Fire in the Thatch

Fire in the Thatch
The True Nature of Religious Revival
By Eifion Evans
Evangelical Press of Wales. 234 pages. £8.50
ISBN 1 85049 119 4

Walter Cradock, the Welsh Puritan preacher, described revival in Wales in the 17th century as 'fire in the thatch'. Dr. Evans has put together a collection of writings, mainly about revivals in Wales.
We are given a survey of the revival of a 'declining and expiring' church in the Evangelical Awakening of the 18th century, and a 'dormant and listless' church in the Second Evangelical Awakening of the 19th century. This is not dull history because it is told through the lives of the men, some well known and others less well known outside Wales, whom God used in these revivals. There are, therefore, brief accounts of the lives and works of Richard Baxter, Griffith Jones, George Whitefield, David Jones, John Davies, Howell Harris and Daniel Rowland.
In the chapter, 'Preaching and Revival', the point is made that much present day preaching lacks authority and conviction and spiritual leaders are not like their predecessors, who thought, prayed and worked with revival in mind. In the following chapters, the 'priorities' in revival were diligence and fervour in studying the Scriptures and preaching the Gospel by men who pursued holiness and were men of prayer. Another priority was unity in the gospel, which meant 'agreement in the truth which governed their lives and burned in their hearts'. Finally, converts were urged to meet in small groups or 'societies' for mutual help and encouragement.
Some may find parts of 'The Bible and the Great Awakening' difficult but it is good to stretch the mind, and the chapter emphasises the importance of the truth and authority of Scripture as God's instrument in revival.
The Second Evangelical Awakening in 1859 had two main leaders in Wales, Humphrey Jones and David Morgan. The former returned to Wales after three years in America, where he had been influenced by the work of Charles Finney. A solemn and powerful preacher, he introduced the 'penitent pew' to which he called sinners. Al-though his ministry came to a sad end, he was 'the youngster who lit the fuse' of revival. David Morgan was a Calvinistic Methodist minister, who believed that revival was 'the product of the Spirit's intervention', and through whom the fire took hold in Wales. He was the first to use the 'double sermon' speaking to believers first, then to the unconverted, closing the meeting by dealing individually with anxious souls. The fervent singing of hymns of faith and doctrine was a feature of this revival.
A few references to physical reactions will be found. There were often tears and occasionally prostrations, leaping and dancing, one case of roaring in pain and one of the physical quickening of a lame man (page 212). These were expressions of sorrow for sin, repentance, fear of judgment or the joy of salvation.
This is an interesting, stirring and timely book, which draws attention to a desperate need in our generation. After two centuries of an almost continuous flow of revivals, there have been few in the United Kingdom this century and none since 1949.

Stanley Griffith, Lowestoft

Stanley Griffith,
Lowestoft