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The Revivals
From: Classic Books for Today #156
By S. B. Shaw (1905)
(Used by Permission)

"Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?"   Psalm 85:6

The Great Revival In Wales
H. S. Hallman

Mrs. Penn-Lewis writes in Life of Faith that the work of the Spirit is showing not the least sign of abatement; that the Christmas holidays had no effect on it as far as killing or checking this great movement. Like a great wave it sweeps over the land, submerging every-thing within its reach. Evan Roberts, though still a leading man wherever he appears, yet he is comparatively small "incident" in relation to the whole movement. The revival is no respecter of persons, and denominationalism does not count.

Describing a meeting at Ebenezer Chapel, Swansea, she says: -

"The chapel was crowded, with hundreds in the street, an hour be-fore the meeting was timed to be-gin. The aisles were packed; the window ledges filled; the occupants of the `set fawr' tightly wedged therein. There is neither orator nor singer to touch the people, and yet they are moved by an unseen Power. Prayers and singing follow one an-other, and a young girl stands and recites in Welsh, with her face aglow with joy, the parable of the Prodigal Son. It is said that the packed audience listened as to a new found tale, and when the story reached the point of the father running to greet the lost one, it burst out into a rousing rendering of the hymn `Diolch Iddo!' ('Praise Him!')

"Mr. Evan Roberts' theme was giving to God. They could not compete with God in giving! He gave His Son, His greatest gift. He was the `Way' to everything, except destruction. Men might keep their scraps. God needed none of them. The audience broke into tears, for the missioner found himself de-scribing Gethsemane, and emotion choked his utterances. Tear-stained faces were seen on every side, and then a young lady described her conversion, and recited the Welsh hymn, `O that I could love the Lord more faithfully !' The people rose en masse, and sang it again and again. The Vicar of Swansea leads in prayer, and the missioner proceeds again, describing now dark Calvary. A woman breaks out amid sobs into the Welsh hymn, `And was it for my sins that My Lord was crucified?' `And of His own will was He nailed to the tree,' adds another. The congregation then softly sang in subdued tones these hymns, whilst others offered prayer.

"'My mission is first to the churches,' the missioner afterwards said. When the churches are aroused to their duty, men of the world will be swept into the king-dom. A whole church on its knees is irresistible! `How many of you have received the baptism of the Spirit?' he asked the congregation. Will any respond? Yes, quite a dozen are on their feet; and a voice comes from somewhere in the gallery: `For thirty-eight years a member of a Christian church, but it is not until this afternoon that I received the baptism of the Spirit.'

"Surely this is Pentecost! It isnot only an awakening of sinners, but the church being brought back by God Himself to her primitive and rightful condition.

"God is working in mighty power in other places. At Ystradgynlais at one meeting, the building, holding 1,500 people, was packed. Many people sobbed, and even the strongest men were unable to restrain their tears. A minister prayed with great intensity, and then referred to past differences between himself and two other ministers. They had written against one an-other in the papers, but now they were going to shake hands to the glory of God. The three ministers were now in the pulpit, and shook hands before the people. It is said that the joy that prevailed baffled description, and converts came for-ward by the dozen. Converts by the dozen will come forward in En-gland when they see the children of God acting like this. Oh, Spirit of melting -- come upon us!

"At Hengoed, in an evening service, the pastor gave an opportunity to those who had quarreled, or were in disagreement, to heal the breach, and an old man, laboring under deep emotion, left the gallery, and entering a seat on the ground floor, extended his hand to another. They were father and son.

"In Cwmavon during a three days' mission, when the Spirit of God wrought mightily, during one of the meetings a young man in a state of great agitation, and with tears streaming down his face, made his way to one of the pews, and to another young man held out his hands, and in a voice choked with emotion said, `Forgive me.' They were old friends who had become bitter enemies. At first the appeal was not responded to. The congregation prayed whilst the two retired to the vestry, and shortly afterwardsthey were seen praying together, clasped in each others arms -- reconciled.

"The practical effects of the Holy Spirit's work compel the attention and respect of many who would turn aside from the movement on account of its emotional aspect. The world wants something 'practical' and asks for visible evidences. Today it has them. In the Rhondda Valley, at a service, a pastor calls attention to the habit of people making purchases late on Saturday nights, thus keeping shopkeepers and assistants at work till past mid-night, and grocery carts delivering goods till the early hours of Sun-day. The people are willing now to listen to the claims of their fellow-men and all present quickly bind themselves to shop before nine o'clock on Saturday nights.

"We have already referred to the effect of the revival in the colleges of Wales. Professor Ellis Edwards, of Bala says, concerning the students in Bala College, that if ever he had seen the subduing, melting, abasing, elevating effects of divine power, he saw them now. He speaks of the humility, love, and affection, tenderness and desire to help others, witnessed among his students, and tells how, after but a few prayer-meetings, there came confession of defects and sins, and men became like children in appeals for God to help, seeking with confidence a sight of Christ.

"The students have carried the blessing with them to their homes. A minister writes of one young lady student being used to start the revival in a chapel which was one of the stiffest to move, and of others stirring up churches in other districts."

It is said that at the close of one meeting -- crowded, and gathered only by announcement at an open air service which preceded it -- the effect of the prayers and streams of tears on the faces of the young people made them appear transfigured.

"At an ordinary evening service on New Year's day, in one church, after waiting on the Lord for an hour, a mighty spirit of prayer fell upon the congregation, and every-one present, from the child of eleven to the aged man and woman, prayed audibly. All the chapels are continuing nightly prayer-meetings.

"The pastor of the one church, with a band of ten of his young workers, visited Llandowror, the birthplace of the famous Griffith Jones, and held a few meetings there, which were crowded, and characterized by deep fervor of prayer. A Carmarthen paper, de-scribing the meetings, says that Rev. M. H. Jones spoke on three stages to be emphasized in such a meeting:
(1) Decision for Christ;
(2) Surrender to Christ as King;
(3) Power for service by the reception of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit of God so completely overpowered the meeting that, long before the close, there was not one left who had not taken some step forward in their inner life. Testimonies followed, and there was ample proof that many had received the Holy Spirit for service, for they were given an eloquence of speech and boldness which made all marvel.

"A private letter from a Londoner who visited the various districts, and was present at a great meeting at Morriston, says that the reports which are given in print fall far short in their effort to convey an account of what is really happening. He had never seen anything approaching this great movement. This seems to be the unvarying testimony of allwho `turn aside to see this great sight' of God breaking forth again as a flame of fire, not in one thorn bush alone, but in thousands of ordinary human beings.

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