10 Ways the Bible refers to faith as noted by Thomas Charles

William Roos, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Thomas Charles wrote a letter in 813 in which he explained faith to a correspondent by saying

"... Last spring I gave our young people for their exercise, to find out all the names given to faith in the Scriptures. And they set about it, and laboured hard, and at last brought to me seventy-one names given to this grace in the Bible. They learnt all the Scriptures, and repeated them publicly twice in our chapel. I must confess I was most highly gratified and edified; and I believe, received more light upon this important subject than from all the authors I have ever read: and the effect still continues sweetly on my mind ..." Here are ten of those he mentions

1. Believing God
2. Believing in the Son of God
3. Coming to Christ
4. Receiving Christ
5. Building upon him
6. Resting under his shadow
7. Casting all our cares upon him
8. Committing our way unto the Lord
9. Taking hold of his strength
10. Believing the word/Receiving the word

(He mentions many others such as Seeing the glory of Christ, Looking unto Christ, &c. &c)

Day Off Week 25 2022

With all those books recently acquired, I thought that it was right that I spend the bulk of my day off on reading. I love the eighteenth century and I really enjoyed the new biography of Thomas Charles by Eryl Davies and Michael Haykin's excellent new book Iron sharpens Iron looking at the matter of friendship with a special emphasis on eighteenth century Baptists. I found it a very stimulating read. I enjoyed Eryl Davies's book too (a little more substantial then Jonathan Thomas's little book) and it has whetted my appetite for the yet more substantial John Aaron biography. (Three biographies in one year!). What good books these days.

Day Off Week 45 2021

This week I stuck to my new policy of reading one of these art books I have collected each day off. I chose the one on Dali which was very interesting. Dali was at his most prolific in the thirties but those paintings still seem very modern. I also read two of the three new Day One Books on Welsh heroes. I read  the one on Thomas Coke by John Aaron first as I knew least about him. Then I read Nathan Munday's one on William Morgan which is fine although there is not much to say. I know about Thomas Charles and look forward to reading Jonathan Thomas's take on him. Each book is around 70 pages and I guess has young people in mind. Looking forward to seeing more. I was also reading some books I have agreed to review for Foundations and watched some TV in the evening. I also spent time movinga  desk out ot the bedroom and replacing it with a bookcase.

Lewis Edwards Penllwyn

This statue is raised in remembrance and to honour the Reverend Lewis Edwards M.A. D.D.
Founder and head of the first Bala College 1837-1887 and 
who taught the Welsh people as a literary man and Minister of God, the gospel born Pwllcenawon Penllwyn 27 October 1809 Died Bala 19 July 1887

We have been on holiday in the Aberystwyth area and more than once we have been through Capel Bangor or Penllwyn where in the chapel grounds there is a bust of Lewis Edwards (1809–1887) who was born in the village and became an important educator and Nonconformist minister.

He was the eldest son of Lewis and Margaret Edward and was educated in Aberystwyth and Llangeitho. He ran schools in both these places then became private tutor to a family in Meidrim, Carmarthenshire. He had preached for the Calvinistic Methodists and, in 1829, was accepted as a regular preacher by the Calvinistic Methodist congregation at Llangeitho. In 1830 he was accepted for study at the Seceders' College, Belfast, but chose instead to study in London, at a college which later became University College. After a year in London he became a minister and schoolteacher in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire. In 1833 he went to Edinburgh University, where he studied under Thomas Chalmers and Christopher North. By a special dispensation he graduated after three years instead of the usual four, obtaining an MA with honours. He was awarded an honorary DD by the University of Edinburgh in 1865.

He was now better able to further his plans for providing a trained ministry for his church. Previously, Calvinistic Methodist preachers had relied on their natural gifts. Edwards made his home at Bala, and there, in 1837, with David Charles, his brother-in-law, he opened a school, which ultimately, as Bala College, became the denominational college for north Wales.

In 1836 he married Jane Charles, granddaughter of Thomas Charles (1755–1814). Their son Thomas Charles Edwards became the first principal of the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth.

He died on 19 July 1887, and was buried in Llanycil churchyard near the grave of his grandfather-in-law Thomas Charles.

