Bassett on Micah Thomas



In his 1977 book The Welsh Baptists T M Bassett, having looked at the trinitarian controversy goes on to say on page 124ff
The nature of the atonement caused more contention. (He mentions John Jenkins of Hengoed, Francis Hiley, Christmas Evans and John James of Brigend as defenders of limited atonement). ... When these points of view came under attack later on, it was not the all embracing grace of Christ which was offered as an alternative but the teaching of Andrew Fuller which was just fractionally more liberal. Micah Thomas was one of the first in Wales to come under the influence of Fuller but, although he invited him to Wales, in 1812, he also saw well to anticipate criticism by publishing his Salvation of Sovereign Grace. But he did not save himself from persecution. The main exponent of the views of Andrew Fuller was however J. P. Davies, minister of Tredegar. The debate spread to the pages of Seren Gomer in the twenties until Gomer himself saw well to put an end to it. J. P. Davies was refused the freedom of the pulpit in Hermon, Fishguard and Benjamin Price (Cymro Bach) complained that he too had chapel doors closed against him and speaks of orthodoxy eating up some of the ministers like leprosy. As Daniel Davies (Swansea) noticed, there was often more prejudice than understanding in people's attitudes. He preached a sermon in Tredegar, the stronghold of the Fullerites, where it was acclaimed for its liberal sentiments, and the identical sermon in Hengoed, the rallying place of the opposition, where it was acclaimed for its orthodoxy. Some churches were again split. The Calvinists left Frogmore St., Abergavenny where Micah Thomas combined his ministry with his post as head of the college. In Horeb, Blaenafon it was the Fullerites who left to form the new church of Ebenezer. Their application to join the Association was discussed in Caerphilly in 1828 and was supported among others by J. P. Davies and Micah Thomas and opposed by John Jenkins and Francis Riley, leading the Calvinists. The two parties according to Daniel Davies sat "like the ministerial and opposition parties in Parliament" and it took all the good sense and pleading of John Jones of New-town to prevent a split like the Meidrum split.
The denominational college at Abergavenny did not escape. John Jenkins was refused permission to speak at the annual meeting of 1827 on the grounds that Hengoed had not contributed to the college that year - that, at least, was the ostensible reason. He struck back and there would be considerable sympathy for some of his remarks; that the Welsh language was not given its proper place in the college, that the governing committee of the college should be broader based, etc. More savage was his charge that Micah Thomas profiteered on the £24 per head which he received for lodging the students and his final statement, "I have no idea what Mr. Thomas's views on religious matters may be" was a piece of blatant hypocrisy. He was supported by Francis Hiley and the bickering reached as far afield as Pwllheli in Caernarvonshire where William Jones threatened to withold his contributions to the college unless the Welsh language received its proper due. But before rushing to acclaim him for his loyalty to the language, it would be well to remember the extreme Calvinist tone of his articles in Seren Gamer and that his unbending orthodoxy had forced John Jones, a promising young minister who had been a student at Abergavenny, to leave Pwllheli for Nefyn in 1826. Micah Thomas in turn was defended by D. Phillips, secretary of the college.
A far more serious quarrel broke out in 1834 when five students left the college; Joseph Davies and John Williams of Castleton, Theophilus Jones of Caerphilly, Enoch Price, a brother of Benjamin Price from Blaenafon and William Graven, the man who later brought a charge of libel against the secretary of the Glamorgan Association. Their complaints reflected some of the strict rules of the academies of the period; they had to show themselves to the monitor in the morning, they had to be in by eight at night so that they could not attend the meetings of the local Cymreigyddion who met in the Sun Inn whose landlord was a member in Llanwenarth. We come near to the true cause of the contention in the charge that Micah Thomas showed particular favour to one of the students, Thomas Morgan, who was adjudged by the five to be an Arminian. He was to become a missionary in India. And if the charge of nurturing an Arminian was not enough, Micah Thomas was also accused of reading portions from the works of John Wesley at the breakfast table. A meeting was held in Pontypool on January 1, 1835, with Francis Hiley's son, Isaac, in the chair. The father was also present together with John Jenkins, David Jones of Cardiff and some of the ministers of the students who had withdrawn - Evan Jones (Gwrwst) and John Jones of Blaenafon. Behind them stood Thomas Kenvyn and Thomas Morris (Tom of the ten chapels) who was accused of fanning the embers of controversy. A committee was formed to support the five students with Isaac Hiley as treasurer, and John Jones of Blaenafon as secretary and they were sent for instruction to William Jones of Cardiff. The college committee stood behind Micah Thomas, drawing its strength from the strong body of middle class laymen which the Baptists then possessed in Monmouthshire, men such as W. W. Phillips of Pontymoel, George Brewer of Nantyglo, Charles Conway, etc. D. R. Stephens maintained their point of view in the periodi-cals. He had baptised Thomas Morgan in Swansea and now did his best to defend Micah Thomas in a series of open letters to Christmas Evans. He was attacked in turn by Evan Jones (Gwrwst) who taunted him with being a supporter of open communion. The old arguments came to the surface once more, that there was too little Welsh in the college, that the institution should be more firmly under denominational control, etc. One of the committee members was said to be an Independent while another was not a member of any church at all. Echoes of contemporary political battles are heard in the accusation that the college was a 'rotten borough'. The editor of Y Greal was wise enough to put a quick end to the charge and counter charge but not before the debate had reached the Associations. The Northern Association decided to continue with its contributions to the college but only on the understanding that it should become the property of the denomination. In the Glamorgan Association there was some talk of setting up another college in Cardiff and the suggestion made at the time that a college be opened at Haverfordwest received some support from the Monmouthshire Association. Nothing came of the threats at the time and Micah Thomas soon resigned to be followed as head of the college by Thomas Thomas. The college also moved to Pontypool but it remained under the control of the same- committee and there was no reference to Particular Baptists in the new trust deed.
This unpleasant bickering went on for years. On the one hand there was the so-called Cardiff club with a caucus drawn from among the old opponents of Micah Thomas and including David and William Jones of Cardiff, John Jenkins, Thomas Morris and others. On the other side was the cyfarfod gweinidogaethol or ministers meeting founded in the summer of 1840 by D. Rhys Stephens, Thomas Davies of High Street, Merthyr and D. Llwyd Isaac … men such as … D. D. Evans of Pontrhyd-yr-ynn and Nefydd took part from time to time, as well as Evan Jones although he had been at one time an opponent of Micah Thomas. These meetings were furiously condemned by the deacons of Hengoed and Penygarn.