thee in the world of eternal light. I entreat aid to resign myself to
thee, and to thy will. I beseech thee take my heart, and inscribe upon
it a deep reverence of thyself, with an inscription that time and
eternity cannot efface. O let the remainder of my sermons be taken by
thee from my lips; and those which I write, let them be unto thee for a
praise. Unto thee I dedicate them. If there should be any thing in them
conducive to thy glory, and to the service of thy kingdom, do thou
preserve it, and reveal it unto men; else, let it die like the drop of a
bucket in the midst of the scorching heat of Africa. O grant, that there
may be a drop of that water which thou alone canst impart, and which
springs up to eternal life, running through all my sermons. In this
covenant, which probably is the last that will be written between me and
thee on the earth, I commit myself, my wife, and the churches amongst
whom I have preached, to the protection of thy grace, and the care of thy
covenant. Amen.—C. E.
XV. “Let this covenant continue when I am in sickness or in health, or
in any other circumstance; for thou hast overcome the world, fulfilled
the law, finished justifying righteousness, and hast swallowed up death
in victory, and all power in heaven and earth is in thine hand. For the
sake of thy most precious blood and perfect righteousness, note this
covenant with thine own blood in the court of the memorials of forgiving
mercy: attach unto it thy name in which I believe; and here I, this day,
set my unworthy name unto it, with my mortal hand. Amen.—Christmas
Evans. Dated, Cardiff, April 24, 1829.”
CARDIFF.
“After having entered into this covenant,” says Mr. Evans in his diary,
“I came to Cardiff, heartily and unhesitatingly, like a merchant that
should send his vessel to sea after it had been registered in the
insurance office. I had nothing now to lose, for I had given myself up
to the possession of Jesus, the Mediator of the New Testament, for time
and for eternity; and so I have had to abide here in the secret of his
tabernacle for these nine months.”
He removed to Cardiff in the autumn of 1828, and remained there two years
and a half. During this time, he received into the church about eighty
converts. He was much in secret prayer, and enjoyed intimate communion
with his God. He not only retired for devotion several times every day,
but ordinarily rose at midnight to call upon the Lord. But the whole
period of his residence was not a cloudless day. Some unpleasant matters
arose in the church, which caused him much sorrow, as is evident from the
following entry in his diary:—
“April 27, 1829. I earnestly entreat thee, blessed Jesus, for the sake
of thine own name, to regard me in this request. * * * * Let things be
ordered, O Lord, that they may not be impediments and discouragements
unto me, and a hinderance to the progress of religion. O, interpose
between me and these obstacles, O Lord, that I may have no occasion to
dispute with any, and so embitter my spirit! Thy power is infinite, and
thy wisdom is infallible. Stand thou between me and all contention, that
no ill effect come upon me. I flee to hide myself under the shadow of
thy wings. Permit nothing to blunt the edge of my talents, my zeal, or
my success,—nor corrupt the church. Grant me this for the sake of thine
infinitely precious blood. Set thy name to this request in the court of
heaven, and let Satan’s party grow weaker and weaker, and the cause of
truth and righteousness become like the house of David, and the house of
David like the angel of the Lord. Deliver me, that my spirit be not
irritated, and I speak unadvisedly with my lips, as Moses did. Hide me
in thy pavilion from the strife of tongues * * * *. I am as it were on
the verge of eternity; O save and preserve me by thy boundless power.
Amen, Amen, Amen. Lord, regard, behold, hear, and spare.—Christmas
Evans. Write this in thy book, O my Lord, and my God. Let none be
disappointed that wait upon thee, gracious Lord.—Remember me.”
