It was in March, 1859, that God's children in Pennal began to weep between the porch and the altar. David Morgan preached there early in April, on the green between the chapel and the river. On the bridge in the distance stood a stalwart, rubicund publican who had driven a party from Barmouth in, and who behaved during the service as a fool who had come to scoff. The Revivalist referred to him in his concluding prayer: "Lord, remember in mercy the big man on the bridge — even he is too good for devils. Even he has a soul, and he will be in the Judgment; but that day he will not be allowed to stand at a distance scoffing; some tremendous, irresistible compulsion will be behind him, forcing him to the front. "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ." These arrows, on their rebound from the divine throne, reached the heart of the King's enemy; his huge limbs trembled under him, and he finally fell all of a heap against the battlement of the bridge.
In the evening, amidst surging excitement, the preacher described Joshua pursuing the Amorites, and lest he should lose the fruits of victory, crying unto God, " Sun, stand thou still." "What is the matter, Joshua?' says God. "Why do you cry?" "We are in a crisis. Lord; and unless we have light, the majority of the enemy will escape.' And it is an hour of crisis at Pennal too; if the church gets the light of the Sun she will be completely avenged on her adversaries, but if the sun disappears she will lose the spoil. "O Sun I stand still!' "
The victory filled their mouth with laughing and their lips with rejoicing. At the Monthly Meeting soon afterwards, the tide of joy ran so high that Robert Williams could not preach. The Venerable Richard Humphreys, Dyfifryn, appealed for quietness. One of the firebrands of the Revival volunteered his aid to achieve this end. " I'll take care of this patch," he said, "and woe to the man who begins to disturb! Go on, Mr. Williams." By frowning on one, and shaking a second, and threatening a third, he kept the most noisy in check, until the minister led his audience to gaze at Calvary; when feeling his charge slipping from his grasp, he repudiated his self-imposed responsibility, addressing the preacher, " Oh, well, if you are going that way, between you and them! ''
The whole population of this hamlet, three excepted, w^ere won to Christ.
From, 'The '59 Revival', by J J Morgan, pages 111-113.