phillips, an eyewitness and participant in the revival charted its course in The Welsh Revival; Its Origin & Development, reprinted in 1989 by the Banner of Truth Trust. I commend his account to those who wish to fill in the details.

Suffice to say for now that the refreshing gales of the Spirit breathed new life into moribund churches The Word was preached with fresh power and many were soundly converted. And still the churches prayed in earnest for yet more of the Spirit’s presence in their midst. It is reckoned that 110,000 people were added to the churches as a result of the 1859 revival in Wales. The Welsh communities in Liverpool and the Midlands were also affected by the awakening. During the same period there were also remarkable outpourings of the Spirit in Ulster, Scotland and England. Spurgeon experienced revival in his New Park Street Ministry. It might be said that 1859 was the last UK-wide revival.

5. Some Characteristics of the Revival

1) Fervent Prayer

Reports of the New York revival led to earnest prayer in the Welsh churches. The coming of revival also led to the churches laying a renewed emphasis on prayer. Psalm 85:6, Psalm 80:18. That is a lesson that we need to take to heart. We must pray fervently and persistently for a fresh outpouring of the Spirit. What else will revive and renew the churches? What else will awaken lost and indifferent sinners to their need of a Saviour? Yes, we must carry on preaching and witnessing. We must engage with the modern world and its concerns. But we need the demonstration of the Spirit and power to give our witness saving effectiveness.

2) Powerful Preaching

There was much preaching in Wales prior to the 1859 revival. But preaching during the revival was of a different kind. As early as the February of that year Thomas Edwards commented,

"The revival has made a great change in the style of preaching and in the spirit of the preacher. It would appear that the object is, more than ever, to preach the substantial truths of the gospel, so earnestly, closely and personally, that the hearers may feel that the preacher's aim is to save their should, and that God, by His means, desires to bring them to Himself." (p. 113).

Some were critical of David Morgan’s preaching during the revival. He passionately would urge sinners to turn to Christ without delay. One John Jones of Bleannannarch was none too happy with this, and he tackled the younger minister on the subject,

"What is this that I hear about you, David, my boy?' said John Jones. 'What have you heard?', asked David Morgan guardedly. 'What have I heard? What means this lugging of the people into church fellowship without giving them time to sit down and consider and count the cost before they begin to build?' 'What time ought a sinner to get to consider, Mr. Jones?' 'Moe than you give them, by all accounts.' 'You are criticising my method; what is your idea of a reasonable period for considering this great question?' Accepting the challenge, John Jones retorted, 'A month is not too much at least.' David Morgan saw that his enemy was delivered into his hand, and replied, 'Well! Well! God's Spirit says, Today; the devil says Tomorrow; but the old evangelist of Blaenannerch says, A month hence will do'." (p. 71).

That is the kind of preaching we need, urgent, plain, passionate and gospel-centred. But sitting under such searching ministry would not be comfortable. The lost would be convicted of their sin and need of a Saviour. In Part 1 we saw how Humphrey Jones and David Morgan would preach with searching power to believers. How many of us could bear to be soundly rebuked for being “at ease in Zion” or "lukewarm"? We are interested in the story of revivals. Are they not thrilling accounts of what the Lord can do? But how would we fare if revival truly came to the Church? The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. Could we bear to sit beneath his penetrating gaze and be rebuked for our prayerlessness, lack of love, bickering and unbelief?

3) Conversions

Conversions are few and far between these days. Larger and smaller churches report but few sinners coming to faith in Christ. But as I have pointed out, around 110,000 were converted in Wales during 1859. Now, revival is first and foremost the re-vival – the re-awakening of the church. But true revivals also have a powerful effect upon the world. The ungodly begin to realise that there is a God in Zion. The church is given proclaim the gospel with fresh power and authority. 1 Thess 1:5.

4) New measures

C. G. Finney was an extreme Armininan who believed that all possible means should be used to induce the sinner to decide for Christ. Rather than believing that revival was a sovereign work of the Spirit, he suggested that revivals could be obtained if believers fulfilled certain conditions. This led to evangelistic campaigns being labelled “revivals”, an understanding of the word that would have been unrecognised by an earlier generation of men who experienced true revival.

Humphrey Jones, an Arminian was more deeply influenced by Finney than the Calvinist, David Morgan. Morgan, who was schooled the theology of the Puritans understood that revival is a sovereign work of the Spirit that is outside of man’s control. We saw in Part 2 that in October 1858 the preacher went to sleep one night and woke at 4 a.m. a changed man. He was endued with an extraordinary memory for spiritual things. His preaching from that date was marked with a new power. It has been said that Morgan went to bed like a lamb and awoke as a lion. But as the revival drew to an end the experience was reversed. His son testified,

"This astonishing endowment of memory was revoked as suddenly and unexpectedly as it was conferred. One night, in less than two years; time he went to sleep in possession of it, and when he awoke - it was gone!" (p. 54).

The pulpit lion was a lamb one more. David Morgan settled down to an ordinary, yet faithful pastoral ministry in the Calvinistic Methodist Church.

