Before we proceed to describe the outbreak of the Revival in its might at Loughor, we must give a chapter to delineate Evan Roberts from five points of view, without that, the reader cannot have a full and correct conception of him. Our main purpose in the preceding chapters was to trace his history from his birth onwards, and to describe the conditions and the forces which formed and developed his character. But a full sketch of him, from the five standpoints from which he is viewed in this chapter, is not to be found in the previous narrative.

The standpoints which are here taken up are the following — Evan Roberts externally, mentally, morally, spiritually, and socially.

I. IN EXTERNAL APPEARANCE

Doubtless, many who have not seen Evan Roberts are desirous to have a delineation of him. That is a natural desire respecting one who has risen to such fame in the religious world.

We can commence our description by stating that his appearance is exceedingly pleasing. He possesses a fine figure, reaching five feet and eleven inches in height; he is rather slight, which makes him appear somewhat taller than he is. In his movements he is very swift and full of vivacity, and on account of his litheness he can bring his body to almost all kinds of attitudes, with perfect ease. His body and all its members are very symmetrical; his feet are well formed, and as to size are proportionate to his body. He stands upon them firmly, and fairly erect, which is a good indication of the strength of his character. His limbs are not bulky any more than his body. His shoulders are broad for one whose build is rather slight. He has long arms, and can swing them at will in almost any direction. During the early part of the Revival he made constant use of them, but there was nothing ungraceful in any of their movements, they suggested to me at the time, the waving wings of a gentle dove. We saw him turn the leaves of the Bible to show that the door of mercy was gradually closing, though not until then fully closed, while every eye in the chapel was fixed upon him, and following his actions with rapt attention. He inclines to stoop a little, which is quite natural to the thoughtful, but, having a rather long neck, his head stands out prominently from his shoulders.

Look into his face and you will at once perceive in him a master of assemblies — every feature is full of expression.

When he closes his mouth and sets his lips together, it is seen that their owner has the power of determination — one who can stand by his purpose if a whole world tried to dissuade him from it. He is clean shaven, so that all facial expressions are easily discernible. Above the mouth is a nose which tends to be aquiline, or Raman, and it indicates that its possessor could make an army commander. On each side of the nose are two large auburn eyes, which are extraordinary in their expressiveness. They are beautiful eyes, most affectionate and beaming with love. Their smile is like the dawn when Roberts is well pleased; they indicate that an abundance of gladness and joy lies behind the smile. We do not remember seeing two eyes so swift in their movements at times, when he is excited they move with the rapidity of a lightning flash; when they are laden with tears they look sublime, like the dew under the suns rays on a morning in May. Again, they thrill the whole audience like electricity when he is filled with holy indignation

We saw assemblies of hundreds at times paling under their gaze, and at other times moved to healthy laughter by their smile. They are about the most powerfully expressive eyes we have ever seen, and they are a subject of study in themselves. If they could be understood in all their workings, one of the great elements of the power of the personality which owns them would be apprehended. They have a fascination which charms the thousands, and a power which cowers the multitude whose hearts are not upright before God. By watching those eyes, a large number of various expressions are perceived in them, which indicates that they are affected by almost all the thoughts and feelings of the soul which dwells behind them. But the five great expressions most manifest in them are. —

(1) their expression in smile and laughter
(2) in intense meditation,
(3) in the tears of sorrow and joy;
(4) in holy indignation consequent upon frivolity at the meetings,
(5) and when he surveys an audience with extraordinary perceptive penetration.

Above the eyes arises a high forehead, with a curl of auburn hair hanging over it. Encompassing the head, which is more round than oval, flows a curl of silky hair; generally, he allows his hair to grow sufficiently long to enable that curl to form. At the base of the forehead, on each side of the nose, we perceive two protuberances — the tokens of a resolute will, and a fixed determination. The forehead is large and round, slightly receding at the top.

One of the characteristics of the head is its organic symmetry. In general form, it is benevolent or patriotic, rather than classical. It has been seen from Roberts’s letter to his friend, W. H. Morgan, that he once had his head read by Professor Williams, at Swansea, this happened in October, 1903, and the chart which is now in my hand, shows that 35 of the organs of the head are full, and 13 of them large. Very rarely does a chart show a better symmetry among the organs of the head. Among those that are marked as large we had activity, inhabitiveness, cautiousness, satisfaction, conscientiousness, hope, veneration, benevolence, ideality, mirthfulness, individuality, and agreeableness.

ll. MENTALLY.

