06 - Chapter 06

Davies’ Pentecostal Movement: Chapter 6 The Beginning of the Pentecostal Movement in the Merthyr Borough by Davies, Price WATER BAPTISM ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF GOD. The Presbyterian mode of Baptism is Sprinkling a few drops of water on the head. After my conversion in the Revival, I saw and realized that the Lord’s way, according to the Bible, was Immersion-Burial and Resurrection. Some brethren, who had been blessed in the Revival from Gorseinon, used to visit us in Dowlais and were a real blessing to us in Dowlais in our Friday night Free Meetings in the lesser hall of the Undenominational Chapel, Ivor Street, kindly lent to us every Friday evening. Mr. James Borthwick was the name of one of these brethren. I remember talking to some of the boys one Thursday evening and they were asking when Mr. Borthwick was coming to see us again. I said to Willie Griffiths "When you and I will be ready to be baptized in water". When we got to the meeting Friday night, Mr. Borthwick was there-he had come for that purpose to arrange for Baptisms. That night it was arranged that the following day Mr. Borthwick should baptize myself and John Daniel Jones in the River Taff at Pontsarn. On the Saturday afternoon we were baptized according to the Word of God, Evan Clement Morgan was one of the congregation looking at that Baptismal Service. A few years later I baptized Pastor Gwilym Gunter and Mrs. Price Davies at the same place in the River Taff at Pontsarn. Our obedience to God in being baptized in water was the cause of the cessation of our membership in Calfaria.

Just before and after the Outpouring of the Holy Ghost in Dowlais, the meetings were held in our homes-number seven Ivor Terrace, and the top house in Winifred Street in Gwilym and Amelia Gunters’ home, and in Blaendowlais at Isaac Roberts home. After our marriage in our house at Penygarnddu and one meeting in our house in Well Street, Dowlais. Our house in Penygarnddu was only one small room up and one small room downstairs, it was too small for our meetings, so we were all looking for a larger house. Bye and bye we heard of a house in Well Street with large rooms. I went to see the owner and she let me have the house. On the Friday following we moved in. The next day the saints fathered for a meeting, and what a grand meeting-the brethren praising the Lord with a loud voice, speaking with Other Tongues and Magnifying God. I must admit it was rather a noisy meeting, for a Cottage Meeting. The result was that the neighbors were up in arms about it, they sent for the landlady, and she sent for the Police and we were put out. The landlady said she let the house as a dwelling place and not as a place to make Bedlam in. The following Sunday Morning we held our meeting a Breaking of Bread Service, on the hillside at Blaendowlais, Dowlais Top, and Oh what a Precious and Blessed time of worship it was-the Power of God was mightily upon us. Diolch Iddo. Bendigedig. So Pentecost increased, on after another in the different homes being brought into and receiving the blessed experience at Being Filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking with Other Tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Willie John Phillips was also making contacts at Bedlinog. Edmund Griffiths and the family and others too and they were coming up to Dowlais for fellowship.