Humphrey Jones however had difficulty coping with that fact that revival did not invariably attend his ministry. Following Finney, he believed that revivals could be stimulated and perpetuated by man. Some sensed that he was sometimes trying to engineer a revival. If he felt that people were not responding to his ministry as he expected, he would stop preaching and ask for those who opened in prayer to start again. As Eifion Evans comments, for Jones, lack of success mean that, “There was something wrong with the machinery, and that had to be corrected before proceeding any further”. (Fire in the Thatch: The True Nature of Religious Revival, Eifion Evans, Evangelical Press of Wales, 1996, p. 199). Jones’ “revival meetings” in Aberystwyth ended in confusion and decline. He believed that the revival was going to usher in the Millennium, which he prophesied would come in July 1859. It obviously didn’t happen. The preacher withdrew from his work in the revival citing physical weakness. He ended up having to spend time in Carmarthen Mental Hospital, an exhausted and broken man. His experience shows us the danger of trying to stir up a revival using certain techniques, even techniques that the Lord has been pleased to use before. Revival is a sovereign work of the Spirit – an intensification of his ordinary work in renewing the church and regenerating sinners. We cannot manufacture a revival. Preachers who try to “engineer” revivals are doomed to failure and disillusionment. We sometimes forget the Holy Spirit is not a force that we can “tap into” at will. He is the third Person of the Trinity, sent by the Father to glorify the Son. His work in the church is subject to fluctuation and change as he wills. Sometimes preaching may come with evident Holy Spirit power, at others this is less so. The preacher and congregation may long and pray for more of the Holy Spirit’s empowering, but we cannot force his hand.

It was during the 1859 revival that certain Finneyite practices or “New Measures” began to be introduced to the Welsh Churches. Humphrey Jones and David Morgan would call upon people to make a visible response to their preaching, whether by raising their hands or coming to the front of the chapel. The "altar calls" associated with Billy Graham’s ministry are Finneyite in origin. It has to be said that Humphrey Jones and David Morgan were a lot more circumspect concerning the publication of numbers of converts than we might find in modern crusade evangelism. Converts were only added to the membership of the churches on evidence of a changed life. Most of the converts stood the test of time. But the introduction of “New Measures” during the 1850’s have had a detrimental effect on the evangelistic efforts of the church right up to the present day. (Mass crusade evangelism complete with "altar calls", publication of numbers of "decisions for Christ" etc). But in all revivals we see a mixture of good and bad. As Jonathan Edwards has taught us, we should not reject what was evidently a work of God for the sake of some suspect practices.

5) Concern for Glory of God

We saw this in Part 2, when after the meeting at Devil’s Bridge, David Morgan shouted Ps. 115:1 at the top of his voice. I wonder if we are far too “me and my needs” centred than God centred? During the 1859, people did not attend meetings as consumers to have their needs met, but as worshippers to glorify God and sinners to seek his grace. In August 1859 an open air prayer meeting was held at 8am, with 18,000 in attendance. A young farmhand prayed, “May the Heavenly Dove descend now upon this meadow!” A deep and awesome silence fell upon the meeting and David Morgan prayed powerfully for those who were to preach the Word that day. After the meeting two men entered into conversation,

"A new minutes later, Thomas John, Cilgerran, walked in a field nearby lost in reverie. A friend stopped him, and said, 'What a glorious sight that was, when the thousands were engaged in silent prayer at Mr. Morgan's request! Did you ever see anything like it, Mr. John?' He answered solemnly, 'I didn't see one of them: I saw no one but God. I am going home,' he said suddenly. 'How terrible is this place! It is too terrible for me. My flesh is too weak to bear this weight of glory...'." (p. 90).

That is revival – when a man leaves a meeting and says, “I saw no one but God” and is overwhelmed by his glory. That is what revival is ultimately all about – the glory of God blazing forth in the church. Let us pray, Exodus 33:18. May the Lord hear us and send forth his Spirit that we might see more of his glory in the face of Jesus Christ, 2 Corinthians 4:6, John 16:14. "Will you not revive us again?", Psalm 85:6.

The 1859 Revival in Wales (Part 2)

A three-part series based on a talk given at one of our Wednesday evening Prayer Meetings. You might like to catch up with Part 1.

3. The Men God Used

There were two principal instruments of the 1859 Revival in Wales, Humphrey Jones and David Morgan.

Humphrey Jones

Jones was a native of Cardiganshire. He was converted at the age of sixteen after a period of prolonged conviction of sin. Soon he began to preach among the Wesleyan Methodists. By his own claim, hundreds of people were converted under his early preaching. This early success led him to apply for the Wesleyan ministry. But they turned him down. Resolved to preach come what may, in 1854 he emigrated to America. He spent a year preaching to Welsh settlers in New York before being ordained a deacon with the Episcopalian Methodists. Jones was then appointed missioner to the Welsh community in Wisconsin. However, after twelve months he severed his links with the Episcopalian Methodists. This gave him freedom to preach wherever he chose.

The power of the Spirit was evident in his preaching. There were remarkable meetings in Milwaukee, where forty-five people professed conversion. Under his preaching in Onedia, New York it is reported that seven hundred owned Jesus as their Saviour.

Jones was concerned to see the revival blessing spread to his native land, so in 1858 he returned to Wales, arriving in the June of that year. He began to preach on searching texts like Amos 6:1 and Revelation 3:16. Christians were humbled and the unconverted awakened. In a letter to the Welsh Herald newspaper he described what had been happening under his preaching in and around his home village of Tre'r-ddol in the summer of 1858,

"Fifty-one have been converted in this locality up to the present. This is regarded as a major revival in such a small congregation and in such a sparsely populated area. The revival continues. The movement has proved influential far and near... I believe that Wales is on the brink blessed things, and that revivals will be commonplace throughout the land." (Revival Comes to Wales, Eifion Evans, Evangelical Press of Wales, p. 48. All quotes where only a page number is given are from this title).

