Memoir of Daniel Rowland

Daniel Rowland’s Biography v2.qxp:Daniel Rowland Memoir 7 12 2008 16:29 Page 1 A MEMOIR OF THE REV. DANIEL ROWLAND Daniel Rowland’s Biography v2.qxp:Daniel Rowland Memoir 7 12 2008 16:29 Page 3 A Memoir of the Rev. Daniel Rowland BY The Rev. John Owen Curate of Thrussington, Leicestershire Quinta Press Weston Rhyn 2008 Daniel Rowland’s Biography v2.qxp:Daniel Rowland Memoir 7 12 2008 16:29 Page 4 Quinta Press Meadow View, Weston Rhyn, Oswestry, Shropshire, England, SY10 7RN Visit our web-site: http://www.quintapress.com ISBN 1 897856 flfl flfl Layout copyright © Quinta Press 2008 4 Daniel Rowland’s Biography v2.qxp:Daniel Rowland Memoir 7 12 2008 16:29 Page 5 A MEMOIR OF THE REV. DANIEL ROWLANDS, LATE OF LLANGEITHO, CARDIGANSHIRE. WITH AN INTRODUCTION, CONTAINING A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE CHIEF SUPPORTERS OF RELIGION IN WALES; FROM THE REFORMATION, TO THE BEGINNING OF THIS CENTURY. BY THE REV. JOHN OWEN, CURATE OF THRUSSINGTON, LEICESTERSHIRE. PUBLISHED BY R.B. SEELEY AND W. BURNSIDE AND SOLD BY L. AND G. SEELEY, FLEET STREET, LONDON. MDCCCXL. ——’A man whom God has taught, With all Elijah’s dignity of tone, And all the love of the beloved John.’—Cowper. ADVERTISEMENT The Author has lately published in Welsh the substance of what is contained in this volume. There are here some omissions, but more additions, both in the Introduction and the Memoir. 5 Daniel Rowland’s Biography v2.qxp:Daniel Rowland Memoir 7 12 2008 16:29 Page 6 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Page 1–42 PART 1 INTRODUCTORY REMARKS—ROWLANDS’ PARENTAGE—HIS EDUCATION—HIS CHARACTER WHEN YOUNG The desire to know the past—The most interesting is the account of good men—The reasons why no records have been given of Rowlands 43–45 The birth-place of Rowlands and his education—Ordained when young— Expert in all the feats of the age—The state of the country—Quotations from the ‘Spiritual Treasury’, and from the life of Howel Harris— The irreligion of the times 46–52 PART II ROWLANDS’ CONVERSION AND THE COMMENCEMENT OF HIS REFORMED MINISTRY Rowlands and Harris brought to the knowledge of the truth nearly at the same time—God’s grace abounding towards unconverted ministers— Rowlands converted under the preaching vi of Griffith Jones—The worthy conduct of Mr Pugh, a Presbyterian Minister, towards him—Rowlands’ defective views 53–57 Rowlands preaching the law—The testimony of his Elegist—Several opinions on the subject—The churchs which Rowlands served-His first visit to Ystradfin—a remarkable woman—An ungodly Esquire converted—The first instance of Rowlands’ field-preaching—a profane meeting on the Sabbath broken up 58–67 The success that attended Rowlands’ ministry—The testimony of Joshua Thomas and Senex—The persecuting spirit of the age—An anecdote of Rowlands 68–74 PART III THE MANNER AND SUCCESS OF ROWLANDS’ MINISTRY Rowlands officiated at first only in consecrated places—Vast numbers attending his churches—A quotation from the ‘Spiritual Treasury’— 6 Daniel Rowland’s Biography v2.qxp:Daniel Rowland Memoir 7 12 2008 16:29 Page 7 FIRST PROOF READING DRAFT 7 Rowlands ejected from the church—Bishop Burgess’s opinion on the subject 75–79 Section I—The change in his preaching. The Gospel introduced, and its effects—The loud singing and and rejoicing—Rowlands’ answer to Thornton—Llangeitho, the resort of thousands—Two letters from Charles on the subject—The peculiarity of Llangeitho—An anecdote of Rowlands’ preaching communicated by his servant—The usual length of his sermons 80–96 Section II—The Societies, private and public. An account of the private society—established by Harris, and adopted by Rowlands—An account of the public society, called the Association—its commencement— its usefulness and success 97–111 Section III—The Revivals. Their character—how they commenced— Several mentioned—Faults found with them—Defence made for them—The account given of them by Charles—Different from the American revivals and some others 112–128 PART IV ROWLANDS’ QUALIFICATIONS AS A PREACHER The difficulty of doing justice to him—Several like him, but not equal to him—He and Whitefield compared—The testimonies of Joshua Thomas, Whitefield, Jones, Charles, Senex, and vii Griffiths—An attempt to delineate his excellences—The account given of him by Christmas Evans—The picture drawn of Whitefield by Southey applied to Rowlands 129–154 PART V ROWLANDS TRIALS, SELF-DENIAL AND ORTHODOXY—SHORT ACCOUNT OF HIS DEATH It is desirable to know the gifts and circumstances of others— 1. Trials—Generally proportioned to usefulness, and suited to our circumstances—Rowlands’ trials from false doctrines, especially Antinomianism—Spiritual declensions 155–162 2. Self-denial—Manifested