He adds in another passage:—
“I have given my soul anew to Christ; my body; my talents; my influence
in preaching; my name; my character as a man, as a Christian, and as a
preacher of the gospel; my time, and the remnant of my opportunities; my
success; my peace and comfort as a Christian and a minister. I have
resigned all afresh into the hands of Christ. I have commended to his
care, also, my wife, and all the circumstances of my family, and my
friends and assistants in the work of the Lord, for whom I pray earnestly
that they may be blessed, throughout Anglesea, Caernarvon, Caerphilly,
Cardiff, and indeed in all the counties of Wales. There are many of them
who were helpers to me in my day. I will say, in the language of Paul,
and I hope with affectionate emotions of love to Jesus Christ, ‘The Lord
grant unto them that they may find mercy of the Lord in that day.’ It is
a great privilege to a minister to retain beloved friends, who have
helped him with their prayers and sympathy. O bless those whom I have,
and preserve the new race, the new generation of them that I have found
in these parts. I committed to God, also, those who obstruct the
progress of the cause here, and disturb the unity and brotherly love of
the church. Let Christ, whose the church is, and let not me, remove
every obstacle, either by changing and melting in the love of the gospel,
or taking them somewhere else, where they shall not be a curse and an
impediment to the cause—and by the means that shall seem fit in his
sight. A word or a nod of thine shuts and opens heaven and earth, and
all the locks of the land of _Hades_, or the invisible state. For the
sake of the blood of thy covenant, grant the above things unto me, thine
unworthy servant.”
SERMONS FOR THE PRESS.
During his sojourn at Cardiff, though now sixty-five years old, much
debilitated, and almost blind, he wrote about two hundred sermons for the
press, many of which have since been published. It is certainly very
remarkable, that he should write, at his advanced age, with all the vigor
and vivacity of his earlier years. Perhaps, of all the sermons he ever
made, those composed at Cardiff are the best. Most of them were preached
on the Sabbath, and written out during the following week. This
circumstance, with their author’s peculiar nearness to God, may account
for their freshness and power.
Mr. Evans was in the habit of referring every important matter to God.
We find in his diary the following paragraph:—
“Cardiff, February 2, 1829. Lord, I have been importuned by many of my
brethren in the ministry, to prepare a number of my sermons, that have
been in the course of my ministry the most useful in thine hand for the
conversion of sinners, with a view to publication. I had no time when in
Anglesea to engage in the work, because my circumstances required so much
travelling every week. I left the work to lie by, the two years I was at
Caerphilly; but here, at Cardiff, I have had a new impulse in my thoughts
to enter upon it; and I come unto thee, my great Lord, to consult thee,
who art the Head of the church, and the Head-Prophet and Teacher of thy
people. Shall I proceed with the work or not? Is it a part of my duty,
or is it a useless, foolish notion of my own? I entreat thy gracious
direction in this matter, for the sake of thy great name. Suffer me not
to afflict myself, when my eyesight is so weak, with a work that thou
wilt not bless, but which shall be buried in the land of forgetfulness.
If thou wilt not open a door—with thee are the keys of the house of
David—in thy providence, that I may obtain subscribers, and bring the
work through the press, without hazarding myself in such a way as will
involve me in debt and disgrace: and also if thou, the great feeder of
the flock, wilt not direct me to give the true gospel, not only without
error, but with the savor and unction which accompanies the works of
Bunyan and others, which thy Spirit is likely to make use of whilst thou
hast churches in Wales: if they should not be for thy glory in the
building up of thy church, and the calling of sinners,—if these objects
should not be accomplished by the publication of the sermons, dispose my
mind to relinquish the undertaking. But if thou wilt patronise the work,
strengthen me to accomplish the design. Lord, thou knowest I feel my own
insufficiency for such an important enterprise, and my unworthiness to
solicit of thee such a favor: but I cannot refrain from making these
requests: therefore, for the sake of thine infinite merits, according to
thy manner unto thy people, grant unto me my request. Amen.”
WELSH JUMPING.
In the autumn of 1829, Mr. Evans wrote in his diary extensive notes of a
conversation which he had with several ministers in Bristol, on “the
manner of religious rejoicing so remarkable among the Welsh.” His
friends condemned it in a sweeping sentence, under the name of “Welsh
jumping.” Mr. Evans attempted its vindication. We insert his own
account:
“I observed that I could find no account of it among the Welsh until the
time of Harris and Rowlands, Calvinistic Methodists, who flourished in
Wales about the same time as Whitefield and Wesley in England. The
preaching of these men was the means of producing a religious revival
throughout all the principality, which had sunk into a state of deep
lethargy, since the time of the great awakening under Vavasor Powell,
about one hundred years before. At this period nothing was to be seen in
almost every parish but young men and young women flocking together into
the churches and church-yards, and engaging in different gambols and
pastimes, such as ball-playing, foot-ball, leaping, fighting, and such
like frolics, as if Wales had been changed into an Olympic mountain, and
old paganism restored again. It is true, there were some preachers and
churches, both Congregationalists and Baptists, then existing in the
principality; but their talents, their spirits, or their magnanimity
could not storm such a fortress of impiety. And, besides, there was a
dreadful prejudice still remaining in the country against all sects,
since the days of Charles II.; and they suffered persecution even unto
blood, for about one hundred years previous to the appearing of these
men. But from the ashes of those sufferers the revival by Harris and
Rowlands sprung up, as did Luther from the ashes of Huss and Jerome of
Prague.