Jones was something of an unusual figure on the Welsh religious scene. He was a Wesleyan Methodist – an Arminian in a land dominated by Calvinistic Methodism. But it seems that the Lord was pleased to use the young preacher to prepare the ground for the 1859 revival.

David Morgan

David Morgan was a carpenter by trade. He was converted at the age of 21. Noticing the depth of feeling and rich quality of his prayers, people urged him to preach. In 1848 he was accepted as a ministerial candidate for the Llangeitho Association of the Calvinistic Methodists. But he refused to go to college for formal ministerial training. Morgan received his theological education by reading the old Puritans authors like Thomas Watson and John Owen. He was ultimately ordained in 1857.

It has to be said that Morgan was more than a little wary of the early revival meetings that had been occurring under the ministry of Humphrey Jones. But all that was to change when David Morgan heard Jones preach in Pont-rhyd-y-groes at the end of September, 1858. He spoke powerfully on Revelation 3:16. As he listened, David Morgan became aware of shortcomings in his ministry. The dire need of the church also pressed upon him. After the service, Morgan sought the preacher’s counsel. He was now convinced that the Holy Spirit was active in Jones’ ministry.

"They conversed for hours about the forlorn condition of Zion, and Mr. Jones insisted that it was due to the drowsiness and supineness of the watchmen on its walls. At last David Morgan said, 'There can be no harm in out attempting to rouse the churches of the religion; I am willing to do my best. We can do no mischief by holding prayer meetings, though there should be no more than man in it all'. 'You do that,' responded the other, 'and I will guarantee that God will be with you very soon'." (p. 52).

Deeply affected by Jones’ searching preaching and challenged by the news of what had been happening in New York, David Morgan began to pray in earnest for the blessing of God upon his ministry. Such was his concern on soul that he cancelled a preaching engagement on 3rd October and instead went to hear Humphrey Jones at Ysbyty Ystwyth. He spoke with great earnestness in Amos 6:1, but the congregation remained cold and unresponsive. In a church meeting after the service, Jones publicly rebuked the elders of the church,

"The preacher complained rather bitterly of the frigidity of the religious atmosphere, and turning to the elders, said, 'Not one of you helped me with so much as an "Amen".' One of them...rose and replied, 'It is very difficult for a man, when the ministry condemns him, to cry "Amen" with it.' Overcome by sudden feeling, the old man burst into tears, and fell into his seat as if in a swoon. he was a man of undoubted piety, and unfailing faithfulness in all departments of Christian work; and when he was heard acknowledging his guilt in the face of the sermon, the entire church was struck by an overwhelming wave of emotion, and, as if by a simultaneous impulse, every face was bowed low and bathed in tears." (p. 53).

David Morgan preached on the following Monday, but his ministry still lacked power. On the Tuesday night however, something strange and remarkable happened to him. As the preacher’s son explains,

"He retired to his rest as his usual time on Tuesday evening, and slept for some hours. He awoke about 4 a.m., and was instantly conscious that some strange, mysterious change had come over him. He became aware with awe of a marvellous illumination of his faculties, especially of his memory. 'I awoke about four in the morning.' said he himself, 'remembering everything of a religious nature that I had ever learnt or heard'." ( p. 54).

Congregations soon became aware that Morgan's ministry was attended with fresh power. In his intercessory prayers he seemed to be able to remember the names of hundreds of people and recall the details of their spiritual condition. Which absent-minded preacher would not wish for such a gift? He began to co-operate closely with Humphrey Jones and they held preaching meetings together. Churches were stirred and challenged, and sinners saved as they proclaimed the Word of God with power and convicion. There was now a real expectation that the Lord was about to do greater things. In once service in late November 1859 David Morgan cried out in prayer,

"We thank Thee, O Lord, that there are indications of a rising cloud. It is but a little one, like a man's hand, but it is a cloud and it arises from the sea. Let the whole sky grow black! Let the whole sky grow black! LET THE WHOLE SKY GROW BLACK!" (p. 58).

By the end of December 1858, Morgan was already exercising a powerful awakening ministry. Let me give you two instances of this, one concerning his personal work and another of his preaching at that time. He urged an old stone-breaker to accompany him to a prayer meeting. The man refused his invitation, complaining that he would loose sixpence in pay if he had an hour off work. Morgan offered to give him a sixpenny bit if he came with him. The worker angrily rejected this offer saying, "I don't want your sixpence or your service". At this, the preacher insisted on praying for the old man. "You have a soul worth more than the world, in danger of eternal death." said Morgan before dropping to his knees and praying that God would melt the heart of the sin-hardened rebel. "Stop! Stop!" said the old man, grasping Morgan by the arm, "I'll come with you." And so he did. The aged worker remained behind for an after-meeting. David Morgan asked him what he wanted to which he replied, "Mercy for my poor soul. I have grown too old for Victoria (he was a discharged old soldier), but perhaps Jesus Christ will enrol me in His army and succor my poor soul."