His mind is characterised with unique independence, and owing to this he thinks in his own way on most subjects, consequently his manner of thinking is full of originality. He is one of those who see things through their own eyes, and not through the eyes of other people. The way he conceived the Revival, and the procedure he took to initiate it at Loughor, is a sufficient proof of this. The anxiety as to how other people think on matters pertaining to religion does not trouble him. The Spirit of God and the Bible alone are his counsellors on all subjects, yet he never disrespects the advice of godly people.

It is surprising how quick he is as a thinker when in certain conditions, and were he to commit all he thinks on spiritual subjects to writing, he would have written volumes. Notwithstanding this quickness, he always thinks clearly, and his sentences are so transparent that there is never a doubt as to what he means. Penetration is a marked feature of his mind. In virtue of his penetrative intuitional power he sees to the heart of truths. His mental strength in thus seeing truths is not involved in a logical perception, but in an intuition of the highest class; owing to this, his thoughts are never clothed in a logical form. In expressing his thoughts he is full of variety, and has four general modes of presenting his ideas, namely —
(1) the epigrammatical, which is a most pointed and piercing form of expression, and as a rule drives home the truth to peoples minds,
(2) the proverbial; as will be found in his addresses and the chapter of his sayings, many of his sentences are polished proverbs — general principles and truths are so condensed in them that they cannot be improved,
(3) the paradoxical, — in many of his sentences there is a seeming contradiction, but close investigation shows that it is only so in appearance, and not in reality, — while uttering paradoxical sentences he is fond of playing upon words, and when the audience sees his point it is entirely swayed;
(4) the poetical — often he speaks in a poetical form, and this is full in some of his letters. In an autograph album we had these lines written by him: —

Smile, sweet maiden, every hour,
Among the thorns be thou a flower.

and in the fly-leaf of a Bible he wrote thus of God’s Word. —

In it all my power lies;
’Tis my life, my joy, my prize.

It should be borne in mind that he makes no effort to speak in any of the above forms. These modes of expressing his thoughts are quite natural to him. He never aims at the unnatural.

Considering his age and educational advantages we wonder at the ripeness of his ideas. Sometimes one may think by his expressions that his knowledge of the doctrines of grace is meagre, but when we analyse his statements we are convinced that he is almost always right. The sphere of his thinking is religion in its most spiritual aspects, every other idea must be subordinate to that of religion, and his deepest conviction is that no one has time to concern himself with all manner of thoughts, and let them dominate his mind. This characteristic classifies him with the devotional thinkers, such as Bunyan, Baxter, and William Law.

His development as a thinker since the beginning of the Revival has been truly remarkable, and in these last months his thoughts are clearer and profounder on some of the essential principles of Christianity, he expresses them more forcibly, and in a chaster and more polished language, and if he will continue to meditate on biblical subjects, there is a brilliant future before him as a theological thinker, because, as suggested several times before, he is a young man of superior mental capacity.

III. MORALLY

In treating of Evan Roberts from a moral standpoint, we mean his relation to the duties of life personally, socially, and spiritually. The moral life of no one can be regarded as satisfactory unless he fulfils these three classes of duties.

Roberts has profound convictions concerning these duties. He is convinced that a man ought to be true to himself in all that he does. To thine own self be true can be regarded as one of his maxims. One of his main efforts is to give effect to that conviction, so as to cultivate a strong personal character. His decisions on moral principles are very emphatic, and one of his chief aims is to conform with those principles. His moral aspirations are surprisingly elevated. He would live a morally blameless life if he possibly could. The goal of his desire is the pure and the good. His reverence for the truth is unlimited, and he cleaves to it whatever may be the consequence. We have never seen anyone stronger than he in this respect, and he evinces that determination in all the relations of life. He cannot tolerate the idea of doing anything which is not strictly conformable to the principles of truth. He has to go through many a difficulty, which he might have avoided had he adhered less rigidly to the truth; but he rejoices in difficulties rather than that the truth should be disregarded. He carries through his moral convictions, decisions, and desires with courage. After arriving at a decision to pursue a certain course, he fears not the face of man, but he takes care first of all to consult with God. One of the obvious features of his life is strict and thorough honesty; he wishes not to appear the contrary to what he is. His motto is — to be honest in all things in reality, and not in mere appearance, — to live his principles as well as urge them on others. He is moderate in all the relations of life, and his purity is beyond doubt.