“Mr. Rowlands and Mr. Harris were both of the communion of the Episcopal
church, and, as such, there was not so much enmity against them at first;
but after they had come out, and when the people understood that they
were preachers of the cross of Christ, considerable persecution arose
against them from the multitude; but it was now too late—for the gates of
the city were opened—the leaven was put in the meal—the fire had been
kindled—the sword was drawn from the scabbard, and many had been wounded,
(spiritually,) and were ready to open the door for the gospel in spite of
every danger. Harris, Rowlands, and the two Williams’s, had been clothed
with power from on high, and the hammer of their ministry was
sufficiently heavy to break in pieces the northern iron. {43} Several
laymen of powerful minds were also raised up about this time; such as Mr.
David Morris, and others, who were valuable auxiliaries to carry on the
work. By their ministry, this praising and jumping in religious
enjoyment began in Wales, which has not wholly left it on certain
occasions until this day.
“As an apology for them, granting at the same time the possibility of
extremes even in a good cause in the present state; and that graceless
persons may feel something from these excitements as of the powers of the
world to come, in the miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost in the apostolic
age; observe,
“1. That it appears to me like the residue of the Spirit, and the powers
of the world to come; which were necessary to open a way for the gospel
through the darkness and obduracy of paganism in the days of the
apostles.
“2. It is no argument of importance against it, that many graceless
persons felt a considerable degree of influence at the time, as well as
others; for so it was in the case of Saul, king of Israel, and some
besides named in Scripture.
“3. There is no essential difference between religious enjoyment in
Wales and that which is now experienced in America; and that which
accompanied the preaching of Whitefield in England, and even in Scotland:
and that which also followed the ministry of President Edwards, in
America, when whole towns and neighborhoods echoed with the sound of
persons praying and praising God, as if a bursting cloud-shower of the
Spirit of grace and prayer had descended upon them. Persons under the
ministry of Whitefield wept, cried for mercy, and even fainted by the
power of this influence.
“4. And such gracious influences are necessary for the spread of the
gospel in every country, and in every land: and therefore the Millennium
is described in the Bible as a period remarkable for the outpouring of
the Holy Ghost—‘that a nation shall be born at once,’ {44a}—and ‘the
flowing of the nations shall be to the mountain of the Lord’s house.’
{44b} It is this influence that has driven, as it were, the gospel into
every nook of the mountains of Wales, as well as into its cities, towns,
and villages; while in England, with all the advantages of education, the
gospel, in a manner, is hid in a corner; and it has not run through the
country, and searched out, and taken possession of all the inland parts
of that spiritual Africa, and that for the want of these gales of divine
influence, and powers peculiar to the gospel: and it can never be spread
through every part of England as it is in Wales without these gifts.
Common preaching will not do to rouse sluggish districts from the heavy
slumbers into which they are sunk. Indeed, formal prayers and lifeless
sermons are like bulwarks raised against these things in England; and
this evil genius has also entered the principality under the pretence of
order. Five or six stanzas will be sung as dry as Gilboa, instead of one
or two verses, like a new song, full of God, of Christ, and the Spirit of
grace, until the heart is attuned for worship. The burying-grounds are
kept in fine order in Glamorganshire, and green shrubs and herbs grow on
the graves, but all this is of little value, for the inhabitants of them
are all dead—so is every form of godliness where its power is not felt.