On 23rd December, Morgan ministered at Pen-llwyn and his preaching had a marked prophetic quality,

"In the middle of his sermon he startled his audience by suddenly exclaiming, 'If any of you tonight deny the deity of the Son, I have nothing better to tell you than what Morgan Howell, Newport, shouted on Lampeter bridge, "Though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor. He became poor when He came to Bethlehem; tell me, when was He rich?"' This remark was utterly irrelevant to the preacher's subjects matter, and no one could conjecture whence it came, and wither it went. Thy mystery was solved in the after-meeting, for among the converts were three Unitarians...whose presence in the service was quite accidental, and certainly unknown to the preacher." (p. 62-63).

Daivd Morgan preached at Devil’s Bridge on New Year’s Day, 1859 (the dramatic waterfall at Devil's Bridge is featured at the top of the post). A veteran minister described the event,

"The evening service was terrible. So near was the revivalist to his God that none could gaze steadfastly at him. Many of the hearers swooned. On the way home I dared not break the silence for miles. Towards midnight I ventured to say, 'Didn't we have blessed meetings, Mr. Morgan?' 'Yes.' he replied; and after a pause, added, 'The Lord would give us great things if He could only trust us'. 'What do you mean?' I asked. 'If he could only trust us not to steal the glory for ourselves.' Then the midnight air rang with his cry, at the top of his voice, 'Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory'." (p 69-70).

So these were the men God used to light the fires of the 1859 revival in Wales. Humphrey Jones and David Morgan were mighty in prayer, powerful in preaching and jealous for God's glory. May the Lord raise up men of like calibre to awaken the churches in our day.

The 1859 Revival in Wales (Part 1)

A three-part series based on a talk given at one of our Wednesday evening Prayer Meetings.

2009 is a big year for anniversaries. For many it is the year of Charles Darwin, with 2009 marking the 200th anniversary of his birth and the 150th anniversary of The Origin of Species. The more theologically minded will be aware that 2009 also marks the 500th anniversary of the birth of a certain John Calvin. But now I would like to reflect on another important anniversary – that of the 1859 Revival in Wales. Let me begin by quoting R. S. Thomas’s poem, “The Chapel”. R. S., the somewhat cantankerous Welsh poet, nicknamed the “Ogre of Wales” was a Church in Wales Clergyman. He is reflecting on the decline of “old time religion” in the Land of my Fathers,

A little aside from the main road
becalmed in a last-century greyness
there is the chapel, ugly, without the appeal
to the tourist to stop his car
and visit it. The traffic goes by
and the river goes by, and quick shadows
of clouds too, and the chapel settles
a little deeper into the grass

But here once on an evening like this,
in the darkness that was about
his hearers, a preacher caught fire,
and burned steadily before them
with a strange light so that they saw
the splendour of the barren mountains
about them and sang their amens
fiercely, narrow but saved
in a way that men are not now.

But 150 years ago in February 1859, preachers did catch fire and people were saved – around 110,000 in the space of twelve months. In our days of decline and setbacks we find ourselves wondering,

And shall we then for ever live
At this poor dying rate?
Our love so faint, so cold to Thee,
And Thine to us so great?

We need an encouraging reminder of the great things that the Lord is able to do for his people, Psalm 145:4-7. So let us look at what the Lord did in Wales in 1859. What follows is only a brief sketch of what happened rather than an exhaustive account.

1. “The Low State of Religion”

Wales is sometimes known as the “Land of Revivals”. There is definitely something in that. For a period of 170 years the land of my birth experienced a number of powerful outpourings of the Spirit. It all began in 1735, the year in which Daniel Rowland and Howell Harris were converted, and ended in 1905 as the revival associated with Evan Roberts and others began to peter out. But we must not think that the Welsh churches were in a constant state of revival. They were not. Powerful revivals were followed by periods of decline and deadness. The years before the 1859 were characterised by just a time. The Churches were orthodox. The Calvinistic Methodists held tenaciously to their Confession in the face of growing attacks on the doctrine of Scripture. But church leaders bemoaned, “The inefficiency of the ministry… the low state of religion” and the “hardness of the times”.

In some respects the period before the 1859 Revival mirrors our own. We have many sound churches where the Word of God is preached faithfully. But the spiritual state of the churches is low and we seem to be having little impact on the world. Of course there are differences too. The Christianity is no longer the “default faith” for people in our land as it was in Wales during the Victorian period. We live in an increasingly post-Christian society. We have to face the challenges of religious pluralism and the consumer society. But I think that part of the battle is acknowledging that there is a problem and that we are desperately in need of a fresh outpouring of the Spirit.

2. Hopeful Signs

One of the main instruments of the 1859 Revival was David Morgan. An entry in his diary for 1855 gives us a glimpse into his soul,

"It is a big thing to have a feeling that God would revive His work. Whoever possesses such a feeling will be compelled to do all he can to revive the Lord's work. By reading the history of the Church we find that the great cause fluctuates up and own through the ages, but whenever the Lord draws near to save there was some considerable expectancy amongst the godly for His coming. As well as praying, we should be doing out utmost to revive the work. So did the godly of old; they prayed and they worked." (Revival Comes to Wales, The story on the 1859 Revival in Wales, Eifion Evans, Evangelical Press of Wales p. 25).

