16 - Revival Repercussions

16 REVIVAL REPERCUSSIONS THIS STORY would be incomplete without some reference to the abiding results of such a wonderful outpouring of the Holy Spirit-one of the most spontaneous and instantaneous in the annals of the Church of God. It is doubtful whether historians can refer to another such illustration of the majesty and sovereignty of the Godhead. To all the younger elements in the Church at that time the revelation was both startling and stupendous. That God in His infinite wisdom should have chosen the little na­tion of Wales for the manifestation of such unprecedented power was, and still is, humbling. We admit that the honor conferred upon us was undeserved.

However, there are elements lying dormant in the Celtic nature which, when sanctified and impregnated by a mighty baptism of the Holy Spirit, can produce mighty effects upon the minds and consciences of others. Also, under the stirring ministries of Christmas Evans and John Elias, followed by many others. of a later period, thousands of their contemporaries were revolutionized in their moral lives. Like all previous similar manifestations, the 1904-5 outpouring left unmistakable impressions, al­though it might have differed in character from other movements.

Orthodox theology has always proved to be the hidden source of true revival. Men have stumbled accidentally over some portion of Scripture which has subsequently proved to have resident within itself the germ of eternal life. They have dared to believe it to be the very Word of God, the divine Logos that produces a new nature when­ever and wherever it is relied upon. The written Word suddenly becomes the living Word. Heart-belief turns to heart-experience. In the strength and buoyancy of this new experience individuals have gone forth into a world submerged in sin to proclaim a message that has com­pletely changed their own lives and the lives of all who believe it with the heart.

Nothing worthwhile has ever happened in the history of the Church since Pentecost but what is based upon an unshakable belief in the power of the eternal Word. When we think of Augustine, every unbiased mind must confess that when he heard the voice in the solitudes of the gar­den saying, "Take up the book, and read," and his eyes rested on the words, "Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ," it was a glorious day for the inert Christian Church. Her greatest teacher for fourteen centuries was "born again" that very moment. When the eternal city, so described by everyone of her proud citizens, was crumbling and falling to fragments, a vision of the City of God was granted this peerless servant of Christ, the proclaiming of which pro­duced a steadying effect upon the minds of distracted man­kind everywhere.

Luther was granted a similar experience when, on an eventful occasion as he climbed the Santa Scala, accom­panied by scores of other soul-weary pilgrims, seeking succor from the taunts of an awakened conscience, he heard a voice uttering the words, "The just shall live by faith." Rising rapidly from his servile position, he was now confronted with a new world, never again to bow the knee in the House of Rimmon. His great soul, torn by many a fierce tempest, now entered a heaven of perfect tranquillity. Has there ever been among the giants of the faith a greater than he? Like Saul of Israel he towered above his brethren. One brief sentence of only six words proved the sacred Scriptures to be "like a fire, and like a hammer that breaketh the rock into pieces." On All Saints’ Day-surely a significant date-in 1517, Luther nailed his ninety-five theses on the church door.

Next the name of John Wesley appears. The historian Lecky unhesitatingly pronounced the conversion of this man to be "an epoch" in British history. Did it not result in the emancipation of the British Isles from the impend­ing horror of a dominant, Godless materialism that was ravaging the soul of emotional France at the time? The magnitude of such an occurrence stands out conspicuously at the present time in human affairs. We see the Russian colossus with its atheistic philosophy overspreading the frontiers of nations unable to defend their democratic heritage. Listen to Wesley’s personal testimony in his Journal:

"In the evening, very unwillingly, I went to a Society in Aldersgate street where one was reading Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter past nine, while Luther was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did, at that moment, trust in Christ alone for salvation. And an assurance was given me on the spot that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and had thus saved me from the law of sin and death."

Thus Wesley entered into the succession of triumphant reformers, originating with the apostle Paul and preserved through the instrumentality of Athanasius and others, all of whom affirmed their unshakable faith in the imperish­able Scriptures of truth.

