Two things may strike you as unusual about the title I have chosen for this article. The phrase ‘Calvinistic Methodist’ may seem strange to those who expect Methodists to be Wesleyan or Arminian rather than Calvinistic in their theology. By way of definition, a Calvinist is someone who believes that God has sovereignly chosen or predestined a people for his own glory from before the foundation of the world – a people for whom Christ died upon the cross and who by the power of the Holy Spirit are effectually called to conversion and the life of faith. A Methodist is someone who believes in the primacy of Scripture, the place of apostolic tradition as expressed in the ecumenical creeds, the use of reason to rightly interpret the Scriptures, and who places a high value on the role of experience in theology. Methodism is a theology of experience. The Calvinistic Methodists brought together a robust Calvinistic orthodoxy with a rich, warm, and experiential Methodist piety. In dialectical terms, we might describe Calvinistic Methodism as a synthesis of theology and experience. It brings together both head and heart in a rich experiential theology.
The choice of the word ‘fathers’ in
the title perhaps sounds somewhat patriarchal to modern readers and does not
accurately reflect the substantial role played by many women in the early evangelical
movement in Wales. Consider, for example, the beautiful hymnody of Ann
Griffiths (1776–1805), the devotion of Mary Jones (1784–1864) in her quest to
obtain a Bible, or the influence of Selina Hastings, the Countess of
Huntingdon (1707–91), on key Methodist leaders. The choice of title is actually influenced by a
translation from the original Welsh volumes Y Tadau Methodistaidd (‘The
Methodist Fathers’) by John Morgan Jones and William Morgan. They were originally
published in 1890 and 1897 and printed in two volumes respectively. They were translated by John Aaron for the
Banner of Truth and published in English for the first time in 2008, revealing
considerable contemporary interest in the subject. It is significant to note
that John Aaron and the publishers added ‘Calvinistic’ into the title of their
translation, suggesting a concern for theological matters relating to Methodism
and as an effort to distinguish this type of Methodism from its Wesleyan
counterpart. Despite its popularity in Reformed circles, Y Tadau Methodistaidd is not a work of history and should be read critically in the context of nineteenth-century hagiography.
This article aims to explore the
lives, theology, and publications of the major representatives of the Calvinistic
Methodist tradition in Wales during the eighteenth century and early
nineteenth-century. It aims to highlight many of the key individuals chosen by Jones
and Morgan to represent this tradition, while offering a critique of their
tendency towards hagiography. Attention is given to the antecedent movements
influencing Methodism in England and Wales, the role of Griffith Jones as the
‘morning star’ of the revival, and to the main representatives of the
Calvinistic Methodist tradition in Wales including Howell Harris, Daniel
Rowland, Williams Pantycelyn, John Elias, and Thomas Charles of Bala. Some
space is also given to the best literature available on the subject of
Calvinistic Methodism in Wales for those who are interested in pursuing further
research. This article aims to be an introduction and survey, rather than a
piece of original research. Nonetheless, some aspects particularly those on
Williams Pantycelyn emerge from my doctoral research on the subject.
Antecedent Movements
Jones and Morgan argue that Wales was in dire straits during
the early eighteenth century and in desperate need of moral and spiritual reformation.
They seem to ignore in its entirety the hard work played by many nonconformists
in Wales prior to the advent of Methodism and the considerable acumen of their
theological seminaries. There are obvious apologetic reasons for portraying
Wales in dark colours at this time and offering the Methodist movement as the
‘only solution’ to this darkness. The point is to emphasise that revival is not
a work of human effort or agency, but a sudden and unexpected work of the Holy
Spirit. In fact, however, the
evangelical movement in Wales during the eighteenth-century was deeply
influenced by at least three antecedent movements which share some hallmarks
with the evangelical Calvinist movement itself. These movements include
Puritanism, continental Pietism, and Anglicanism.