Order without life is exceedingly worthless. You exhibit all the
character of human nature, leaving every bud of the flower to open in the
beams of the sun, except in divine worship. On other occasions you
appear to have as much fire in your affections as the Welsh have. If you
are noticed in a court of law, the most efficient advocate, such as
Erskine, will give you the greatest satisfaction; but you are contented
with a preacher, speaking so lifelessly and so low that you can hardly
understand the third part of what he says; and you will call this decency
in the sanctuary. To-morrow, I shall see you answering fully to the
human character, in your own actions. When the speakers on the platform
will be urging the claims of missions, you will then beat the boards, and
manifest so much life and cheerfulness, that not one of you will be seen
to take up a note-book, nor any other book, while the speaker shall be
addressing you. A Welshman might suppose, by hearing your noise, that he
had been silently conveyed to the midst of one of the meetings of the
‘Welsh jumpers,’ with this difference, that you would perceive many more
tears shed, and hear more ‘calves of the lips’ {45} offered up, in the
rejoicing meetings of Wales. But you will use your heels well on such
occasions, and a little of your tongues. But even in Wales, in certain
places—that is, places where the fervent gales are not enjoyed which fill
persons with fear and terror and joy in approaching the altar of God—you
may see, while hearing a sermon, one looking into his hymn-book, another
into his note-book, and a third turning over the leaves of his Bible, as
if he were going to study a sermon in the sanctuary, instead of attending
to what is spoken by the preacher as the mouth of God. If there is joy
and gladness pertaining to many, the light of God’s countenance in the
sanctuary should develope it; until a fire is kindled, and he speak with
his tongue, making melody unto the Lord in his heart, and praising Him
with his lips.
“5. It is in vain to urge objections against these powerful gales of
divine influence, and allege that it is under the ministry of the
illiterate preachers of Wales only they are experienced. Harris,
Rowlands, and the two Williamses were not so, for they had been brought
up for the established church. Whitefield and Edwards were men of
education, and they preached the doctrine which in England is considered
evangelical.
“6. It is also beside the point to affirm that only persons of no
weight, that is, ignorant boys and girls, are in the habit of thus
rejoicing and praising God in His temple; for it is certain, that those
who express their joy in this manner possess so much sound experimental
knowledge, as to make them eminent in that respect. I have listened to
many of them in the midst of their enjoyment, and have often been
delighted while they repeated true, evangelical, and substantial stanzas,
replete with profound sentiment: for in such seasons, they could find out
the very best, which made impressions on their memories; and these
rapturous feelings developed them, as if the tongue were moved by the
heat and force of the fire within. And many other things of an
evangelical and gracious character they will utter on these joyful
occasions, with such heavenly eloquence as would be inimitable, and
impracticable even for themselves to utter with the same effect, without
enjoying these meltings of spirit. This enjoyment is accompanied by many
tears and much tenderness of heart: nor are persons of a dry spirit and
hard heart ever regarded as fit subjects for this work of praise, in
these blessed seasons of Christian enjoyment. It does not accord with
any, but with him whose heart melts like wax, and runs in the form and
mould of the gospel.
“7. There is no way in which churches or particular persons may enjoy
this heavenly ecstasy, but by walking with God, and by cultivating a
spirit of watchfulness and prayer, which shows its pure and holy
character. It awakens watchfulness against all evil tempers, improper
expressions, and wicked actions, lest the sense of it should be lost.
Such a frame of mind cannot be expected by living in sin. These
individuals come to the house of God with an earnest desire for this
enjoyment, and dreading lest there should be a something in them which
would cause God to deny them this unspeakable privilege. It is an
exceedingly easy matter for a minister to manage a congregation while
Christian enjoyment keeps them near to God. They are diligent and
zealous, and ready for every good work. But it is very easy to offend
this joyous spirit—or give it what name you please, enthusiasm, religious
madness, or Welsh jumping, (its English name,)—and make it hide itself.
A quarrel and disagreement in the church will occasion it to withdraw
immediately. Indulging in sin, in word or deed, will soon put it to
flight. It is like unto the angel formerly, who could not behold the sin
of Israel without hiding himself; so is the angel of the _religious_ life
of Wales, which proves him to be a holy angel, though he has the name of
a ‘Welsh jumper.’ My prayer is, that this angel be a guard upon every
congregation, and that none should do any thing to offend him. It is an
exceedingly powerful assistant to accompany us through the wilderness.
But the individual that has not felt its happy influences, has nothing to
lose; hence he does not dread a dry meeting and a hard prayer, for they
are all the same to him; but the people of this enjoyment pray before
prayer, and before hearing, that they may meet with God in them.
