Christmas Evans & Sandemanianism 7: The Bold Champion

As we have seen, under the influence of the Sandemanian teachings brought in by John Jones, Ramoth, and embraced by Christmas Evans, the Baptist cause in North Wales had begun to decline. There was every chance that the Baptist cause might be extinguished altogether, as had the Methodist Societies in the North of England, by a combination of coldness and division. But it was not God's will that the Baptist cause should perish.

As the Sandemanian error crept over the Baptist churches of the North, God raised up as a deliverer Thomas Jones of Glyn Ceiriog, Denbighshire (pictured). Thomas Jones was steeped in the Bible to such an extent that Christmas Evans declared ‘Wherever Thomas Jones was, no concordance would be necessary!’ His Church split in 1796 over Sandemanianism, his co-pastor, John Edwards, having embraced the doctrine. Seeing the pernicious effects of the doctrine first-hand moved Thomas Jones to combat it. Unlike his opponents, who bitterly reviled him, Thomas Jones stood firmly but graciously upheld the true Gospel. At the 1802 Llangefni Association meeting, he preached powerfully against Sandemanianism, effective breaking its power over the majority of Welsh Baptists, including Christmas Evans.[1]

But Christmas Evans' heart was still not restored. For that, he had to wait the visitation of God. Tomorrow we shall reproduce his own account of that gracious, famous hour.

[1] Tim Shenton, Christmas Evans: The Life and Times of the one-eyed Preacher of Wales (Darlington, 2001), p.175; B. A. Ramsbottom, Christmas Evans (Harpenden, 1985), p.52.