The following is from Glory Filled the Land, published by International Awakening Press on the 1904-1905 Welsh revival. This section is by G. Cambell Morgan who originally spoke and then wrote after going to Wales to “examine” the revival. You can detect a note of amazement or admiration in his “voice” as you read.
THE ORIGIN OF THE MOVEMENT
You cannot trace it, and yet I will try to trace it tonight. Whence has it come? All over Wales-I am giving you roughly the result of the questioning of fifty ore more persons at random in the week-a praying remnant have been agonizing before God about the state of their beloved land, and it is through that the answer of fire has come. You tell me that the revival originates with Roberts. I tell you that Roberts is a product of the revival. You tell me that it began in an Endeavor meeting where a dear girl bore testimony. I tell you that it was part of the result of a revival breaking out everywhere. If you and I could stand above Wales, looking at it, you would see fire breaking out here and there, and yonder, and somewhere else, without any collusion or prearrangement. It is a divine visitation in which God-let me say reverently-in which God is saying to us, “See what I can do without the things you are depending on;” “See what I can do in answer to a praying people;” “See what I can do through the simplest who are ready to fall in line and depend wholly and absolutely upon Me.”
A CHURCH REVIVAL
What is the character of this revival? It is a church revival. I do not mean by that merely a revival among church members. It is that, but it is held in church buildings. I have been saying for a long time that the revival which is to be permanent in the life of a nation must be associated with the life of the churches. What I am looking is that there shall come a revival breaking out in all our regular church life. The meetings are held in the chapels, all up and down the valleys. Revival began among church members, and when it touches the outside man it makes him into a church member at once. I am tremendously suspicious of any mission or revival movement that treats with the contempt the Church of Christ, and affects to despise the churches. Within the last five weeks twenty thousand have joined the churches. I think more than that have been converted, but the churches in Wales have enrolled during the last five weeks twenty thousand new members.
STRIKING CASES OF PERSONAL INFLUENCE
First of all, it is turning Christians everywhere into evangelists. There is nothing more remarkable about it that that, I think. People you never expected to see doing this kind of thing are becoming definite personal workers… The movement is characterized by the most remarkable confessions of sin-confessions that must be costly. I heard some of them, men rising who have been members of the Church and officers of the Church, confessing hidden sin in their heart, impurity committed and condoned, and seeking prayer for putting it away. The whole movement is marvelously characterized by a confession of Jesus Christ, testimony to His power, to His goodness, to His beneficence, and testimony merging forevermore into outbursts of singing.
This whole thing is of God; it is a visitation in which He is making man conscious of Himself without any human agency. The revival is far more wide spread than the fire zone. In this sense you may understand that the fire zone is where the meetings are actually held, and where you feel the flame that burns. But even when you come out of it, and go into railway trains, or into a shop, a bank, anywhere, men everywhere are talking of God. Whether they obey or not is another matter. There are thousands not yielded to the constraint of God, but God has given Wales in these days a new conviction and consciousness of Himself. That is the profound thing, the underlying truth.
In our day (2009 almost 2010) we must seek the Lord for these things. We must learn from Him by practice what prayer and life are that are totally dependent on God for all things. We must learn what it means to work though the Churches because the Church is the body of Christ. We must learn to confess sin and seek God for the power to put it away. We must seek God for a fire in our hearts, churches, nation, and then world. A fire (!!!) like Pentecost.
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