by his mode of living—By the scanty accommodations afforded him in travelling—By his refusal of preferment—By ascribing to God all the effects of his ministry— Daniel Rowland’s Biography v2.qxp:Daniel Rowland Memoir 7 12 2008 16:29 Page 8 8 MEMOIR OF DANIEL ROWLAND And by declining the pre-eminence—Anecdote of a talkative clergyman—Quotation from one of Rowlands’ sermons 163–169 3. Orthodoxry—His adherence to the doctrines of the Reformers— Keeping from extremes—The testimony of his Elegist 170–172 4. His death—His wish respecting it—The great and extensive grief which it occasioned 172–175 PART VI ROWLANDS’ PUBLISHED SERMONS His superiority as a preacher and not as a writer of sermons—Their number and contents—One lost—Their English translation—Their character, and several quotations from them on various subjects 176–178 APPENDIX A The irreligion of the age, and the wonderful effect of preaching in a private house—A quotation from the ‘Spiritual Treasury’ 180, 181 viii B References to Rowlands in Harris’s life—Extempore preaching 203 C Joshua Thomas’s account of the commencement of Rowlands’ career 204 D William Williams’ defence of loud rejoicing 205–207 E Long preaching at first 208 F Whitefield’s account of Harris and of the private societies—Destruction of bigotry 208–210 G Two letters by the writer on the character of the late Rev. David Griffiths of Nevern, Pembrokeshire 210–232 H A conversation with Robert Hall 232 I Daniel Rowland’s Biography v2.qxp:Daniel Rowland Memoir 7 12 2008 16:29 Page 9 FIRST PROOF READING DRAFT 9 Some account of the late venerable Thomas Gray 233 K The late Rev. Peter Williams 234,235 L A remarkable saying of Rowlands a short time before his last illness 236–238 Daniel Rowland’s Biography v2.qxp:Daniel Rowland Memoir 7 12 2008 16:29 Page 10 A MEMOIR, &c. INTRODUCTION T may not be uninteresting to the English reader to learn something Irespecting those in Wales, who have been the most eminent in promoting true religion in that country, since the glorious times of the reformation from Popery. Even their very names are not much known in England. Some short account of them may be suitably introduced before the memoir of a man, who in many respects was the most illustrious of them. To this brief account is added a biographical table, exhibiting the time in which they lived, and their different ages. The most eminent of these men may justly be deemed to be the following;— 1. WILLIAM SALESBURY, ESQ. This illustrious individual was born at Plasisav, near Llanrhwst, Denbighshire, about the beginning 2 of the sixteenth century. He was brought up at Oxford: and having finished his studies there, he went up to London and entered at one of the Inns of court. He did not continue long in London, but returned to his native country. His residence is said to have been Cae-du, Llansannan, Denbighshire. He possessed a particular talent for learning languages, and this he cultivated to a considerable extent; so that he became pretty familiar with no less than nine languages, besides English and Welsh. He published several books in his own native tongue. The following have been ascribed to him 1 English and Welsh Dictionary, in the year 1547. 2 Calendar of Months and Days —— 3 The Overthrow of the Pope’s high altar 1550. 4 Easy and Plain Guide to the Welsh language. 1550. 5 Translation of the Epistles and Gospels 1551. 6 Rhetoric, or Exemplifier of Eloquence —— 10 Daniel Rowland’s Biography v2.qxp:Daniel Rowland Memoir 7 12 2008 16:29 Page 11 FIRST PROOF READING DRAFT 11 7 Translation of the New Testament 1567. This was to commence a new era in his native country. There were before him hardly any books printed in the Welsh language; and indeed none that we know of now. The first, and probably the two first, mentioned above, came from the press in the reign of Henry VIII, and the three next, in Edward VI’s reign. The ‘Rhetoric’ was 3 not published by him, but after his death by the Rev. H. Perri, who, it is said, enlarged and improved it considerably. But the most important work that he published is the last—The New Testament, which will signalise his name as long as the language will exist. Though a layman, he was the first to give his countrymen the most important portion of the Bible. He was indeed assisted in this work by some of the clergy, but the greatest part was his own translation. His assistants were Richard Davies, D.D. Bishop of St David’s, and the Rev. Thomas Huet, the precentor of St David’s. The books translated by the bishop, were the first Epistle to Timothy, the Epistle to the Hebrews, the Epistle of James, and the two Epistles of Peter; and the precentor translated the book of Revelation.

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