Renewed interest in revival was awakened by reports of what had been happening in New York in 1857-58. Businessman Jeremiah Lanphier was deeply concerned about the prevailing spiritual conditions of the day. He wanted others to join him in a lunch time prayer meeting at Foulton Street. He handed out some 20,000 fliers advertising the first noonday prayer meeting on September 23, 1857. For the first thirty minutes he sat alone praying. Eventually, steps were heard coming up the staircase and another joined. Then another and another until Lanphier was joined by five men. The next Wednesday the six increased to twenty. The following week there were 40. Lanphier and the others then decided to meet daily, and within weeks thousands of business leaders were meeting for prayer each day. Before long over 100 churches and public meeting halls were filled with noonday prayer meetings. God moved so powerfully that similar prayer meetings sprang up around the nation.

Lanphier’s Pastor was one James Waddell Alexander. He laid great emphasis on prayer for revival, writing in a tract, Pray for the Spirit, ‘what we especially need is for the whole church to be down on its knees before God.’ The headings give us the gist of his teaching:

1. There is such a thing as the outpouring of the Holy Ghost.
2. The influence of the Spirit of God is exceedingly powerful.
3. The Spirit whom we seek is the Author of Regeneration and Sanctification.
4. The Holy Spirit sends those gifts which are necessary for a successful work.

It is reckoned that tens of thousands of people were converted as a result of those prayer meetings. News of these remarkable events began to filter through to Wales, creating a fresh longing for Revival. D. Evans, a minister from Aberaman published an address that he gave to his congregation on the Foulton Street revival under the heading, The Great Religious Revival in America; Or God’s Triumph over Mammon in the New World in 1858. He concluded,

"In order to be blessed with a similar gracious visitation we must think of and exercise the following things - 1. To repent and be humbled before God because of our sins... 2. The prayer meeting must have more attention from God's people; and the characteristics of their prayers must also change... 3. Christians must also make a personal effort, as well as pray in public... 4. There is every encouragement for God's people in their endeavours, and also for sinners to turn to the Lord." (Revival Comes to Wales, p. 32-33).

Soon revival prayer meeting began to spring up across the land. As Matthew Henry once put it, “Before the Lord does a great work he first sets his people a praying.”

How we need to pray, Isaiah 64:1, Acts 4:29-31. While prayer meetings are neglected and private prayer is simply going through the motions, we cannot expect but little from the Lord. May this report of what the God did in 1859 stir us up to pray for a fresh outpouring of the Spirit.

Wales beat the Aussies 21 - 18

Wales finally managed to beat one of the big southern hemisphere sides in a thrilling game. See BBC Sport for the lowdown.

Visit to the Big Pit

On Friday we met up with my sister and her family and went to the Big Pit National Coal Museum in Blaenavon. It must have been more than 20 years ago since my last visit. I had wanted to take the kids to the Big Pit for ages. Their great grandparents were both coal miners, so mining is part of our family history.

When the Blaenavon mine stopped working in the early 80's, it became Wales' National Coal Museum, with old miners acting as tour guides. All the guides and workers at the pit are still ex-miners, although only two used to work at the Big Pit. One of them is John, our guide for what was meant to be a 50 minute tour of the old mine workings. But before going underground, we were equipped with hard hats, miner's lamps and emergency gas masks. All "contraband" had to be surrendered before entering the cage lift in which we would descend 300 feet (90 meters) into the old mine. "Contraband" included all smoking materials and anything fitted with a dry battery. We had to leave our 21st century gadgets behind before entering the historic mine. All cameras, mobile phones, digital watches and car keys had to be surrendered. Below ground lurks the ever present danger of methane gas that could be ignited by the smallest spark. My daughter gripped my hand tightly as we entered the cage and began our journey into the dark depths of the earth.

In all there are 26 miles of tunnels in the mine and we only explored a small part of the workings. But what we saw was enough to give us a glimpse into the tough and dangerous world of the coal miner. John, our guide was a real character. There was no doubt that he was in charge as he led us into the inner workings of the Big Pit. The old miner was a real working class hero, full of information and friendly banter. Woe betide any member of the tour party who had the temerity to ask a stupid question! At one point John told us to switch off our helmet lights. The darkness could almost be felt. You could not see your hand in front of your face. Eyes could never adjust to such utter blackness. Small boys used to work ten hour shifts in that darkness, opening and shutting doors as they heard pit ponies approaching. Here and there I spotted rusting, disused drams, the kind of which were filled with "black gold" and hauled to the mineshaft by the ponies.

We were shown the stables, still replete with the old horse's names, "Thunder", "Hercules" etc. When the mines were nationalised in the 1940's, the hard working ponies were given two weeks to scamper above ground when the pits closed for "Miner's Fortnight". These days, we tend to think of nationalised industries as inefficient monopolies. Many of them were in the 1970's & 80's. But when the mines were nationalised, miner's safety, pay and conditions were vastly improved. John led us through a seemingly endless series of passageways. We saw old conveyor belts, heaped with coal dust, frozen in time since they stopped transporting coal into drams ready for the journey to the surface.

Our "50 minute tour" complete, the party ascended to the ground level. We had been underground foe an hour and a half . One of the surface workers joked that they were going to send out a search party for us. But we had not suffered a collapsed tunnel, or methane gas explosion. It was just that time had passed so quickly without our digital watches, that we didn't realise the minutes were ticking away relentlessly above ground. It was John who made the tour so enjoyable. In him we had an authentic human guide, sparking with ready wit and full of insider knowledge. You don't get that with one of those automated "press button 7 for commentary" audio guides. The banter between John and his mates was a reminder of the time when the pit was alive with workmen, whose lives depended on each other during the hours they spent cutting coal from the seams that still glimmered in the mine.