After having had opportunities to become acquainted with him in the most private circles, I am compelled to testify that he is the purest and holiest person I have ever met. He stoops not to make a low remark, to utter an unclean word, nor to give a hearing to idle and uncouth tales. This is one of the superior features of Evan Roberts. He rises in this respect far above ordinary young men. He abstains even from the things that are regarded as legitimate for the young. The integrity of his motives is beyond dispute. Anyone is free to dissent from his views, and to doubt their accuracy; but I have not observed him doing anything which justified the shadow of a doubt being cast on his motives. Strong single mindedness is what characterises all his doings, and a purpose as upright as is possible. To do good is the ruling motive of his life.

In his relationship to others I have not seen anyone more ready to assist the distressed. His sympathy streams forth strongly whenever he sees want, natural as well as spiritual. He can wait on a case of distress without feeling that he loses time.

In brotherly love it would be difficult to find his superior, and he can readily forgive any injustice he receives at the hands of others; he cannot keep anger towards anybody. His great aim is to realise in his own conduct the life of Christ, which he preaches to the people; and he endeavours at all times to fulfil the commandments of God as declared in His Word. What God himself says is what must stand in the performance of his duties towards Him. When he wants to find out his duty towards God, he immediately turns to the Word of God for direction. Whatever is therein stated must stand.

IV. SPIRITUALLY.

He is earnestly zealous for the spiritual interests relating to the salvation of the soul. In these questions he finds his food and drink. He is full of spiritual enthusiasm, which can be seen seething in him at many a meeting. Still he has a kind of control over it which preserves it from becoming displeasing. Oft-times its out-breaking overpowers all present. He possesses spiritual energy of a very superior kind. It is surprising how he can endure the strain of being constantly so full of this energy, which streams forth incessantly in singing hymns, reading, speaking, or praying the whole time he is awake. Intense and insatiable is his thirst for the spiritual salvation of sinners, and his strong crying and tears at some of the meetings arise from it. After enjoying much of his fellowship, I must confess that I have not seen anyone living so completely in the domain of the spiritual. At times it seems as if he has had communion face to face with God. He becomes absorbed in what manifestly engages his whole heart. At such times his face shines so as to make us feel that the veil separating time from the world eternal has been rent. He appears too full of joy to notice anything around him. In this spirituality we find one of the conditions of his power in public, and of his influence over the congregations. It exhibits itself in the unction which attends his words and all that he does. If the church generally, was blessed with this spirituality, no opposing force could stand before it. In spiritual purity, taking him in all relations, I have never seen his equal. He lives continually in some spiritual mood, that we only get occasionally in services full of the divine.

V. SOCIALLY

His conduct in the family circle was touched upon in previous chapters, but a few remarks may be added in fullness. He rarely converses amongst the family, neither does he provoke discussion. He has always been fond of asking his mother, How many hymns do you remember, mother? Then he will listen absorbingly to her repeating a number of them. Sometimes he will say the first few words of a verse, and ask, Who will finish it? His brother Dan will point out a difficult verse to him, and ask for an interpretation; and he delights in commenting on it. The habit of continual meditation accounts for the fact that he is not talkative in the house. Being always in a prayerful or meditative state of mind, he cannot be expected to take much part in the family conversation. Never is he adverse in his spirit; but the family feel some divine awe in his presence, which has grown much since the beginning of the Revival. Yet, be it understood this awe is not due to any harshness in his conduct, but to his even and holy life. Far from him is the habit of correcting and blaming the family perpetually in religious matters. His religion is that of spiritual joy, and his presence to the family is like sunrise on a clear summer morn. The younger children read the Bible because they feared he would ask them whether they had done so. He never reprimanded them for not reading it, but there was some-thing in his enquiries that made them tremble, and they would endeavour to read it in order to answer him in the affirmative.

