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Originally Posted by Ohio
Have you read that JP-L was instrumental to debilitate Evan Roberts and his evangelical work during the Welch Revival?
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This is not true. On the contrary.
Evan Roberts was emotionally unbalanced and was physically very weak. This took a heavy toll on his body and mental state and he had numerous nervous breakdowns. Jessie Penn-Lewis and her husband took him in and he stayed with them for several years. I would rather suggest that she and her husband helped him to recover and they allowed him to stay with them until he felt he was ready to resume his preaching. This simply did not materialize any time soon.
Around 1914 he surprised many by declaring that the Lord would return that year. This alienated him from many, even those close to him. His biggest problem is that he found very little acceptance among the clergy in Wales. He only started with his training to become an ordained pastor but he never completed his studies. This was the reason many looked down on him as "unqualified and untrained".
When you read the reports of the Welsh revival of 1904–1905 (often referred to as "awakenings") you cannot but help to conclude that it was much more about the person and style of Evan Roberts. When he stopped preaching after suffering a serious breakdown, the "revival" died a quick death.