Owen Jones on Elias 03

CHAPTER 3 COMPLETE SUCCESS

Work in Anglesey — Advancing power — Effective preaching — Death of Mrs. Elias — Second marriage — Accident — Last illness and death — Funeral.

The Methodist cause was weak enough at the time John Elias came to Anglesey. There were but few chapels in the whole island, and not many hearers, except on rare occasions, when some of the South Wales preachers came through the land. There were a great many calls upon him. He had to preach not only on Sundays, but on week nights in various houses here and there. Not only so, but he preached often in lonely places, on the mountain side, on the sea-shore, or on the road-side. And though his mind was productive, he had to work hard in order to be equal to the task that was before him. He had to go away from home for days, often for weeks, and sometimes for two or three months together. It was difficult enough to produce new sermons under those circumstances. Yet he tells us that he was successful beyond his own expectation. He observes that he often found in one hour more material for sermons than he could find at other times in hours of leisure for reading and meditation.
He preached for a full year upon the intercessory prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ. He made a series of sermons upon 2 Cor. V. and Heb. xii., etc. His preaching was by far the most effective in the land. The people flocked to hear him from all parts. They listened to him as men that were going to the Judgement Day. The effects of his preaching were visible and palpable. The owners of windmills stopped them on the Sabbath day. The sins already referred to be- came uncommon. Drunkenness visibly diminished, smuggling was done away with; and those who had plundered wrecked vessels, took their booty back again to the seashore. New churches were established, new chapels built. The gentry of the land, who would never hear a Dissenter, went gladly to hear John Elias. He had been to London for a time, and had again returned; a village smith said to a friend in reference to the occasion, "I am very glad to see that John Elias has returned ; the dust will be taken off every old garment and old saddle before next Sunday."
At Denbigh, in the beginning of the year 1800, hundreds had come together to hear him. The power that followed his preaching was overwhelming. A real dread of punishment and hell fire had come upon men till many screamed in despair. The man who related this remembered well, though but a boy at the time, how his attention was fixed by the fiery speech of the preacher, and how frightened he was at the cries of the people. Llanrhuddlad was not far from Llanfechell ; here his wife was a member, and it was this church he joined. Before Easter, 1801, the people of Llanrhuddlad were very busy preparing for a play. It was a kind of acting, accompanied always with great wickedness and immorality. It was to be acted on Easter Monday on a large stage prepared for the occasion. John Elias heard of it ; and the Sunday previous he preached a sermon against the iniquity from Josh. vi. 26 : "Cursed be the man before the Lord that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho." The effect of that sermon was to fill the minds of all with awe and dread. Those who had prepared their parts for the play went home and burnt their books ; and that was the last that was ever heard of it.
He was desired by the Anglesey Presbytery to speak against the evil customs of those times on the seashore. There were many wrecks on the Anglesey coast, and the inhabitants of the country by force of habit had come to look upon what was washed ashore from the ships as their own. John Elias obeyed the wishes of his friends. There had been at that time several violent storms, resulting in numerous wrecks. John Elias spoke with thunder against the wicked custom. The effect was so great everywhere that the wreckers carried to the sea shore many waggon loads of salvage, and heaped them up on the beach, where they found them.
The success which followed his labours in Anglesey was very marked. The number of professors increased greatly; forty-four chapels were built, some of them very large; and the Sunday-schools were numerous and well attended.
His life in Anglesey was spent in incessant labour for the kingdom of God. He journeyed over the island, preaching on week days and on Sundays. He travelled over the counties of North Wales, and went for long journeys to South Wales. He visited Liverpool and Manchester often, and even London many times, remaining there for several Sundays in succession.
He passed through many trials and misfortunes, which we cannot now pause to enumerate. The Lord, however, delivered him out of them all.
On April 2, 1829, his beloved wife died. They had lived happily together, enjoying much of God's goodness and kindness for upwards of twenty years. She was a woman of uncommon wisdom and energy, and in every way adapted to be the wife of John Elias. She undertook all the labour and care of the business herself for her love to Christ and the Gospel. Even in her last illness she would not suffer her dear husband to stop at home and desist from preaching the Gospel for a single Sunday. He was to preach at Holyhead. He went there according to appointment ; but after he had gone, she altered much for the worse. The son and daughter intimated their wish to send for their father to return home. She overheard their conversation and said, "By no means ; for what is my life compared with the great cause he is engaged in?"
On February 10, 1830, John Elias married Lady Buckeley, the widow of Sir John Buckeley, of Presaddfed. He changed his residence after the event, and went to live to Fron, near Llangefni, Anglesey. He was again blessed of the Lord in his second wife. She was a lady of great piety, affectionate and amiable, tender and sympathising; and he blesses the Lord in his autobiography for the guidance He had given him in the choice.
John Elias met with a severe accident in June, 1832. J. Davies, Fronheulog, near Bala, was driving him in a vehicle to the Association. Two lads got behind the carriage, and, in descending a hill, jumped off, upon which the shaft cracked with a loud noise. John Elias jumped out, and fell on his head, injuring himself seriously. He was for a long time unable to resume his ministerial labours. In the year 1833, however, he was able to do so, though he was never free altogether from nervousness and giddiness in the head. He lived for many years after this unfortunate accident.
While preaching in the Association at Llanerchymedd, he caught a cold, the issue of which was a dangerous disease in his foot. He was confined to his room, and often in great pain. He was nevertheless in a very happy state of mind. The Rev. H. Griffith, of Llanddrygan, wrote the following letter to the Rev. E. Morgan, M.A., vicar of Syston, describing the state of his mind a few days before his death.