The Calvinistic soteriology of Welsh Puritanism was formative in shaping the thought and practice of early evangelicals in Wales like Daniel Rowland and William Williams Pantycelyn. Notable Welsh Puritan influences included Walter Cradock (1606–59), Vavasor Powell (1617–70), and Morgan Llwyd (1619–59) – not to mention an entire host of English Puritans like John Bunyan (1628–88), John Owen (1616–83), and Richard Baxter (1615–91). The second movement to influence early evangelicalism in Wales was continental pietism. The warm devotion and small-group religion of continental pietism as well as their experiential hymnody also shaped early evangelical thought as W. R. Ward has convincingly argued in The Protestant Evangelical Awakening (1992) and Early Evangelicalism: A Global Intellectual History, 1670–1789 (2006). The circulating schools of Griffith Jones (1683–1761) would build upon the pioneering work of continental pietists. Early evangelicals in Wales and were influenced by pietist thinkers such as Phillip Jakob Spener (1635–1705), August Herman Francke (1663–1727), and Count Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf (1700–1760). They founded small devotional groups patterned after those of continental pietism and the Moravian movement. These quasi-conventicles became known as ‘experience meetings’ or seiadau and were established all over Wales during the eighteenth century by Howell Harris (1714–73), Daniel Rowland, and William Williams, Pantycelyn. The third movement to influence early evangelical spirituality in Wales – particularly that of Griffith Jones and Howell Harris – was High Church Anglicanism with its emphasis on apostolic primitivism and Eucharistic theology. It was significant that Howell Harris experienced conversion while partaking the elements of Holy Eucharist. In terms of Anglican activism, the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge (SPCK) founded in 1698, as well as the Society for the Promotion of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG) founded in 1701, were to exercise considerable influence in Wales through the ministry of Griffith Jones and both were to have a formative influence on evangelical publishing, mission, and social activism in Wales for generations to come.
The evangelical revival during the eighteenth century
emerged from a confluence of three antecedent movements and ideas. The Calvinistic Methodist movement in Wales was not a creation
ex nihilo, but a development and evolution of pre-existing Puritan,
Pietist, and Anglican spiritualities. The position of Jones and Morgan that
Wales lay in moral and spiritual degradation before the evangelical revival is
simply untenable in the light of the evidence to the contrary. This touches upon a problem with
evangelical historiography in general. A reliance upon secondary sources from
the nineteenth century to explore the evangelical revival, while perhaps
offering a romantic or thrilling story, is no substitute for a careful
examination of primary sources during the eighteenth century and the
application of modern social and historical criticism.
Griffith Jones (1684–1761)
Griffith Jones was the founder of the Welsh circulating
schools during the eighteenth century which served to educate a large proportion of the Welsh population –
some 200,000 people in total – and train children and adults to read the Bible
in Welsh and memorise the Catechism of the Anglican Church. He passionately
advocated learning and study through the medium of Welsh. Jones has been
described as the ‘morning star’ of the evangelical revival in Wales, though he
would likely have repudiated such an accolade. Though he often gave advice and
counsel to the leaders of the evangelical revival in Wales, he was cautious
about identifying himself with the movement in its entirety owing to its
tendency towards enthusiasm and separation from the Established Church. Nonetheless,
Jones was thoroughly evangelical in his theological sympathies and was the
first to preach the Gospel in the outdoors – beating George Whitefield and
Howell Harris to the post – often in cemeteries attached to the local church. His
work in promoting Welsh literacy prepared the ground for the advent of
Methodism which was a bookish religion as it encouraged Bible and devotional
reading and depended on some degree of literacy for the singing of hymns.
Daniel Rowland (1713–90)
Daniel Rowland was one of the first Calvinistic Methodist leaders in Wales and served in the parishes of Nantcwnlle and Llangeitho. He converted to Methodism after an experience of new birth upon hearing the preaching of Griffith Jones. His preaching at first was characterised by its forensic emphasis on moral law, judgement, and condemnation, but was subsequently softened by Gospel and evangelical emphases. Rowland met with Howell Harris in 1737 and they shared leadership of the evangelical revival for several years. However, serious disagreement arose between them when Harris displayed tendencies towards patripassianism and took the prophetess Madam Sydney Griffiths into his retinue. Rowland rebuked Harris in his Ymddiddan rhwng Methodist Uniongred ac un Cyfeiliornus (‘A discourse between and orthodox Methodist and a heretical one’) which was published in 1749 and he parted ways with Harris in 1752. Rowland constructed a chapel for himself in Llangeitho and famously led the 1762 revival associated with the name of this village. Several sermons by Rowland were published in 1876 as Deuddeg Pregeth ar Bynciau Ymarferol ('Twelve Sermons on Practical Subjects'), however most of his papers and documents which had been entrusted to the Countess of Huntingdon were lost – making detailed biography and analysis of his life and work difficult.