Edwards may fairly be called one of the makers of modern Wales. Through his hands passed generation after generation of preachers, who carried his influence to every corner of Wales. By fostering competitive meetings and by his writings, especially in Y Traethodydd, a quarterly magazine which he founded in 1845 and edited for 10 years, he did much to inform and educate his countrymen on literary and theological subjects. A new college was built at Bala in 1867, for which he raised £10,000. His chief publication was a noteworthy book on the doctrine of the Atonement, cast in the form of a dialogue between master and pupil; the treatment is forensic, and emphasis is laid on merit. It was due to him that the North and South Wales Calvinistic Methodist Associations united to form an annual General Assembly; he was its moderator in 1866 and again in 1876. He was successful in bringing the various churches of the Presbyterian order into closer touch with each other, and unwearying in his efforts to promote education for his countrymen.

A couple of days in Bala

Eleri's cousin and his wife run the EMW's residential centre in Brynygroes, Bala, in North Wales. One of the advantages of this is that they can invite the whole extended family and one or two others over when it is not otherwise in use, thus filling up the already quite busy programme and spending some quality time with their nearest and dearest. Such a gathering took place recently somewhere between May 28 and 30. There was some fluctuation but at its height I think there were well over thirty around (that still leaves 18 not there but it's still a big and varied number). We played games, ate, talked and talked, played games (codenames is our current favourite), celebrated the eightieth birthday of Eleri's Uncle Keith,etc, etc. I enjoyed dipping into some Thomas Charles and doing some drawing. It is wonderful to belong to such a varied family (ages nought to eighty; monoglot Londoners to those more at home in Welsh; ministers, teachers, housewives, artists, medics and a police community support officer) where so many have trusted in the Lord.. Great time.

More on Brynygroes here.

Authentic Calvinism

The printed lectures for the 2014 Westminster Conference are now available. They are on Thomas Charles, John Knox, Richard Baxter, etc. See here.

Thomas Charles and Mary Jones

 

 

We went today to Byd Mary Jones World just outside Bala. When St Beuno's church closed a while ago the Bible Society ought it up and have put a nice little exhibition together in the church. I noticed that the head of the Bible Society these days is James Catford, a fellow student in Aber many moons ago (see here, especially this one). Above I have included a pic of the statue of TC in Bala.

For Thomas Charles see here. His grave is next to the church building. The inscription reads as follows (I particularly liked the note on his wife Sally).

 

Underneath lie the remains of the REV. THOMAS CHARLES, B.A., of Bala. Who died Oct. 5th. 1814, aged 59. By his indefatigable endeavours when in London (A.D. 1804) to procure a supply of the Holy Scriptures for the use of his native countrymen he became the' means of establishing The British and Foreign Bible Society. He was the reviver of the Welsh Circu lating Charity Schools, and a most active promoter of Sunday Schools both for children and adults and North Wales (the more immediate field of his ministerial labours for 30 years) will probably retain traces of his various and strenuous exertions to preach the Kingdom of Christ till time shall be no more.

Also Sarah, relict of the above, Died Oct. 24, 1814, aged 61. She was possessed of every natural endowment and divine grace, and was a helpmeet indeed to the man, the Christian, and the minister.  

Westminster Conference 2014 Day 1

It was a good day today in Oxford Street at the Westminster Conference. Today had a very Welsh flavour with three Welsh speakers (Stephen Clark, Adrian Brake and Andrew Davies) and three Welshish subjects. Welshmen seemed thicker on the ground than usual too.

The first paper was called holy worldliness (almost the same name as this blog). After a laudatory introduction concerning Whitefield we moved to the way he and Harris were less than perfect in their approach to marriage. Certainly the Harris, Whitefield, Elizabeth James affair is bizarre and Harris's obsession with Mrs Griffith wrong but I felt it was harsh to criticise Whitefield's unsuccessful letter of proposal to Elizabeth Delamotte. Failures by two men in one area does not justify the accusation of dualism. Anyway we had a half decent discussion following the paper.

We then had an excellent introduction to Thomas Charles who died in 1814. His Bible Dictionary had an incredible impact. It makes you wish you spoke Welsh. It begins

"The Holy Scriptures are a treasure house of all profitable and essential knowledge ….. Since they have all been given by the inspiration of God, they must partake of his perfection, and befit it. Because of the perfection of his knowledge, he cannot err; and because of the integrity of his nature, he will not deceive us in any matter; therefore, the knowledge given to us in the Scriptures is lofty, certain and complete. There is nothing which pertains to our condition and our blessedness in another world; nor anything which pertains to our circumstances and our duties in this world, that God, in his holy word, has not given us full instruction, how to behave in all things, in all situations, and towards everyone. The great plan of salvation, through a Mediator, shines clearly and fully in it, before a world of sinners."

You can get one in leather on ebay for around £60-70. There appear to some volumes available online.

The final paper was on Calvinistic Methodism and so the focus was on Wales again but it went well beyond that. The discussion after limped along a little.