When we move from the inner family circle to Evan Roberts amongst his most intimate friends, we see him in his glory. He charms them to love him unawares to them-selves. His naturalness brings them very near to him, but in that nearness they cannot give expression to anything low. The nearer they approach him, the more they are possessed by some divine feeling which suppresses every tendency to say anything that is mean and debased. In this intimacy is revealed the greatness and exceptional goodness of the Revivalist. The reality of his goodness, the lovingness of his feelings, the spiritual purity of his thoughts, and the clean language in which they are expressed extinguish all inclinations to be scathing critics when in his presence. And we love him the more because of that. In this respect he is unique among all the young men we have met. The more we know of him, the more conscious we become of his goodness; and in this he is an exception to men in general. By intimate fellowship the majority of men lower in our estimation, because they do not retain and live in the narrow circle of friends the purity they seem to possess in public. Owing to his holy life, when he asks us to pray with him, we are filled at once with the spirit of prayer and praise, and feel some naturalness possessing us while we kneel with him. On the other hand, we have felt a kind of repulsion when some ask us to go before the Throne with them, because of their incongruity in life. They are not the same men in their conversation as on their knees, and one cannot help thinking of that. Something in his presence makes us forget time and all that is not pure and holy.

In him we find the elements which go to make a genuine friend. Not only is he free from selfishness, irritability, and baseness; but he is true to the core to all his friends. He speaks freely and unreservedly with them; but avoids criticising anybody, and will not bring in personalities if possible. The love of Christ and the interest of His religion he chooses to dwell upon with his friends. One of his admirers at Loughor said — Evan Roberts told me things when we were together which deserved to be printed in letters of gold. This is sufficiently supported by the letters to his friends in this volume. All his friends and near acquaintances entertain the highest opinion of him, and bless the day they came in contact with him, because of the salutary moral and spiritual influence which they received from him. We never heard him make an unkind or doubtful remark respecting a friend who had only left the room, but rather praise him. His demeanour also shows that he disapproves others of slighting a friend. Owing to this, our faith in his transparent goodness is greatly strengthened. Only personal proof of unfaithfulness will convince him of faults in his friends; until he gets that, he gives no semblance of countenance to attacks on them. Intensely does he love them, for them he prays often and earnestly he thinks highly of them, and is always ready to sacrifice anything far their sake.

A correct estimation of his true magnanimity is impossible until we take into account his demeanour towards his opponents. Like all successful public men we cannot expect but that he has many antagonists. Often have we marvelled at his attitude towards these. Not a single bitter or discourteous word will he say about them. On the contrary, we heard him more than once exclaiming: — Oh, these must be prayed for! and at once petitioned the Throne of Grace on their behalf.

While staying with him for a fortnight, at a time when he encountered much opposition, we heard not a single unkind expression uttered by him concerning his detractors. He continually reminded us of those words:

“Who when He was reviled, reviled not again.” It is not in him to take revenge an any one; on the contrary, he believes in living the spirit of forgiveness towards his vilifiers. He is always ready to shake hands with a warm heart with those who have acted most churlishly towards him. More, he cannot bear others to attack them, and without exception he discountenances any such attempts. His exhortation to his friends is that they should pray for them and not reproach them. Through this magnanimous spirit he has won most of his opponents to support him fervently, and he will win more in future; for no one who has a human nature in the truest sense of the word, much less one influenced by divine grace, can long remain hostile to him.

