Part two of the article
Elias's ministry was of an itinerant nature, and even after 1799 when he married and settled at Llanfechell in Anglesey, he continued to visit all parts of the land awakening a dead and sleeping people. The effects which accompanied his preaching are truly indescribable. Though many might come to hear him only out of idle curiosity, "in the twinkling of an eye their souls and spirits were absorbed with greater things. Trifles vanished; great realities appeared; God became great, and Jesus Christ and His precious blood; and they left the meeting in an agonising struggle for their own salvation." At Denbigh in 1800 when many assembled in the open air to hear him, such a real dread of punishment and hell fire fell upon the people that many screamed in despair. In 1802 Elias visited Rhuddlan, one of the strongholds of Satan, where thousands attended Sunday fairs-scenes of riot, revelry, and all manner of evil. On one such Sunday afternoon Elias and a party of believers took up their stand outside the New Inn. The sound of fiddling and dancing from the taverns was loud in their ears, and there were some hundreds of pleasure bent people before him. Elias gave out Psalm 24 to be sung, then prayed in such a manner that awe and dread took possession of the dense throng. The din of the fair was gone when he read his text, Exod. 34: 21, "Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest; in spring time and in harvest thou shalt rest." After expounding the verse, he showed from Scripture how God visited Sabbath breakers with punishment. He answered any excuse which might arise in their minds. Then he cried to the people with all his might, with his arm lifted up and tears flowing down his face: "Oh robbers, Oh robbers, Oh thieves! Alas! stealing the day of the Lord! What! robbing my Lord of His day! Oh robbers, the most vile and abominable." These words shook the people like the shock of an earthquake; they were filled with fear; many said after the sermon was over that they would not for the world go there again. It put a complete end to these, fairs. Rarely has the power of the world to come been so present in a man's preaching as it was in that of Elias. People listened to him "as men that were going to the judgment Day." He would at times suddenly say, "Stop! Silence! What are they saying in heaven on the subject?" Or he would exclaim, "Stop! Silence! What do they say in hell on this awful subject? Consider the shortness of time, and the approach of eternity. Everything will be over with us here below very soon, and we shall be in an eternal world before long."
No ministers of the Gospel in Wales at this time doubted that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," and they lived under the impression, that, "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." The famous incident of Michael Roberts at Llanidloes in 1819, demonstrates the effects which followed this manner of preaching by others besides Elias. Roberts, on arriving at this place the evening before he was due to preach, was deeply stirred in his spirit by beholding the evident marks of ungodliness in the speech and actions of the inhabitants. "After going into his house for the night," reports Owen Jones, "he could eat nothing: and during the whole of the night he slept none at all, but wrestled with God in prayer; nor could he take anything to eat the following morning. The service was to be at ten O'clock before the Red Lion Hotel. As it was an Association, there were a great many people present from all parts of Montgomeryshire. His text was Ps 1: 5, "Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment." He described the judgment with such vividness that a great solemnity came over the whole multitude. He described the ungodly losing the trial, and unable to "stand". He described them as overwhelmed with extreme despair, the pallor of death on their faces, and their knees trembling. The preacher turned to the judge, and said: "O, mighty Jesus! withhold Thine hand; say not a word more unto them; they are already in the agony of death; they are already overwhelmed." The reply was: "No; I have one word yet more to say to them; and that word I must say to them; after that-not another for ever! And this is it: DEPART FROM ME, YE CURSED, INTO EVERLASTING FIRE!" ... Some hundreds of ungodly men were immediately cast into the condition of the jailer of Philippi after the earthquake ... Some had forgotten altogether where they stood, some swooned and fell down, some wept, many were stricken with the paralysis of guilt, and others seized with the pangs of despair. After Michael Roberts had finished, Ebenezer Morris, one of the greatest preachers of his day, was unable to fix the attention of the people; he finished, after a few minutes, and the service was closed."
But although they considered that the greatness, purity, and justice of God in punishing sin was to come first in preaching the Gospel, they were equally instrumental in declaring the all sufficiency and excellence of Christ in an overwhelming manner to needy sinners. More was accomplished then by single sermons than is accomplished in years of preaching to-day! Once Elias was called to preach at Pwllheli where the state of religion was known to be very low and discouraging. "A great spiritual darkness and lethargy had prevailed there for upwards of 10 years," writes Morgan. "Elias was greatly moved, when he rose up to preach, and took those words for his text, 'Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered.' Ps 78: 1. The truths delivered by him then, had, under God's blessing, the most happy and astonishing effect; many of the people fell down to the ground in great terror, crying for mercy. It is said that no less than 2,500 persons were added to the church in Carnarvonshire that year, in consequence of the powerful impetus which was given by that extraordinary sermon."
