Howell Harris: His Own Story

By Howell Harris

Howell Harris was brought up to regard the Nonconformists as "a perverted and dangerously erroneous set of people." Hardly a promising start for a man who was to play a major role in the Welsh Revival. Yet in these extracts from his writings and diaries we can read the thoughts of Howell Harris before, during and after his own conversion. We can see God breaking through the barriers separating "church and chapel", and discover Christians of different denominations preparing the country for revival. Wesley, Whitefield, Harris. These great 18th century preachers worked both independently and together to preach the Living Gospel. This book is a vivid first-hand account of the joys, hardships and struggles of one of these men -- Howell Harris.

• Language: English
• Publisher: White Tree Publishing
• Release date: Nov 18, 2015
• ISBN: 9780993394195

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About This Book

Howell Harris was brought up to regard the Nonconformists as a perverted and dangerously erroneous set of people. Hardly a promising start for a man who was to play a major role in the Welsh Revival. Yet in these extracts from his writings and diaries we can read the thoughts of Howell Harris before, during and after his own conversion. We can see God breaking through the barriers separating church and chapel, and discover Christians of different denominations preparing the country for revival. Wesley, Whitefield, Harris. These great 18th century preachers worked both independently and together to preach the Living Gospel. This book is a vivid first-hand account of the joys, hardships and struggles of one of these men -- Howell Harris (1714-1773).

HOWELL HARRIS

His Own Story

Foreword by J. Stafford Wright

This White Tree Publishing edition ©2015 Christopher Stafford Wright

eBook ISBN: 978-0-9933941-9-5

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of this book.

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Contents

Cover

About this Book

Foreword

Note

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Trefecca today

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Younger Readers

I do not write this as a rule for others to copy after, but as a relation of simple truth concerning what the Lord has done in carrying me on hitherto; and therefore I leave it to Him to use what I write as He shall please.

Howell Harris (1749)

Lord, this is Thy community, and not mine. I built it for Thee, and not for myself; and the family I have in it is Thine. For Thee I nurse them; and the papers which I leave behind me are written for Thee, and not for my use.

Howell Harris (1773)

Foreword

Books and articles have been written about Howell Harris, who lived 1714-1773. The book reproduced here, published within twenty years of his lifetime, gave the first opportunity to read the life of one of the foremost leaders in the 18th century revival in Wales. It is a good representative selection from Howell Harris's writings, including his diaries, which run to nearly nine thousand large pages, without margins, and in small crowded handwriting.

Some readers may welcome a short introduction to the situation in which Howell Harris found himself, and to the people with whom he was linked. He remained a member of the established church, in spite of being refused ordination by the bishops, but he was distressed by the lack of life, and hostility to the Gospel, both in his own church and in many of the chapels.

For many centuries the only recognised form of Christianity in Britain was the established church, at first Roman Catholic, and then the Protestant Church of England. Those who disagreed with the official teaching, such as Wycliffe and the Lollards about 1400 AD, were violently persecuted. After the Reformation, dissenters were not allowed to build places of worship, but worshipped in private houses, or in meeting places in the open air.

Dissenters had every reason to object to the church as they saw it in Wales. In 1620 scarcely one in fifteen of the clergy could read or write in the language of the people. They preached only rarely, and then read moral platitudes in English. Many not only neglected their people, but were known to lead immoral lives.

Yet there were exceptions, and among the names of Christian ministers who were alive to the Gospel we find clergy from the established churches, as well as others. These clergy, however, were deprived of their livings by their bishops for preaching schismatically and dangerously to the people.

The general low ebb of the faith was stemmed for a time when Cromwell and Parliament passed an Act in 1650 for the Propagation of the Gospel in Wales, and Redress of Some Grievances. The 71 Commissioners appointed under the Act comprised both churchmen and nonconformists. Although some of their decisions, involving expulsion of some vicars and appointment of other ministers in their place, have been criticized, they certainly laid foundations for future revival.

With the return of Charles II, free church ministers were once more liable to persecution. It was not until the arrival of William and Mary that the Act of Toleration of 1689 gave liberty to the nonconformists, so that a number of chapels were built to replace registered meeting houses. Unfortunately denominational divisions had already arisen. In particular, Independents, Presbyterians, Baptists, Quakers, and even Unitarians, had emerged as separate bodies, although Unitarians were not protected by the Act.