After the underground tour came an opportunity to explore the museum's above ground features including the dramatic Mining Galleries and the excellent Pit Head Baths Exhibitions. With the decline of the Welsh mining industry in the 1980's it is difficult to imagine the time when coal was king. But Welsh coking coal powered the British Empire and Welsh anthracite burned brightly in the hearths of most British homes. In 1901, 18 million tonnes of Welsh coal, amounting to 46% of UK output was exported overseas. In the 1970's a miner's strike brought the country to its knees. Industry was reduced to working a three day week to conserve coal stocks. Electricity supplies (mostly generated by coal) were were cut, plunging homes into darkness. I still remember our house being lit by candles during the period. But the days of King Coal were numbered. In 1985, Arthur Scargill led the miners on strike in an endeavour to halt the closure of a limited number of unprofitable collieries. The strike was a failure. Most of the Welsh coalmines were closed and with them a way of life perished for ever.

Or did it? Someone in our tour party asked John if rising oil prices would mean a return to coal. Our guide pointed out that a hundred years worth of "black gold" still lay undisturbed in the Welsh coalfield. Who knows if men will once more risk life and limb to keep the home fires burning? Many ex-miners bitterly regretted the closure of the pits, meaning an end to the camaraderie that is born of shared danger. But others were relived that their sons would not have to follow them into the darkness. Will we see a new generation of Welshmen called into the service of old King Coal? That remains to be seen.

The role of the Christian faith in Welsh mining communities was highlighted in the exhibition. An old family Bible and photos of huge chapels were among the items on display. The money in miners pockets helped to fund the building of many Nonconformist Chapels. The 1904-05 Revival was given a mention. It is said that during the revival, the colliers held prayer meetings deep underground. Such was the change in the conduct of the men who worked with pit ponies that the poor animals were left confused. They were used to being sworn at and treated harshly. But the newly converted colliers treated the ponies with a new gentleness and care.

I highly recommend a visit to the Big Pit. Our visit was informative, engaging and deeply moving. The men who worked underground were honoured but not sentimentalised. My grandfather, Vernon Llewelyn Davies, a miner in Risca pit was one of them.

Like all Welsh museums, the Big Pit is FREE!

Grand Slam for Wales!

Wales 29 - 12 France

A dream conclusion to Wales' six nations campaign. A tough first half, but the boys came through to beat the French in convincing style.

Yessss! See here for BBC match reports and highlights.

Shane Williams scores his record winning 41st try for Wales

Wales Win Triple Crown

Ireland 12 - 16 Wales

A difficult game against Ireland. But we did it! The question now is whether Wales can clinch the Grand Slam by beating France next Saturday. See here for match reports and highlights from the BBC. Cymru am byth!

Shane Williams' try

Introducing the Taffia

Dai Corleone

In his comments on the Carl Trueman interview here, Derek Thomas makes some veiled threats against the disrespectful Englishman. He invokes the much feared Welsh Mafioso, "The Taffia". Well, the Don, Dai Corleone himself has recently entered the world of blogging, so you'd better watch out: The Godfather is it?

Ted Donnelly on Preaching Christ from the Old Testament

Yesterday I crossed the River Severn and entered the Land of my Fathers for a Minister's Day Conference at Free School Court Evangelical Church, Bridgend. The speaker was Ted Donnelly, who has given two series of much appreciated main addresses at the Evangelical Movement of Wales' Aberystwyth Conference. It was good to meet up with some old friends at the conference. On the way home, I was able to drop in on my mum for a cup of tea and some Welsh Cakes.

Ted is a real pastor's pastor. He approached the subject in hand with a fine grasp of the hermeneutical and theological issues at stake. Yet was not afraid to question the received wisdom of the academy. His presentation was engagingly clear and stimulating. But Ted did not come to us an an expert with all the answers. He had the air of a fellow-practitioner, who was himself trying to come to grips with faithfully preaching Christ from the Old Testament. Here's a brief report of what he had to say in his two lectures.

The apostles clearly preached Christ from the Old Testament. That was the only Testament they had! From the Old Testament they proclaimed Christ as Prophet, Priest and King. They preached his death, resurrection and lordship as the fulfillment of the Old Testament Scriptures. A cursory look at the apostle's preaching in Acts confirms this point. But we seem to have difficulties in this area. We don't want to fall into the trap of "spiritualising" the Old Testament narratives. The Enlightenment has taught us to view the Bible not as supernatural revelation with one essential message, but as a disunited jumble. Such an approach precludes seeing Christ as the key theme of the Old Testament. Perhaps the task of grammatico-historical exegesis has been too narrowly defined, with attention being focused almost entirely on the immediate history and context of the Old Testament texts. The wider canonical context has been missed. This does not mean that sober, grammatico-historical exegesis should be jettisoned. But our exegesis must bear in mind the canonical and Christological dimensions of the Old Testament.