Howell Harris (1714–73)
Howell Harris is generally regarded as the great organiser
of Calvinistic Methodism in Wales, as well as being an eloquent preacher, and
avid diarist and letter writer. He was converted in 1735 by hearing the vicar
of Talgarth preach at Holy Eucharist and set about evangelising in his local community,
winning many converts. He soon made contact with the other leaders of the
Calvinistic Methodist movement in Wales including Daniel Rowland and Williams
Pantycelyn. He subsequently met George Whitefield who spearheaded the Calvinist
awakenings in England and America, along with the Wesley bothers who took the
movement in an Arminian direction. Howell Harris organised his converts into
‘societies’ and ‘associations’ and developed a system for organising lay
preachers throughout south Wales. Though Harris was an avowed Calvinist, he
came under the influence of Moravianism and their tendencies towards patripassianism
– emphasising a ‘blood and wounds’ theology in which God the Father was also
said to suffer at the crucifixion along with God the Son. Tensions were
increased when Harris took the prophetess Madam Sidney Griffith (d. 1752) into
his retinue and followed her guidance on many spiritual matters. There
subsequently occur a considerable disruption or schism within Welsh Calvinistic
Methodism between the major personalities of the movement. Daniel Rowland
maintained a high degree of orthodoxy and the majority of the movement, while
Harris was led into patripassian views of the atonement and establishing a
small family at Trevecka. This family was made up of converts from the various
parts of the principality with the aim of living communally and sharing goods
and services together in the spirit of primitive Christianity described in Acts
4:2.
After being excluded from
Calvinistic Methodist circles for some time, Howell Harris was eventually restored
to fellowship with Rowland and Williams Pantycelyn, but he did not make the
same sweeping successes with converts as he had done at the outset of his
ministry. With his responsibilities now at Trevecka, including a newly formed
printing press and theological college, Harris found himself with plenty to
work on locally and did not take as deep an interest in the societies as he had
formerly done. He was less gifted as a preacher than Daniel Rowland and did not
produce the same calibre of literary works as William Pantycelyn. He outshone
both however with his passion, enthusiasm, and ability to organise – leading
some historians to describe Harris as the greatest Welshman of his generation.
In addition to his role as a lay preacher, Howell Harris also founded the
Brecknockshire Agricultural Society (1755) and served as a militia captain with
members drawn from his own evangelical society at Trevecka. A large collection
of Harris’s diaries, letters, and papers are held at the National Library of
Wales. Though some effort has been made to organise and publish aspects of this
collection, the bulk remains in manuscript form but offers considerable insight
into 18th century Welsh evangelicalism.
William Williams, Pantycelyn (1717–91)
William
Williams, widely regarded as Wales’s greatest evangelical hymnwriter and
known simply as Pantycelyn, was also an accomplished poet, author and prose
writer, as well as being an evangelical preacher and theologian of some renown
among Calvinistic Methodists in Wales. Along with Daniel Rowland and
Howell Harris, he was one of three leaders of the early Calvinistic
Methodist movement in Wales.
He was born at Cefn-coed in the parish of Llanfair-ar-y-bryn in 1717 and
educated at a local Nonconformist Academy near Talgarth. He had originally
intended to become a physician but was converted dramatically upon hearing the
preaching of Howell Harris in a graveyard, and soon joined the Calvinistic
Methodists seeking to revitalise the worship of the Established Church. Though
raised in nonconformity, with his father being an elder of Cefnarthen
Independent Church, Williams took deacon’s orders in 1740 and was appointed as a
curate to Theophilus Evans (1693–1767), a vociferous opponent of the Methodism
of George Whitefield and Howell Harris. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Williams was
refused priest’s orders in 1743 because of his Methodist associations, which
Theophilus undoubtedly viewed with deep suspicion.
Williams
devoted the rest of his life to the Methodist cause as an assistant to Daniel
Rowland and as a leader of the Methodist societies (seiadau) in Wales. He married Mary Francis of Llansawel around 1748
and they settled together at Pantycelyn, his mother’s farmhouse. They had
several children, and lived in reasonable comfort from their farmstead income
and the sale of Williams books. Williams is romantically remembered for his
itinerant ministry as he travelled around Wales on horseback, peddling his
hymns, books, and possibly tea to supplement his livings as a landowner and
Methodist preacher. His role in the
evangelical revival in Wales was decisive and his hymns played a crucial part
in sparking a religious awakening at Llangeitho in 1762.
