02 - Chapter 02

Davies’ Pentecostal Movement: Chapter 2 The Beginning of the Pentecostal Movement in the Merthyr Borough by Davies, Price THE WELSH REVIVAL So the Revival went on, like a mighty Prairie Fire allover South Wales and Monmouthshire and in three months one hundred and seventy five thousand souls were converted (175,000). Bendigedio, fyddo Duw yn Oes Oesoedd Amen (Blessed be God for ever and ever Amen). Wonderful days, wonderful meetings-commencing at six or seven in the evening and going all night. The meeting at Brynteg Gorseinon commenced at six in the evening on Sunday and went on until seven Monday Morning, and then much pressure had to be brought to bear on the people to bring it to an end, and afterwards the people stood in groups about the street talking about the wonder of it all. Two hundred and fifty (250) members were added to the Hebron Baptist Chapel, Caeharris, Dowlais where the meetings were going on all night. I remember reading of a minister going to his church on a Sunday Morning as usual, with his sermon and notes in his pocket ready to preach. He got to the meeting and gave out the hymn to commence and someone got up to pray, then another, and another and another; and so it went on; not only in this meeting but in those following for two months so that he never had a chance to preach his sermon. During those two months two hundred were added to the membership roll Haleliwia (Hallelujah). Public Houses empty Chapels full. A record was taken in Lougher, Evan Robert’s home town, on a Saturday night at eleven p.m. Stop Tap and out of all the drinking saloons of the town they could only count five. Diolch Iddo (Thank God). It was a lean time for theatres in those days. No cinemas then, I have not been to a cinema in my life and I am now in my eightieth year (80th) and neither had my wife, who passed out of this life on February 6th 1961 at seventy eight years of age (78). Both of us were always total abstainers and non-smokers. Thank God we had found an enjoyment Infinitely Superior in Him who loved us and gave Himself for us on Calvary’s Cross. Praise God for ever. David Matthews living in Aberdare and a respectable member of Siloam Chapel, was asked by some of his friends to come to Trecynon to the Revival Meetings "No, not I" he said, "I am not going to that mad lot, they are all gone off their heads up there." And he kept on refusing for a whole week. But on the following Sunday night, instead of going to Siloam, he found himself going up to Trecynon. When he got the large chapel where the Revival Meetings were, he found a large crowd outside of people that could not get in, and so he got curious and very interested and determined to get inside to see what was going on. So he began to edge and elbow his way through the crowd and got to the chapel door, but still determined to get closer and ultimately he got to the second pillar in the aisle an there he stood while that wonderful meetings went on. God’s Spirit was moving mightily in and upon the congregation as David Matthews looked on in wonder and amazement and awe. He had never been in a meeting like this before, nor seen anything like it in all his life-meetings indescribable-singing, heavenly; numbers in different parts of the chapel under deep and awful conviction of their guilt and sinfulness before God. Crying to God for mercy and pardon, and, Praise God, finding it. Then when they got the blessed realisation and knowledge that their sins were forgiven, what a wonderful and spontaneous volume of praise went up to God from the congregation. What was amazing to David Matthews was that no man convened or controlled the meeting. Thank God in the Welsh Revival man was out of sight, God was in control. And so the meeting went on while David Matthews stood by that pillar in awe and amazement until he thought It was time to go home, he pulled his watch out of his pocket, and what do you think the time was? Three-o-clock Monday morning! He had been standing by that pillar from about six-o-clock Sunday night until three-o-clock Monday morning not realizing how the time was passing. Dear reader can you imagine yourself standing in a meeting for nine hours not thinking of time? David Matthews, who afterwards was David Matthews the Welsh Evangelist and Revivalist, went home under deep and awful conviction of his sinfulness before God. He went to bed but could not sleep. He got up later and went to Siloam Chapel where the men that were working nights held their morning meetings, and there, in such a meeting with his head down between his knees for two hours crying to God for mercy, David Matthews was gloriously saved. He went home, and when he opened the door he shouted at the top of his voice "Mam, I’m Saved!" His mother said "All right David don’t make so much noise", but again it came at the top of his voice "Mam I AM SAVED!" Dear reader, you have read how two respectable Church members were saved, I was a church member for ten years and not a member of the Body of Christ, not born of God! Think of the awful possibility of being a church or chapel member for years and finding yourself at last in outer darkness in hell and the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone (Revelation 20:11-15). Dear reader make sure that your name is written in the Lamb’s book of Life (Revelation 21:27). A minister, coming from England to the Rhondda to look for, and see, the Revival, got off the train onto the platform and asked the porter if he could tell him where the revival was. "Yes", he said smiting his breast, "In here". Thus it was, you were up against it everywhere in South Wales then. People were getting converted on the streets, in the trains and down in the mines. I have taken my coat off and laid it on the ground for people to kneel on and get saved in the open air often.