Bodlondeb, June 4, 1841.

"The state of Elias's mind is very comfortable, and at times even extatic. One night, when in great pain, he felt so happy that he thought he was in heaven. But he does not like to say much on this head, lest he should appear to boast. His own expressions are, ' I am as happy as to the frame of my mind as a person can be under such pain as I suffer. There is no cloud intercepting between my soul and my God ; those comforts I used to enjoy in the means of grace and in the ministry are still flowing freely into my soul ; I think they are some- times more strong and vivid in their effects now than formerly.'"
According to the testimony of many, he was in a happy frame of mind during the three months' illness he endured. Though the communications he received from God for the pulpit seemed to have stopped, yet he found greater comfort than ever from the great truths he had preached. The last night of his life, June 7, was the most painful he ever suffered, and yet he could say of it, it was the happiest period he ever passed in this world.
John Elias died on June 8, 1841. He expressed a wish to be buried near his dear friend, the Rev. R. Lloyd, Beaumaris, at Llanfaes. The two had been ordained at the same time at Bala, at the first ordination that ever took place in the Body after separation from the Church of England ; and they had lived as very intimate friends ever since. The funeral took place, Tuesday, June 15, 1841. The order of procession was the following:

Rev. E. Williams, rector of Llangefni,

Rev. H. Griffiths, Llanddrygan, Rev. H. Jones, Llanfaes, on horseback;

Dr. Roberts, Carnarvon, and Dr. Roberts, Mynydd-y-gof, in a gig;

Dr. Charles and Dr. Lloyd, on horseback;

The hearse with the body: A mourning coach. In which were his son, two brothers, and Mr. Owen Hughes;

Three gigs; Twelve ministers on horseback, two and two;

Thirty-two gigs, besides cars;

One hundred and fifty horsemen, two and two.

But in front of all there was an immense number of men and women on foot, four abreast. The procession had to go along the road from Llangefni to Menai Bridge. There were hundreds of spectators along the route; all work was given up; and the people were everywhere looking at the silent procession and weeping. At Menai Bridge great numbers joined, and it continued to swell all the way to Beaumaris. By the time they arrived there it was a mile and a half in length, and it was calculated that the number of people present was 10,000. All the vessels were with flags half-mast, the shops were closed, and the window blinds were everywhere down. As they drew nigh to the churchyard of Llanfaes, the singers belonging to the Methodist Chapel, Bangor, drew up on either side of the road singing a hymn, while the body of John Elias passed between them. The services were read by the Rev. H. Griffith, assisted by the resident minister. After the service was over they returned to Beaumaris, where a funeral sermon was preached by the Rev. John Foulkes, from Heb. xiii. 7. The evening before the funeral the Rev. William Roberts, Amlwch, preached a funeral sermon at Llangefni Chapel upon the words 2 Kings ii. 11-14. In this service, when a hymn was given out at the close, the people failed to sing it through from inward commotion and tears.