Williams
chose to convey the dramatic experiential theology of the evangelical
awakenings in Wales through poetry and prose. Williams’ epic poems Golwg ar Deyrnas Crist (1764) and Bywyd a Marwolaeth Theomemphus (1764) are thousands of lines
long and together form two of his most substantial works of theological
reflection. Golwg ar Deyrnas Crist considers the sovereignty of
Christ over creation, providence, and redemption, and strikes a decisively
Calvinistic tone within a covenantal framework. The poem is also of interest
for its extensive footnotes, revealing something of Williams’ interest science
and physico-theology. Theomemphus
considers the Christian life as pilgrimage from the darkness of sin to redemption
and reflects upon the trials of the Christian life with considerable honesty.
Though not identical as to its contents, the poem is comparable with The Pilgrim’s Progress by John
Bunyan.
In
addition to his epic poems, Williams wrote over eight hundred hymns expressing
a deeply personal and heartfelt love to God and Jesus Christ. Most of these
hymns were published as collections through the medium of Welsh: Aleluia
(1744–7), Hosanna i Fab Dafydd
(1751–4), Caniadau y Rhai sydd ar y Môr o
Wydr (1762), Ffarwel Weledig, Groesaw
Anweledig Bethau (1763–9), and Gloria in Excelsis
(1771–2). However, Williams also published a number of English hymns as
collections in Hosannah to the Son of
David (1759) and Gloria in Excelsis
(1772). His most well-known hymns in the anglophone world include, ‘Guide me, O
Thou Great Jehovah’, ‘O’er the Gloomy Hills of Darkness’, ‘Jesus, Jesus, all
sufficient’, and ‘In Eden – sad indeed that day’. His hymns are noted for their
warm evangelical fervour and experiential divinity. As well as writing hymns,
Williams published over thirty elegies (marwnadau) upon the deaths of his fellow Methodists. His elegies
often romantically extol the virtues of Methodist leaders and reflect
rapturously on the joys of heaven.
Williams
similarly published several substantial works of prose, especially following
the outbreak of revival in 1762, forming his mature theological and devotional
reflections. Pantheologia, neu Hanes Holl Grefyddau’r Byd (1762–79) was published in
several parts following the revival. It is a dense treatise on the history of
world religions and culture, and one of the earliest examples of comparative
religion in the Welsh language. At over six hundred pages, this is not a book
for the fainthearted. Williams also published two fictional letters, Llythyr Martha Philopur at y Parchedig Philo
Evangelius (1762) and Atteb Philo
Evangelius (1763), following the Llangeitho revival in 1762. Although
Martha is a fictional character in Williams’ prose, she arguably represents the
many hundreds of young converts from the Llangeitho revival. Her letter to
Philo Evangelius details the dramatic nature of her conversion experience and
her attempt from Scripture to justify her religious enthusiasm. Philo
Evangelius responds pastorally to Martha’s letter and locates the revival
within the wider context of an international evangelical awakening, and as part
of a series of such religious awakenings throughout history.
Crocodil Afon yr Aipht (1767) is a short discussion on the subject of envy among Christians which Williams Pantycelyn describes as being like a monstrous crocodile, perhaps his own version of the green-eyed monster. It seems to be directed against Sandemanianism from a reference Williams makes near the beginning of the text, though he does not elaborate on this point in any detail. The Sandemanians emphasised a simple doctrine of faith as intellectual assent to the truths of the Gospel, without a subsequent change of life and heart. They were often accused of antinomianism because of this, though they confessed to be orthodox Calvinists. It is difficult to see why a treatise on envy should be relevant to this debate, though evidently Williams thinks it was appropriate at the time. Hanes
Bywyd a Marwolaeth Tri Wŷr o Sodom a’r Aipht (1768) concerns the moral conduct and eternal destiny of
three fictional characters: Avaritius (a covetous man), Prodigalus (a wasteful
and extravagant man), and Fidelius (a Christian). Fidelius represents a model
Christian believer who shuns both covetousness and extravagance and upholds the
virtues of charity and compassion to the poor and needy. Aurora Borealis: neu Goleuni yn y Gogledd, fel Arwydd o
lwyddiant yr Efengyl (1774)
is a fascinating eschatological reflection on the appearance of the Northern
Lights across Wales during the eighteenth century. Pantycelyn interprets the
lights in postmillennial terms as a sign of the success of the Gospel and
perhaps the beginning of the spiritual reign of Christ upon earth. His
eschatological optimism emerges from his belief in the success of the Gospel
and its capacity to transform the world.