Distinction of classes does not bias his mind. Were he to incline towards one class more than the other, the benefit would be given to the poorer. When people of wealth and position rush to shake hands with him he will often refuse, but very seldom have we seen him refusing his hand to a poor person. Often we have heard him say if there is anything in my shaking hands with anyone, it is the poor that ought to get it; and it is to the poor I am going to give it if to any. He has no desire to stay with people of high rank when on his mission, because he thinks he can do more good amongst the middle and lower classes, and can, thereby, glorify God better. Nevertheless, he despises neither wealth, high station, culture, scholarship, nor authority, but rather respects all these if joined with pure religion. He is at home with all classes of society, where he finds perfect liberty to talk of religious matters, and of the infinite love of Christ. His people, regardless of all worldly distinctions, are those who exhibit eagerness to work for Jesus — those who can pray with him and be natural in all relations. He yearns to be near the poor and truly necessitous. If he finds a really deserving case he readily parts with the last penny for their benefit. His joy overflows when he sees those who have been wallowing in sin exhibiting signs of repentance. His sympathy with the greatest sinners is surprising, considering that he has lived such a pure life. But who can sympathise like the pure in heart. We must bear in mind the man Christ Jesus. His ultimate aim in life is to win those who are in the bondage of sin, and bring them to the freedom of the gospel. Many times have I seen him rushing from the pulpit to poor people who have fallen through the cursed drink, and kneeling in prayer by their side until the whole audience was electrified. Their tokens of repentance would draw his attention, and soon the tears would stream down his cheeks. To see these making an effort to live a better life is his greatest satisfaction.

In society, in the narrow sense of the word, he is always natural, but never very talkative. He does not take advantage of his position to monopolise in conversation. Sometimes he is silent, as if taking no heed of what goes on; but his silence is as natural as the advancing twilight. When he is engaged in silent prayer or deep meditation in the presence of a number of people, all feel homely, and without any unnatural fear possessing them, and if the topic spoken of pleases him, he will take part and speak fluently of the miraculous works of God in the salvation of souls, and laugh until all are inspired with spiritual joy. He has a quick eye to see the humorous side of things, and will make a pithy remark sometimes until we are moved to healthy laughter. But all the merriment he excites is pervaded with a spiritual tone. When the humorous wit is expressed there is no carrying on of that again, and the company intuitively knows it, and no one is inclined to lead from it to vain story telling. He cannot bear spending the time in relating the stock tales that people so often indulge in, and which, in the end, produce bad effects. To abstain from this habit is an old resolution of his, and one he never deviates from. All his wit and humour are sanctified, consequently they constrain us to love Jesus Christ and His religion more ardently. The divine shines through his countenance sometimes, so as to fill us with awe, but an awe which is a real means of grace for us. Some of the leading men of the different denominations of this and other countries testify that they have had the most elevating spiritual experience in his society. Wherever he is, it is felt that he is the centre of attraction, and his bearing is uniformly courteous.

With rapt attention he listens to others expressing their opinions when religious matters are under consideration. When he hears of the conversion of a great sinner, he laughs and exclaims — thanks be to God, while the tears stream from his eyes, and he infuses all present with the same feeling. He greatly dislikes anything that leads to contentious debates, and is most careful not to say anything that will cause a hurtful feeling to the members of the company. Therefore, all who came in contact with him are benefited.

In the prayer meeting we see him in his glory in the church circle. Here he reaches his most exalted and holy mood, as can be seen from examples of prayers given in the volume. His prayers are gems, but no one who has not heard him has a conception of his moving force in a meeting when invoking God. A glance at his face when a sincere and fervent Christian is approaching the Father of Souls in prayer is overcoming. Now he sheds tears, and in a few moments a heavenly smile suffuses his face. His occasional Amen thrills an audience like an electric wave, and his whole soul seems to be poured out in his exclamation. The prayer meeting gives him sufficient room to spread his spirit’s wings in the breezes of the infinite self-sacrifice of Calvary, and to ascend to God in faith, hope, and love.

We have touched upon his manner in the pulpit in the paragraph an his external appearance, but not in detail. At the commencement of the Revival, he would at once, on entering the chapel, begin by reading, praying or speaking, and his discourses would last an hour, and often more. Occasionally, he would descend from the pulpit and walk about the aisles of the deacon’s pew, or go up to the gallery. Sometimes he would commence to speak with his overcoat on, and throw it off in the course of his address. In all these movements no one felt anything unnatural in him. Before long, he began to cut his addresses shorter, and changed his manner in the pulpit. Instead of taking the work in hand at once, he would sit in the pulpit with his face buried in his hands, and pray silently for a long time. In this stage his feelings began to overcome him entirely at times, and we could easily understand that the cause of sinners and Christ’s sufferings had a great power over him. After sitting thus for an hour or more, he would get up to address the people; and on several occasions we saw him lean on the pulpit desk and weep freely, until the whole audience would be in tears. Scarcely will he conduct himself the same in two successive meetings, being that he is so full of variety.

