Biography
John Elias was born in 1774, in Abererch, in the Llyn peninsula of North Wales. His father was a farm laborer, and the family was poor. As a boy, he was raised by his grandfather, who was a farmer. He attended the local church and was a thoughtful and serious child. He was converted in his teens, through the influence of the Calvinistic Methodist movement, which had spread widely through Wales. He joined a Methodist society and began to preach. He was a young man of exceptional gifts, with a commanding presence and a rich voice.
He soon became known as a powerful preacher. He traveled throughout Wales and drew crowds of thousands. His sermons were marked by a deep sense of the majesty of God and the solemnity of judgment. He would preach in the open air, and the hearers would be moved to tears. It is said that when he stood to speak, a hush would come over the crowd. He was called the Demosthenes of Wales for his eloquence. He settled on the island of Anglesey in 1799, after he married a widow, and he made it his home.
He was one of the leaders of the Calvinistic Methodist church in Wales and a force in its organization. In 1811, he took part in the decision of the Calvinistic Methodists to ordain their own ministers, which marked their separation from the Church of England. He was a firm opponent of the Arminian teaching of the Wesleyan Methodists and defended Calvinist doctrine. He also was a strong critic of the dissipation of the age. He preached against drunkenness, immorality and Sabbath-breaking. He did not shrink from naming sins and calling for repentance.
He took part in the great revivals that swept through Wales in the early nineteenth century. In 1817 and 1818, and again in 1819, there were awakenings in Anglesey and the nearby counties, in which many were converted. He wrote letters about the work and went from place to place. He was especially effective in the revival of 1819 in the northern counties. He also was active in the Sunday school movement and in the circulation of the Bible. He supported the work of the British and Foreign Bible Society.
His reputation was great, and he was an influential figure. He sought to guard the purity of the church, and some thought that he was too strict. He was also strongly conservative in politics and opposed reform. He supported the established order and had little sympathy for the radicals of his day. He denounced those who joined the movements for political change. This stance brought him criticism, and a number of his own people turned against him. His authority was challenged in later years.
He had a painful experience in 1827, when a scandal was alleged to involve him. A rumor, which later proved false, spread among his enemies that he had been involved in an improper relationship. It caused him deep distress, and he suffered from the strain. He was cleared, but it was a blow. He also had to endure the pain of ill health in his final years. He was affected by the divisions in the church.
He died on June 8, 1841, in Anglesey, at the age of sixty-seven. He was buried at Llanfaes, and thousands came to the funeral. His life shows the power of a great preacher in a time of awakening, and the danger of a hard line in the face of change. He remains a revered name in Wales.