It was in Anglesey itself that the effects of Elias's preaching were most visible. "Awful indeed was the state of things there, and evil beyond expression," writes Morgan. Drunkenness, fighting, smuggling, and adultery were prevalent. The societies of believers were few and small. Within a short time the whole island was transformed, these sins became uncommon; smuggling was done away with; those who had plundered wrecked vessels took their booty back to the sea shore; horse racing and play acting were given up; owners of windmills stopped them on the Sabbath day; and within 40 years 44 chapels were built, and filled with congregations.
Very high views of church membership were held in these times, and Elias tell us that such questions as the following were to be put to professed converts. "(1) Have I been brought to see and consider the greatness and infinite purity of God, before whom I am, at all times? (2) Have I seen that I am a responsible creature, bound to give an account of my thoughts, words, and actions? (3) Have I believed that I fell awfully in Adam? Have I seen myself an enemy of God, and that I deserve the wrath of God to all eternity on its account? (4) Have I discovered the value of Christ as a Saviour to lost sinners? Is He precious to my soul, and is He in my estimation altogether lovely? (5) Does my soul desire to know Him more, and to love Him better, to enjoy more of His fellowship, and to be more conformable to His image?"
No ministers of the Gospel in Wales at this time doubted that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," and they lived under the impression, that, "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." The famous incident of Michael Roberts at Llanidloes in 1819, demonstrates the effects which followed this manner of preaching by others besides Elias. Roberts, on arriving at this place the evening before he was due to preach, was deeply stirred in his spirit by beholding the evident marks of ungodliness in the speech and actions of the inhabitants. "After going into his house for the night," reports Owen Jones, "he could eat nothing: and during the whole of the night he slept none at all, but wrestled with God in prayer; nor could he take anything to eat the following morning. The service was to be at ten O'clock before the Red Lion Hotel. As it was an Association, there were a great many people present from all parts of Montgomeryshire. His text was Ps 1: 5, "Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment." He described the judgment with such vividness that a great solemnity came over the whole multitude. He described the ungodly losing the trial, and unable to "stand". He described them as overwhelmed with extreme despair, the pallor of death on their faces, and their knees trembling. The preacher turned to the judge, and said: "O, mighty Jesus! withhold Thine hand; say not a word more unto them; they are already in the agony of death; they are already overwhelmed." The reply was: "No; I have one word yet more to say to them; and that word I must say to them; after that-not another for ever! And this is it: DEPART FROM ME, YE CURSED, INTO EVERLASTING FIRE!" ... Some hundreds of ungodly men were immediately cast into the condition of the jailer of Philippi after the earthquake ... Some had forgotten altogether where they stood, some swooned and fell down, some wept, many were stricken with the paralysis of guilt, and others seized with the pangs of despair. After Michael Roberts had finished, Ebenezer Morris, one of the greatest preachers of his day, was unable to fix the attention of the people; he finished, after a few minutes, and the service was closed."
But although they considered that the greatness, purity, and justice of God in punishing sin was to come first in preaching the Gospel, they were equally instrumental in declaring the all sufficiency and excellence of Christ in an overwhelming manner to needy sinners. More was accomplished then by single sermons than is accomplished in years of preaching to-day! Once Elias was called to preach at Pwllheli where the state of religion was known to be very low and discouraging. "A great spiritual darkness and lethargy had prevailed there for upwards of 10 years," writes Morgan. "Elias was greatly moved, when he rose up to preach, and took those words for his text, 'Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered.' Ps 78: 1. The truths delivered by him then, had, under God's blessing, the most happy and astonishing effect; many of the people fell down to the ground in great terror, crying for mercy. It is said that no less than 2,500 persons were added to the church in Carnarvonshire that year, in consequence of the powerful impetus which was given by that extraordinary sermon."
It was in Anglesey itself that the effects of Elias's preaching were most visible. "Awful indeed was the state of things there, and evil beyond expression," writes Morgan. Drunkenness, fighting, smuggling, and adultery were prevalent. The societies of believers were few and small. Within a short time the whole island was transformed, these sins became uncommon; smuggling was done away with; those who had plundered wrecked vessels took their booty back to the sea shore; horse racing and play acting were given up; owners of windmills stopped them on the Sabbath day; and within 40 years 44 chapels were built, and filled with congregations.
Very high views of church membership were held in these times, and Elias tell us that such questions as the following were to be put to professed converts. "(1) Have I been brought to see and consider the greatness and infinite purity of God, before whom I am, at all times? (2) Have I seen that I am a responsible creature, bound to give an account of my thoughts, words, and actions? (3) Have I believed that I fell awfully in Adam? Have I seen myself an enemy of God, and that I deserve the wrath of God to all eternity on its account? (4) Have I discovered the value of Christ as a Saviour to lost sinners? Is He precious to my soul, and is He in my estimation altogether lovely? (5) Does my soul desire to know Him more, and to love Him better, to enjoy more of His fellowship, and to be more conformable to His image?"
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