Evan Roberts enters the same catagory. He believed emphatically and proclaimed fearlessly his faith in the inerrancy and inviolability of God’s holy Word. All his service and action were based upon this elevated conception of divine truth. The Bible had been his inseparable companion since early childhood days. To see his illumined countenance, as he lovingly waved aloft his precious Bible in the course of some meetings, was a real tonic to any despondent soul. At the time of my writing, he has passed the three-score years and ten. Since 1906 he has studiously refrained from participating actively in public life. Occasionally he would present himself in an unofficial capacity, at some of the high religious festivals prominent in Welsh religious life. Often his unobtrusive presence would pass entirely unobserved. His collaboration with Mrs. Penn-Lewis in producing the book, War on the Saints, was a gratuitous denial of the reality of much of the finest work done by the revival while it proceeded on its irresistible course. How anyone who had witnessed the miracles of grace wrought during this wonderful manifes­tation could possibly ascribe so much of it to Satanic influences poses a conundrum. Is there any human being in existence anywhere who would foolishly deny the pos­sibility of unpleasant occurrences during revival time? Such periods represent the abnormal in the experience of the Church of God. In discussing some of the results remaining as perma­nent memories of this marvelous Wales revival, one nat­urally thinks of those servants of Christ who were brought into a definite experience of the saving grace of our Lord, or were brought to a place of self-surrender resulting in a fullness of the Holy Spirit leading them out into wider and greater spheres of service for their Master at this time. A much longer narrative than is intended in these pages would be necessary if all the cases known to us were tabulated. Let it suffice here if but a few of them are mentioned. The far-famed name of Stephen Jeffries, later Pastor Jeffries, leaps to memory. His evangelistic exploits throughout the length and breadth of the British Isles re­main a treasured memory. He was born and "born again" in the mining village of Nantyffyllon, South Wales.

John Thomas, brilliant scholar and peerless preacher, was in his youthful days a pit boy in Wales. A serious accident, causing lifelong physical deformity, filled his mind with serious thoughts for the future that ultimately led him to prepare for the ministry. After spending many years in the ministry, notably in Liverpool, Mr. Thomas relinquished all pastoral responsibilities to pursue a free­lance program. What a boon this was to Wales, just at the time when such a man was needed to encourage the thousands of young converts who were crying for "the bread of life"! The way opened for the great preacher to visit colleges, churches, even mission halls, ministering to the crying needs of young believers everywhere.

Another firebrand, Pastor Jenkins, converted when "the fire fell" in Cross Hands, Carmarthen, Wales, has held successive pastorates on The Rand, Transvaal, South Af­rica, with manifest success and appreciation. This is proved by the fact that he held this honored position in one church for over twenty years-no mean attainment for a man who could not boast of academical training. He went straight from the pit to the pulpit.

John Daniel Jones, familiarly known far and wide as John Dan, had run in the swift race in the prodigal way for years. His conversion in the revival was a "right-about-­face" business, and no one could question it. The work of grace in his heart made him a delightful companion. At the time of his conversion his reading was very de­fective. Between the words and sentences there were pro­longed halts and painful stammerings. This was marvel­ously rectified in a very brief time. Soon it became a de­lightsome experience to listen to him reading the Scrip­tures in public. In a simple cottage meeting, with about two dozen per­sons present, just when the fervency of the revival was gradually and visibly waning, another soul surrendered to the claims of the Lord for work in India. John Evans not only submitted himself, which meant much, but he also surrendered the careful savings of many years, which must have meant a considerable sacrifice, if such a word should be used in this sacred connection. The year 1908 saw him enter his training, medical and otherwise, before depar­ture for India, the sphere of his lifework. Every report received indicates that his service in the vineyard of the Lord has been greatly blessed. We have mentioned only a few, each a "brand plucked out of the fire." Thus were revival influences spread to all the world.