Some scholars argue that we should not follow the apostle's method of exegesis, for they were inspired interpreters of the Old Testament, and we are not. Ted Donnelly turned that on its head by saying that we must follow the apostle's method precisely because they were inspired. They found Christ everywhere in the Old Testament. There are around 1,600 quotes from the Old Testament in the New and around 2,000 allusions. Christ fulfilled Old Testament prophecy. He is found in the types and shadows of the Old Testament. In him God's covenant with Abraham reaches its grand conclusion. The Kingdom of God, prefigured in the Old Testament, draws near in the coming of Christ the King. We should be able to see Christ revealed on every page of the Old Testament.

Redemptive historical preaching is good at showing how big Bible themes are fulfilled in Christ. But those who advocate such an approach to preaching can sometimes be guilty of denigrating a practical and exemplary use of the Old Testament. However, the apostles urged believers to heed the warnings of the Old Testament (1 Corinthians 10) and to follow the specific examples of Old Testament saints (James 5). We must build on the work of biblical theology, with its attention to the development of biblical motifs through the history of redemption. But we also need to be careful not to downgrade the importance of systematic theology. We need the guidance and insights of the creedal and dogmatic heritage of the Church as we attempt to preach the Word of God today.

Above all preachers need to love the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who love him will be careful to preach him from all the Scriptures. We must also love our people. Pastors are more than preacher. We must also be among the saints and minister to them in their afflictions and temptations.

There were times of discussion after each address, where some helpful points were made. In all it was a most profitable day out. I arrived home just in time to grab something to eat and then went off to our Prayer Meeting, where my friend Jim Henry from the Open Air Mission gave the Bible study.

England 19 - 26 Wales

Wales turned the game around in dramatic fashion to beat England at Twickenham for the first time in 20 years. See here for match reports and highlights from BBC Sport. Yessssss!

Some Welsh Bible Blogs

The other day our old cobber Michael Jensen did a post on hard-working Aussie theobloggers here. He came up with loads of prolific "hats with corks on, crocodile wrestling" theology bloggers. That got me thinking about Welsh theobloggers. I thought hard. Paused, had a slurp of tea and thought again. I know of about four Welsh pastors who blog. One is a proper theology blogger. The others do theology when the mood takes them. "Is that it?" I thought, "Or has being an exile in England put me out of touch with what is going on in Wales? Surely there must be more than four Welsh Bible bloggers!" I e-mailed Martin Downes who is a Welsh pastor ministering in Deeside, Wales. Martin came up with two more. Anyway, here's my list of Welsh Bible bloggers:

Against Heresies by Martin Downes. Check out his recent interviews with some top Reformed theologians. MD's blog is dedicated to exploring the issue of heresy. On his blog you will find theology with no trivia or gimmicks.

Glog by Geoff Thomas. A periodically updated travelogue with the occasional book review.

Heavenly Worldliness by Gary Brady. On his blog you will find helpful articles on wisdom literature (he's written commentaries on Proverbs and the Song of Solomon), conference reports (he goes to lots of conferences) and YouTube prog-rock videos. Gary also likes puns and does a cartoon series called The Bloggy Man.

Les Daveys de France by Alan Davey, a Welsh missionary in France. Alan reflects on his attempt to adjust to French language and culture with his customary dry wit. He does some good theology and Bible stuff too.

Prognosis is a team blog. They focus on theological issues, Biblical reflection and book reviews. (Martin Downes pointed this one out to me).

Truth Shaped Minds is the blog of UCCF in Wales. A recent post discusses the break up of Word Alive over the Steve Chalke controversy. (Thanks again to MD for the heads up).

There may be other Welsh pastor / theology / Bible blogs out there. But that's all I can come up with for now. If you are a Welsh (born in Wales), evangelical and have such a blog, let me know. It's quite lonely being a taffy theoblogger.

Update

Thanks to Alan Davey (see comments) I've found another one:

No Fancy Title by Richard Myerscough, a Welsh exile in pastoring in Ponkystrank, North Yorks. Richard (like me) originally hails from Newport in South Wales and is currently reading The Drama of Doctrine. I am not alone in cyberspace! His blog contains links to several other blogs where he has posted some helpful sermon notes.

4:14 by Mark Barnes. Originally from Wrexham, he blogs on theological and practical stuff. His posts are available in audio as well as written formats. (Cheers to Martin Downes for pointing out this oversight).

Vorsprungdurchtheologie by David Kirk. Although English born, he has begged to be added to the list (see comments) as both his mum and his wife are Welsh and his children have Welsh names. Plus he can spell "Llantrisant". David is a theological student, so you know what to expect.

Wales 27 England 18

As long as we beat the English we don't care! (With Kelly Jones of Stereophonics)

See BBC Sport for match reports and highlights here. Yessss!

Anglo Welsh?

What is Welsh?
The place where I am not?
The land where the womb
emptied me of its contents?
Or is it a feeling, an impulse?

Would Glyn Dwr recognise
me as his own?
Or would defiant souls emerge
from mountain mists,
to kill or capture at the enemies' sound?

The ancient tongue
lies silent in my
recalcitrant mouth
but for cwtch, nos da and
other childhood simplicities.

I could learn Cymraeg,
but it's too late now to
educate thought and voice.
Anyway, who in Wiltshire would listen
or understand my strange new words?

Even RS knew Welsh too late
to turn its syntax, consonants
and vowels into poetry.
But he did try to be as Welsh
as his cut glass English would allow.

Welsh is home, but
home is not where I was,
neither where I am.
My home? One eschatological
day I will know, but not yet.

