He studied at Jesus College, Oxford, from 1704 to 1708, and is thought to have been influenced by Edward Lhuyd, the antiquary, whilst he was there.
His best known work is Myfyrdodau bucheddol ar y pedwar peth diweddaf (‘Devout musings on the four last things’), first published in 1714, became a minor classic, with an eighth edition appearing in 1830, almost one hundred years after his death.
Other works include a collection of proverbs and colloquialisms and, it is thought, some translations of Tertullian and Cyprian published in 1716.
He was concerned about the English-only education policy of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, saying in letters to his Oxford contemporary Moses Williams that the result would be "barbarism".
He also discussed matters of literature and antiquary, and these letters were studied later in the eighteenth century by those involved in the cultural revival of Wales at that time.