Little known as he is today, as to the breadth of his crucial influence, any recollection of his name is usually associated with the charming story of Mary Jones and Her Bible (worth reading) in which the godly provider of the sacred text almost appears as a secondary character. But it is the stature of Charles as a Christian leader, educator and editor of the Welsh language Bible that brings the beautiful and brave story of Mary to the fore; the girl who saved her rare spare pennies, and walked so many miles (although walking long distances from outlying country to Bala and other Welsh town centers was not unusual in her day), to obtain her precious copy of God's Word.

It was Thomas Charles' love of Scripture that prompted him to distribute Bibles throughout his nation, create schools for the promotion of literacy generally, and foster the development of Sunday Schools specifically for the advocacy of the gospel. It was this passion for the salvation of souls that caused Charles to initiate the foundation of the British and Foreign Bible society in 1804, following his thrusting forward of the establishment of the London Missionary Society in 1795. Clearly the sturdy Whitefieldite and successor to William Williams and Daniel Rowland in the edification and organization of Calvinistic Methodists was in keen earnest for the proclamation of the salvation to be found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Educated at Jesus College at Oxford, and gaining his Bachelor's degree, Thomas was ordained to the Anglican diaconate in 1788 and the priesthood (presbyterate) in 1780 and he served for a time in various Somerset parishes. However, it became evident that his conspicuous evangelicalism would exclude him from progress in ministry within the Church of England and he returned to to his Welsh homeland. While a student in Oxford he became familiar with eminent evangelical men such as William Romaine, John Newton, and Henry Thornton and these contacts braced him for energetic preaching ministry in North Wales where he settled in marriage to Sally Jones to whom he was wedded in 1783. Sally had inherited her father's business as a drapery shopkeeper. Bala was her strongly preferred place of residence and the profits of her enterprise supplied the necessary finance for her husband's wide ranging service of the kingdom of God.

A freelance ministry occupied Thomas Charles until he linked with the Calvinistic Methodists in 1784, disappointing, no doubt, the Countess of Huntingdon who wished to appoint him to a charge in England. Here we find a prominent example of the unwisdom of Church of England leadership that denigrated or expelled great men of God from its somewhat dreary and indifferent, ineffectual clerical ranks - fine men such as Daniel Rowland (to whose peaching Thomas traced his conversion in 1733), William Williams, Howell Harris (who was refused ordination) - and the, later on, dismissed Rowland Hill, brother of Sir Richard Hill (eventually Post Master General) who as an Anglican deacon became "irregular", refusing to adhere to parish boundaries and who became a most effective non-conformist preacher and Christian influencer in the nineteenth century (a great favorite of C.H. Spurgeon).

Thomas Charles never willingly desired severance from the Established Church of England and Wales, but for the sake of the Gospel proclamation among the Welsh it became necessary (as it did for John Wesley: Charles disapproved) to ordain nine layman as fully licensed preachers in 1811. This virtuous action sealed the breach with the national church and Calvinistic Methodism eventually evolved into a Presbyterian body in Wales.

Thomas Charles provided the Calvinistic Methodist Connexion with at least these great resources, namely a Catechism, i.e. The Instructor in the Principles of the Christian Faith, and a widely distributed Scriptural Dictionary to which he wrote the following words of introduction:

The Holy Scriptures are a treasure house of all profitable and essential knowledge . . . Since they have all been given by the inspiration of God, they must partake of his perfection, and befit it. Because of the perfection of his knowledge, he cannot err, and because of the integrity of his nature, he will not deceive us in any matter; therefore, the knowledge given to us in the Scripture is lofty, certain and complete. There is nothing which pertains to our condition and our blessedness in another world, nor anything which pertains to our circumstances and our duties in this world, that God in his holy word, has not given us full instruction, how to behave in all things, in all situations, and towards everyone. The great plan of salvation, through a Mediator, shines clearly and fully in it, before a world of sinners.

Evangelist, educator, editor, writer, pastoral adviser: These were some of the ministerial roles carried out by this very notable Welshman utterly devoted to his Redeemer. He is a giant of Welsh Christianity. His labors were many and competently exercised to the great benefit of his nation. In his characteristic humility he knew that all that was accomplished occurred through the grace and enabling of God.

Wales is weird, worldly and irreligious in our time. May the Lord in his Providence restore its people to the love and appreciation of its Great Awakening heritage. The Anglican Church of that nation is ailing near to extinction. Many of the old chapels are empty of the praises of harmonious song and the powerful preaching of the word so associated with the past of that unique people with a noble lineage of pulpit colossi before whom the congregations trembled and thrilled to the sound of the welcome message of divine salvation wrought for the very worst of sinners.

Among the last words of Thomas Charles were those of his heartfelt admission:

"The only happiness in this world consists of doing good to the souls and bodies of our fellow creatures."

The Rev. Roger Salter is an ordained Church of England minister where he had parishes in the dioceses of Bristol and Portsmouth before coming to Birmingham, Alabama to serve as Rector of St. Matthew's Anglican Church.