Williams
also wrote about practical matters such as the organisation of religious
societies in Wales and the complex relations between society members. Templum Experientiae Apertum:
neu
Ddrws y Society Profiad (1777)
is tract in the form of a dialogue on the importance of the Seiat or Experience
Meeting for the Calvinistic Methodists. It is an essential source for
understanding the experiential theology and structure of the Calvinistic
Methodist societies. Published in the same year, Ductor Nuptiarum: neu Gyfarwyddwr Priodas (1777) is a practical guide
concerning marriage, sexuality, and relationships for society members. It was a
very forward thinking and progressive booklet for the time, and highlights some
of the socio-ethical concerns of the early Calvinistic Methodists in Wales.
Thomas Charles (1755–1814)
Thomas Charles was a leader among the second generation of
Methodists and builder of the superstructure of Calvinistic Methodism in Wales.
He became prominent among the Calvinistic Methodists in Wales as a promoter of
Sunday School education and Bible distribution. The literacy of Welsh children
and adults greatly improved under his efforts as they learned to read the Bible
in Welsh and answer questions from Thomas Charles’ catechism. He is remembered for
the story of Mary Jones, a young girl of sixteen years, who travelled some
twenty-five miles barefooted to buy a Welsh Bible from him using her life
savings. Many believe this devotion to Scripture moved Thomas Charles to
consider founding the British and Foreign Bible Society for the distribution of
Bibles throughout the Wales and the Empire. His magnum opus is his Geiriadur
Ysgrythyrawl (‘Scriptural Dictionary’) published over four volumes from 1805
to 1811. This work contains important information about the geography and
history of Biblical narratives, as well as important theological and
philosophical discussion concerning Biblical topics. Charles liberally quotes
from classical and religious writers throughout the ages and evidently displays
his considerable learning as a Master of Arts graduate from Jesus College,
Oxford. Charles subsumes everything in Scripture, theology, philosophy, and
history under the overarching sovereignty and providence of God. His evangelical
Calvinism is clearly revealed in its pages. Thomas Charles was responsible for
ordaining the first Calvinistic Methodist ministers in 1811 and for leading the
Welsh Methodists out of the Established Church. This denomination of
Calvinistic Methodists eventually became known as the Presbyterian Church of
Wales.
John Elias (1774–1841)
John Elias is generally associated with Anglesey where he
lived and ministered from 1799 and was sometimes disparagingly described as the
‘The Pope of Anglesey’ (Pab Methodistaidd) by his detractors. He succeeded
Thomas Charles as the principal leader of the Calvinistic Methodist Church in
Wales and was by all accounts an eloquent preacher. As a child, he
learned to read the Bible from the instruction of his grandfather and would
often read Holy Scripture aloud at meetings while waiting for the preacher to
arrive. He had a tender conscience and was often greatly afraid of divine punishment,
though these fears were gradually relieved as he learned to rest upon the righteousness
of Christ for salvation. He played an important role in drawing up the
denominations’ Declaration of Faith (1823) and its Constitutional Deed (1826). His
most important publication was Golygiad Ysgrythyrol ar Gyfiawnhad
published in 1821. This essay aimed to show the way in which God, by his free
grace, justifies the sinner for Christ’s sake. He is also famous for the Welsh
hymn ‘Ai am fy meiau i’ (‘And was it for my sin’) which greatly
emphasises the doctrine of Christ suffering and the payment of our debt to God
through the atoning working of Christ. Though John Elias was generally orthodox
in his theology, he clashed with Thomas Jones (1756–1820) and John Jones, Tal-y-Sarn
(1796–1857) over the extent of Christ’s atonement and for a while embraced several
heretical ultra-Calvinistic viewpoints.