Now we come to the time of Howell Harris and some of the preachers with whom he was linked. Griffith Jones (1684-1761), Vicar of Llandowror, near St Clears in Carmarthen, was not only a powerful preacher, but he established centres to teach people to read the Welsh Bible.

Daniel Rowland, or Rowlands, (1713-1790), from Cardiganshire, traced the beginning of his conversion, after ordination, to a sermon by Griffith Jones. He was closely associated with Howell Harris, although later they had some disagreement, and parted company for a time.

William Williams (1717-1791), of Pantycelin, near Llandovery, was converted through a sermon by Howell Harris, and was later ordained in the established church. He is regarded as Wales' greatest hymn writer, and one of his hymns, translated as Guide me, O thou great Jehovah, is sung universally, but the tune of Cwm Rhondda is later.

All of these, like Howell Harris, although members of the Church of England, travelled extensively to preach the Gospel and were attacked not only by mobs, but by the vicars into whose parishes they came.

A number of nonconformist ministers also travelled extensively with the Gospel. Edmund Jones (1702-1793) ministered to an Independent congregation near Pontypool, but also took the Gospel to various parts of Wales. Lewis Rees (1710-1800), a Presbyterian, worked largely in North Wales. Others, equally faithful, both churchmen and nonconformists, did not move far beyond their own congregations. Itinerant lay preachers established fresh centres of life.

Howell Harris and Daniel Rowland were the founders of Methodism in Wales. Methodists today form a separate church, but at that time the name was given to groups, or classes, within the Church of England. These originated with John and Charles Wesley, George Whitefield, and other members of the so-called Holy Club at Oxford University in 1729. Methodism was a nickname to indicate the disciplined and methodical lives that members led in their search for holiness.

After the evangelical conversions of the Wesleys and Whitefield, the name Methodist was used for the groups of converts who gathered to study the faith and practice of the Christian life according to the Bible. Howell Harris tells us that, after reading of this practice, he formed Methodist societies among the converts, and he was followed by Rowland. Since both of them were members of the Church of England, their societies were kept within this church, but converted members of nonconformist churches joined them without being asked to leave their own churches, even though at times they received Holy Communion in the local established churches.

At this time the only Methodists in Wales were Calvinistic, reflecting the moderate Calvinism of Howell Harris and Daniel Rowland, and also of George Whitefield, who visited Wales several times. Howell Harris was troubled over the breach between Wesley and Whitefield concerning the matter of Arminianism and Calvinism (roughly, the relationship between man's freewill and God's grace). It was not until 1761 that the first Wesleyan Methodist societies came into Wales, with the first Welsh speaking societies in 1800.

The societies encouraged lay preachers, and from 1740 Harris and other leaders undertook to examine them before they were commissioned. One such itinerant preacher was William Seward, who was martyred at Hay in 1742. Also from 1743 there were regular meetings, known as Associations, of representatives of the Methodist societies. George Whitefield was the first Moderator at the meeting held at Watford, near Caerphilly. Once the Associations were flourishing, there was gradual pressure for the Methodists to separate from the Church of England, although they did not form a separate denomination until 1811.

This book in chapter 10 speaks of the community centre founded by Howell Harris at Trefecca (historically spelt Trevecca, or Trevecka here), Harris's birthplace near Talgarth in Breconshire, Wales. The foundations were laid in 1752, and by 1755 the family as they were called, numbered about 120. Howell Harris and his wife cared for both the spiritual and the bodily needs of the community, which was partly self-supporting, and partly financed by gifts from the Countess of Huntingdon, who herself established evangelical churches in Britain. Members who had experience of various trades were hired out to local landowners and tradesmen.

Harris relates that between 1753 and 1759, "I had, in addition to the dining hall and sleeping rooms, put up a cold bath, balcony, cupola and clock; a printing press, tucking mill (i.e. for treating cloth), a kiln, wool spinning machines and looms, a workshop, bake house, and an infirmary. The chapel was opened in 1758." The house is well worth a visit today.

If we define Revival as an upsurge of Christian faith