“8. The seasons when these blessings are vouchsafed to the churches of
Wales, are to be noticed. It is generally at a time when the cause of
religion is at a low ebb—all gone to slumber. This happy spirit of
enjoyment, like the angel of the pillar of fire, appears when there is
distress, and every thing at the worst. Its approach to the congregation
is like the glory of God returning to the temple of old; it creates a
stir among the brethren,—they have a new prayer, and a new spirit given
them to worship God. This will lay hold of another,—some new strength
and light will appear in the pulpit, until it will be imagined that the
preacher’s voice is altered, and that his spirit is become more
evangelical, and that he preaches with a more excellent savor than usual.
Tenderness will descend upon the members, and it will be seen that Mr.
Wet-eyes and Mr. Amen have taken their place among them. The heavenly
gale will reach some of the old backsliders, and they are brought with
weeping to seek their forfeited privilege. By this time the sound of
Almighty God will be heard in the outer court, beginning to move the
hearers like a mighty wind shaking the forest. In these seasons of
refreshing from the presence of the Lord some churches will receive, in
the course of a year, additions of one hundred, others a hundred and
fifty, and some others upwards of two hundred new members. Sometimes,
the gale seems as if it blew upon the outer court—upon the hearers, and
the young people from ten to fifteen years of age—when nothing
extraordinary appears in the light and effect of the ministry, nor in the
church; but afterwards making its way through the outer court to rouse
the inner court, until a great concern is awakened for the state of the
soul. But observe: The revival that begins in the church, and proceeds
from thence to the world, and not that which commences outside of the
church, is more frequent, and more efficient in its converts, for the
pangs of labor are to begin in Zion.
“9. Again, it may be remarked that the happy effects which follow these
powerful revivals, evince their nature. They are certain, where they are
strong, to bend the oaks of Bashan—men of strong and sturdy minds, and
haughty hearts—to attend the ministry of the word. They will bring all
the ships of Tarshish, the merchants of this world, into the harbor of
hearing. The power of the day of the Lord will raze all the walls of
bigotry to the foundations. The thoughts of eternal realities, and the
spirit of worship, are by these blessings diffused abroad, and family
worship is established in scores of families, where a few months before
no regard was had unto it. The door of such a district, thus opened by
the powers of the world to come, shall not be closed against the hearers
of the gospel, until a goodly number of souls are there converted unto
God. Where the living waters flow, dead fish are made alive by its
virtues.
“10. Since the first appearing of these gracious gifts at Llangeitho,
under the ministry of Mr. Rowlands, they have been showers of blessings,
which are poured down on the congregations of the Baptists and
Congregationalists as well as the Calvinistic Methodists; and sometimes
one of these denominations is favored with them, whilst the others are
destitute. These refreshing seasons were, at times, experienced in a
very powerful manner at Llangeitho, for about fifty years; that is, all
the period of Mr. Rowlands’ ministrations in that church. About two
thousand persons assembled there for communion once a month, from the
several counties of Wales, even in winter, and about three thousand in
the summer season; which rendered it the most extraordinary place in
Europe, and beyond a doubt, hundreds of those who assembled there, on
such occasions, are now in heaven singing the new song. If to live on
the merits of Christ, to fear God, and praise him, and lead a sober and
righteous life, is an evidence of a godly state, then this was visible
_at that time_ at Llangeitho.”
CAERNARVON.
Mr. Evans’ next settlement was in Caernarvon. The Baptist interest in
that town was in a feeble and languishing condition. The church numbered
about thirty members, but they were chiefly of the lowest class, and
sadly disunited. They had a decent house of worship, but it was involved
in a debt of £800. “All things,” said Mr. Evans, “seemed like a waste
howling wilderness; yea, a habitation of dragons, where they made their
rest night and day.” Some advised the dissolution of the church, but he
thought better to attempt its reformation. His coming produced quite a
sensation through the town. His first congregation was very large, and
for some time multitudes flocked to his ministry, but they were only
accidental hearers, generally members of other churches, who, when they
had satisfied their curiosity, returned to their own places of worship.
His Welsh biographer mentions with commendation the sympathy and help
which he received from the Wesleyan and the Calvinistic Methodists, and
Mr. Evans himself calls them the Aarons and the Hurs that sustained his
hands in Caernarvon.