But Wales is in my double helix.
Its history floods my mind
with sad hope. Its people are
mine as other are not.
Welsh is not a place or
language but the heart's cry.

I am Anglo in speech
but Welsh in heart.

Wales "Land of Revivals"

Come and visit
Wales "Land of revivals".
The flame burns no more,
but the chapels are still there.
Moriah, Bethesda, Sion
All empty.

See the chapel they built
for Rowland.
His statute stands outside
pointing nowhere.
The voice now still,
Gospel eloquence dead.

This is where Elias preached
auctioning the drunkards,
banning the Sabbath fairs.
But he's gone now,
Calvinistic Methodism,
A shadow.

Those majestic barren hills once
echoed to the sound of
Christmas Evans'
Bunyanic passion.
Time and death have silenced
the one-eyed prophet.

Mary Jones braved mountain
chills for the Holy Book.
New Mary Jones braves
the glossy mall
on a busy Saturday
for an Argos Catalogue.

"What we need is another '04!"
But does the Lord who forbids
vain repetition
display no originality?
We need revival, but ours
is not a God of cut and paste.

What then, for the old, cold
land of revivals?
Will fires burn once more?
Shall preachers catch the gospel
flame and blaze with glory?
Is anything too hard for the Lord?

Daniel Rowland's statue, Llangeitho

Happy St David's Day

March 1st is the National Day of Wales. Here is D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, who died on St. David's Day in 1981, extolling the vibrant virtues of Welsh Calvinistic Methodism:

My argument is, that cold, sad, mournful, depressing Calvinism is not Calvinism at all. It is caricature; something has gone wrong somewhere. It is mere intellectualism and philosophy. Calvinism leads to feeling, to passion, to warmth, to praise, to thanksgiving. Look at Paul, the greatest of them all. We should not talk about 'Calvinism'; it is Paul's teaching. He tells us that he wept. He preached with tears. Do you? When did we last weep over these matters? When did we last shed tears? When we have shown the feeling and passion he shows? Paul could not control himself, he got carried away. Look at the mighty climaxes; look at the way in which he rises to the heavens and is 'lost in wonder, love, and praise'. Of course, the pedantic scholars criticize him for his anacolutha. He starts a sentence and never finishes it. He starts saying a thing and then gets carried off, and forgets to come back to it. Thank God! It is the truth which he saw that led to these grand climaxes of thought of his; and it is bound to do so. If we understand the things we claim to believe we are bound to end in the same way. 'Who shall separate us from the love of God?' And the answer is, 'I am persuaded' - and in the language of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodists it is much better and stronger - 'I am certain'. It is sure , it is certain, 'that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord'. Or listen to him again at the end of Romans 11, 'O the depth of the riches of both the wisdom and knowledge of God.' How often have you had this 'O'! - this feeling, this passion. You are moved to the depths of your being and you are filled with joy, wonder, and amazement. 'O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out!' and so on. Or take the same thing at the end of Ephesians 3. These are men dominated by a sense of the glory of God, and are concerned about His praise!

In other words, I am arguing that the first Christians were the most typical Calvinistic Methodists of all! I am describing them to you. Not only the great apostles - Paul and others - but the people, the ordinary people - joy and rejoicing, praising God and thanking Him always 'from house to house' as they ate their bread together. Peter can say of them: 'Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.' That is 1st-century Christianity! It is also the very essence of Calvinistic Methodism. It leads to praise and thanksgiving and rejoicing.

From The Puritans: Their Origins and Successors, D. M. Lloyd-Jones, p. 212-213, 1987, Banner of Truth Trust

Ten essential books on Wales and the Welsh

You may have noticed that I'm a Welshman. Wales has a fascinating history from both a secular and spiritual point of view. Here is a select list of Welsh history and biography. All are recent works, published from the 1980's to the present. One of the authors is not Welsh, but his subject is one of the towering figures of recent Welsh history. The bibliography is a mixture or spiritual and secular writing. All the books are in English. Listed alphabetically by author's surname. (OUP = Oxford University Press)

1. Eifion Evans, Daniel Rowland and the Great Awakening in Wales (Banner of Truth Trust, 1985)
2. R. R. Davies, The Age of Conquest, Wales 1063-1415 (OUP paperback, 1991)
3. R. R. Davies, The Revolt of Glyn Dwr (OUP paperback, 1997)
4. Noel Gibbard, Fire on the Altar, A history and evaluation of the 1904-05 Welsh Revival Bryntirion Press, 2005)
5. Geraint H. Jenkins, The Foundations of Modern Wales 1642-1780 (OUP paperback, 1993)
6. Iain H. Murray, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The First Forty Years, 1899-1939 (Banner of Truth Trust, 1982) & D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Fight of Faith, 1939-1981 (Banner of Truth Trust, 1990
7. Kenneth O. Morgan, Rebirth of a Nation, The History of Modern Wales, (OUP paperback, 1998)
8. Byron Rogers, The Man Who Went into the West, The Life of R. S. Thomas (Aurum, 2006)
9. Geraint Tudur, Howell Harris, From Conversion to Separation 1735-1750 (University Press of Wales, 2000)
10. Glanmor Williams, Renewal and Reformation, Wales c.1415-1642 (OUP Paperback, 1993)

Just for fun, which book did I recently review?

Brecon Beacons, South Wales