Conclusion
Methodism in Wales was a synthesis of evangelical Calvinism
and deep religious experience. It was ‘Calvinistic’ in theology, emphasising the
depravity of humankind and the absolute sovereignty of God in the salvation of
sinners. But it was ‘Methodist’ in practice, emphasizing the role of personal religious
experience and a high degree of religious and social activism. It brought together
mind and heart in fresh and invigorating ways which sometimes provoked
opposition from the Established Church, not to mention from unruly and aggressive
persecutors. In putting Calvinism back on the menu, it can be said that the
Methodist movement in Wales restored the Augustinianism which had been an
emphasis of the Catholicism of Medieval Wales. The well-known debate between
Calvinists such as George Whitefield and Arminians like John Wesley was essentially
a revival of a much older debate between St. Augustine and Pelagius. Calvinism
had been a frequent emphasis among Welsh Puritans like Morgan Llwyd and Walter
Cradock, but it truly came to its own in the preaching of the Welsh Calvinistic
Methodists who most conscientiously preached the doctrines of grace throughout
the Principality. Methodism speaks to us of experience, emotion, fervour, and
discipline. Calvinism speaks to us of absolute divine sovereignty, total
depravity, predestination, and eternal security. Their combination in Welsh
Calvinistic Methodism proved to be an electric synthesis which brought together
the affections, the intellect, and the human will in a remarkable and attractive
combination. Calvinistic Methodism was truly a movement of head, heart, and
hand. Many thousands were converted under the preaching of the Calvinistic Methodists
in Wales and the movement has left and enduring legacy in Wales as land of evangelical
awakenings.
Recommended Reading
With regard to Calvinistic Methodism in England and Wales,
readers should consult the history provided in David Ceri Jones, Boyd Stanley
Schlenther, and Eryn Mant White, The Elect Methodists: Calvinistic Methodism
in England and Wales (2012). Arguably this is the best single scholarly overview
of the subject and represents the definitive history of the
movement in the light of the latest scholarship. Offering a more literary and
theological perspective on Calvinistic Methodism in Wales is Derec Llwyd
Morgan’s The Great Awakening in Wales (1988). The thought of Williams
Pantycelyn is a particular concern of this volume, and Williams Pantycelyn
emerges as a leading theologian in its pages. For a broader contextualised
perspective on the movement in Wales – setting Calvinistic Methodism within its
international context – readers should consult David Ceri Jones’ scholarly monograph,
‘A Glorious Work in the World’: Welsh Methodism and the International
Evangelical Revival, 1735–1750 (2004). Some consideration is also given to
various Welsh Calvinistic Methodists in David Ceri Jones, The Fire Divine:
An Introduction to the Evangelical Revival (2015). This popular survey introduces
readers to the evangelical revival and situates Welsh evangelicalism globally. The
Methodist societies or ‘seiadau’ have received considerable attention from Eryn
M. White in her study, The Welsh Methodist Society: The Early Societies in
South-West Wales 1737–1750 (2020).
On Griffith Jones and his education programme, see E. Wyn James, 'Griffith Jones (1684–1761) of Llanddowror and his "Striking Experiment in Mass Religious Education" in Wales in the Eighteenth Century', The Carmarthenshire Antiquary 56 (2020), 63–73. The life of Howell Harris has been given significant scholarly attention in Geraint Tudur’s Howell Harris: From Conversion to Separation, 1735–1750 (2000), though Eifion Evans’ Howell Harris: Evangelist 1714–1773 (1974) and Geoffrey F. Nuttall, Howell Harris 1714–1773: The Last Enthusiast (1965) remain useful studies. Eifion Evans has produced useful, if somewhat hagiographical, studies of Daniel Rowland and William Williams: Daniel Rowland and the Great Evangelical Awakening in Wales (1985) and Bread of Heaven the Life and Work of William Williams, Pantycelyn (2010). Other notable studies of the life and work of William Williams include Gelyn Tegai Hughes, Williams Pantycelyn (1983) for the Writers of Wales series and Kathryn Jenkins, ‘Williams Pantycelyn’, in Branwen Jarvis (ed.), A Guide to Welsh Literature c. 1700–1800 (2000), pp. 256–78. With respect to Welsh hymnody, Ann Griffiths, and Williams