It is surprising how he can move an audience, considering that he talks so quietly and without the least attempt at affectation. He captivates the attention of an audience, and everyone strains to catch every word spoken by him. The power of his personality in the pulpit is wonderful — a power that cannot be accounted for on the ground of eloquence, rhetorical ingenuity, and high flowing language. He does not attempt to use any of these devices. From the standpoint of human art he is not an orator. But he possesses a thing without which no one can be a true orator. In this lays all the eloquence and oratory of Evan Roberts. That thing is reality. All that is spoken by him from the pulpit is the product of a soul feeling and desiring as intensely as possible. The fact that his words stream out from the real intensity of his soul accounts for his great influence. This is his mystery, if it be a mystery.

The measure of all true influence is the measure of true reality. This is true in his case. His high degree of reality, and his power to impress that on the people, is the soul of his eloquence, and not what is commonly regarded as eloquence. His electric influence over an audience is due to the fact that he is really what he speaks. His greatness in the pulpit is the greatness of being real. Therefore, the people cannot account for his influence, because his reality influences them unconsciously. They feel the influence, but they cannot describe how they get it, because of the real simplicity of the speaker. The ordinary human method of influencing an audience is not present; and, hence, many cannot understand how it is that such an influence is produced. His moving power is like that of the spring brought about by simplicity, naturalness, and reality. It is possible to produce artificial oratory without it being the product of these; but the difference between its influence and that produced by the above elements is similar to the difference of the influence of the natural and the artificial flower on the senses. You feel always there is more in the real flower than you see, but not so with the artificial. Hence the difference in their influence.

Some have attributed the Revivalist’s pulpit power to mesmerism, occultism, hypnotism, and magnetism. Nothing could be further from the truth. These are empty words to Evan Roberts. He has never devoted five minutes to try and understand what is meant by such sciences. Therefore, let such a theory be discarded once for all. It requires a higher science than these to explain his influence, and that is the science of spiritual reality of a high degree, coupled with the naturalness of the spring and the simplicity of a child. More, let us add to the above the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through Evan Roberts. A man speaking under the direct influence of the Spirit of Gad must be a power before an audience.

Within the last few months there is a marked development in him as a speaker, as well as other things. All his movements preach, and his language, accent and emphasis have greatly improved.

Be it clear to the reader, that we do not imply in the remarks made, that Evan Roberts is perfect. No, far be that from us. He is full of weaknesses and imperfections like other men. Neither would we wish to imply that all his plans and procedures are faultless. Undoubtedly, he commits many mistakes like all human beings. But my experience of him is such, as I remarked above, that I cannot less than regard him as the best young man of his age that I have ever had the privilege of making his acquaintance. Only by the most intimate fellowship can we perceive his real sterling character. His moral goodness so greatly outweighs his defects that I cannot think of commenting on his small imperfections. I do not doubt but that his revival methods are open to criticisms. To hold that they cannot be improved upon would be most unwise. But they have been the most efficient methods in Wales since 1859, and we should bear that in mind when bringing out canons of criticism to test them. Let anyone else try methods that he regards as superior to see if they will produce the same results as Evan Roberts’s. And if they will, no one will hail them more than Evan Roberts himself.

A number of things substantiate all we have said in the previous paragraphs. Firstly, only a young man having the mental, moral, spiritual, and social qualities specified could have endured the severe criticisms he has been subjected to. Anyone without them would have lost his equilibrium and his personal sweetness in all respects. But he has kept his spirit as sweet as if none of the said criticisms had come under his observation. Nay, more: he has benefited greatly by means of them in some things, and, therefore has made them a condition of mental, moral, and spiritual development. Secondly, it required all the said qualities to hold the honour that has been conferred upon him by different classes of society, with-out losing his simplicity, naturalness, and humility without nourishing pride, selfishness, and a domineering spirit. Thirdly, add to the above his great and exceptional success. A man without being right at the core in all the principles and characteristics we have attributed to him could never have stood these things as he has done during the last year and eight months. In less than twelve months after leaving the smithy, he became the central figure of the Revival, and the object of the attention of many countries, yet he is exactly the same today in all his good qualities as he was when we first saw him a week after he left Loughor, only that he has developed in them.