'FACES AGLOW WITH A DIVINE RADIANCE..'
Eye-witness account of a meeting led by Evan Roberts, Trecynon, Wales in the Welsh revival of 1904
The prim congregation breathed heavily and deeply. But the young minister in the pulpit remained absolutely silent.
They observed however, that his body shook perceptibly as tears coursed down his pale cheeks.
Then a strange stillness fell upon the people. It soon broke when one of the proudest of that assembly fell on her knees in agonizing prayer and unrestrainedly confessed her sins, creating consternation among other proud, self-satisfied, respectable members. Others followed rapidly. How the elders gasped! All over the chapel, men and women, young and old, kneeling in the pews and aisles, claimed "the blessing". Mount Seion, for once, became a veritable Valley of Baca.
Immediately upon the cessation of those burrung confessions, extempore hymns were sung. How the people sang! That service continued all day. Mr. Roberts reiterated the cry, "Obey! Obey! Obey the Holy Spirit!"
When evening came, the other churches had received the news. The neighbourhood seemed to have assembled in this one place, striving to enter the building where "the revival" was. The crush was terrible
When I reached the chapel there were hundreds clamouring for admittance. A generous deacon, who had been there for fourteen hours without a break, offered me his chair.
Confronting me and surrounding me was a mass of people, with faces aglow with a divine radiance, certainly not of this earth. One section of the congregation was singing, "Oh! the Lamb. In another part of the building scores were engaged simultaneously in prayer, some were wringing their hands as if in mental agony, while others who had received "the blessing" were joyous in their new-found experience. With awe and fear I gazed upon the scene.
A young woman with a beautiful countenance and an exquisite voice challenged, "What have Ito do any more with idols? I have heard Him and observed Him." She clapped her hands for joy. A Presbyterian minister, his countenance pale as death, stood and recited: 'Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? This that is glorious in His apparel, travelling in the greatness of His strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Underneath the gallery, a young man stammering, drew tears from all eyes as he cried, "W-w-w-what in-must I d-do t-to be s-s-s-saved?"
When this spiritual tumult was at its height, there came a sudden calm. Evan Roberts was on his feet. He looked straight down at me. Our eyes met for a few seconds. I solemnly avow that those eyes searched me through and through. They burned like coals of fire. In a split second, my innermost soul seemed to be laid bare. I feared and I shook. The lustre on his countenance eloquently proclaimed the abundance of grace overflowing his heart. Had there been a cover nearby, I would have sought it.
Will anyone forget it? I think not. The fadeless scene has only deepened with the passage of the years.
What was the secret of this movement? It was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in answer to prayer. The meetings were full of the spirit of prayer. Evan Roberts was often in an agony of prayer, and he drew floods of prayer from the people. He observed that the success of a meeting in saving souls, was in proportion to the spirit of fervent prayer in that meeting.
This article has been extracted from Revival Fires, available online from the Jesus People Shop.
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