Pantycelyn, see E. Wyn. James (ed.), Flame in the Mountains: Williams Pantycelyn, Ann Griffiths, and the Welsh Hymn (2017). Regarding Thomas Charles of Bala, John Aaron’s recent publication – Thomas Charles of Bala (2022) – for the Banner of Truth is largely a summary and condensation of D. E. Jenkins’s three volume study of the life and work of Thomas Charles, The Rev. Thomas Charles of Bala, 3 vols (1908). With regard to the story of Mary Jones and Thomas Charles, see E. Wyn James, ‘Bala and the Bible’: Thomas Charles, Ann Griffiths and Mary Jones’, Eusebeia 5 (Autumn 2005), 69–98. The Banner of Truth also publishes Thomas Charles’ Spiritual Counsels: Selected from His Letters and Papers by Edward Morgan (originally published in 1836 and reprinted by the Banner of Truth in 1993 and 2021). For those who read Welsh, D. Densil Morgan has put together a collection of scholarly essays by various academic authors entitled Thomas Charles o’r Bala (2014). The Banner of Truth also publishes John Elias: Life, Letters, and Essays (1973) by Edward Morgan. For a more literary approach to the literature of the evangelical revival in Wales, see T. Robin Chapman, 'Reading the Word, 1740–90', in The Oxford Literary History of Wales: Writing in Welsh 1740–2010: A Troubled Heritage (Oxford, 2020), pp. 15–30. On the evolution of the Welsh hymn, see E. Wyn James, 'Popular Poetry, Methodism, and the Ascendancy of the Hymn', in Geraint Evans and Helen Fulton (eds), The Cambridge History of Welsh Literature (Cambridge, 2019), pp. 306–34. With regard to the theology of Calvinistic Methodism, readers should consult D. Densil Morgan's Theologia Cambrensis: Protestant Theology in Wales: The Long Nineteenth Century, 1760–1900 (Cardiff, 2021) which discusses developments in the theology of Calvinistic Methodism at some considerable length.
The Trevecka letters have been catalogued and summarized by Boyd Stanley Schlenther and Eryn Mant White in their Calendar of the Trevecka Letters (2003) – arguably one of the most important collections of correspondence on the evangelical revival in Great Britain. Consideration should also be given to Gomer M. Roberts (ed.), Selected Trevecka Letters 1742–1747 (1956) and the second volume, Selected Trevecka Letters 1747–1794 (1962) as selected letters from the collection. A similar source relating to the personal life of Howell Harris are his journals or diaries. There is no scholarly edition of his journals currently in print, but readers should consult the extracts in Howell Harris: Reformer and Soldier (1958), Howell Harris’ Visits to London (1960), and Howell Harris’ Visits to Pembrokeshire (1966) by Tom Beynon. The published works of William Williams, Pantycelyn also offer insight into the intellectual history and theology of the movement. Readers should consult the scholarly editions of his epic poetry and prose writings in Gweithiau William Williams Pantycelyn (Cyfrol I) (1964) and Gweithiau William Williams Pantycelyn (Cyfrol II) (1967). His hymns may be found in older editions of his works such as those by N. Cynhafal Jones or J. R. Kilsby Jones, but there is currently no textually authoritative edition of his hymns in print. A selection of Daniel Rowland's sermons may be found in a collected edition by Morris Davies (ed.), Deuddeg Pregeth ar Bynciau Ymarferol ('Twelve Sermons on Practical Subjects') (1876), however many papers and documents on the life and work of Rowland have been lost. Thomas Charles’ magnum opus was his Geiriadur Ysgrythyrol published over four volumes from 1805 to 1811, and finally collated as one complete volume in 1853. A much shorter but no less significant work is his catechism on the principles of the Christian religion – Hyfforddwr yn Egwyddorion y Grefydd Gristionogol – which has been through hundreds of editions since its publication in 1807. Another text of relevance by Thomas Charles is his exposition of decalogue – Esboniad Byr ar y Deg Gorchymyn (‘An Exposition of the Ten Commandments’) (1801) – which was originally written to combat fears of antinomianism and licentiousness in Wales at the turn of the century. John Elias' most influential works in his day were Traethawd ar y Saboth ('An Essay on the Sabbath') (1804) and Golygiad Ysgrythurol ar Gyfiawnhad Pechadur ('A Scriptural Commentary on the Justification of a Sinner') (1821). He also published numerous items for the Calvinistic Methodist journal Y Drysorfa.
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