The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Hymns of Ann Griffiths, of Dolwar Fechan, Translated into English Verse

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Title: The Hymns of Ann Griffiths, of Dolwar Fechan, Translated into English Verse

Author: Ann Griffiths

Translator: G. R. G. Pughe

Release date: February 12, 2016 [eBook #51190]

Language: English

Credits: Transcribed from the 1900 Geo. H. Durham edition by David Price

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HYMNS OF ANN GRIFFITHS, OF DOLWAR FECHAN, TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH VERSE ***

Transcribed from the 1900 Geo. H. Durham edition by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org

THE HYMNS
OF
ANN GRIFFITHS,
OF
DOLWAR FECHAN,

Translated into English Verse
by

GEORGE RICHARD GOULD PUGHE,

Vicar of Mellor, near Blackburn.

 

Blackburn:
PRINTED BY GEO. H. DURHAM, EXCHANGE WORKS.
1900.

 

p. 3Dulces moriens reminiscitur Argos.”

Forty years lived in Lancashire have not lessened my love for Llanfihangel yng Nghwnfa, where my father, the Rev. Richard Pughe, of Mathafarn descent, B.A., and a Magistrate for Co. Montgomery [ob. Jan. 30th, 1858, in his sixty-sixth year], was for twenty-nine years the Rector,—where also my brother-in-law, the Rev. Edward Evans, B.A. [ob. Nov. 3rd, 1899, aged eighty-six], was Rector thirty-nine years.

Dolwar Fechan, a little, lonely farm house in their old Parish, was the birthplace and abode of one who composed such pathetic hymns as will last while the British language endures: her obelisk in Llanfihangel Churchyard bears an Epitaph recording its erection, in 1864,

In Memory
OF
ANN GRIFFITHS,
of Dolwar Fechan,
Born 1776,
Died 1805.”

while a verse from the Proverbs, xxxi, 30:—“Favour is deceitful and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth The Lord, she shall be praised,” fitly prefaces her Biography by the late Mr. Morris Davies, of Bangor.

p. 4Old Dolwar Fechan cannot now be found,—
Its fabric has been levelled with the ground.
Nevertheless, imperishable fame
Perpetuates that humble homestead’s name;
For there was born,—there dwelt, declined and died,
Ripe for the reapers at God’s Harvest Tide,
A mother,—but ten months before, a bride,—
Ann Griffiths,—whose effusions will be sung
So long as our old language lives among
The wooded wilds, the waterfalls and vales
Of “Home, Sweet Home!”  Incomparable Wales!

G. R. G. PUGHE,

Mellor Vicarage,
Blackburn.

Christmas, 1900.

Nid Meddyg, ond Meddyg Enaid.

Only The Kind Physician of the Soul
Can calm the mind, and make the sinner whole.

p. 5HYMN I.

He who was manifested in the flesh.”  1 Tim. III. 16.

“Dyma babell y cyfarfod,”

Thy Pavilion’s One Foundation,
   Fortress for the fugitive,
In Thy Blood we see salvation,
   Jesu, through Thy Death we live.
At Thy footstool humbly bending
   Only can we be forgiven,
On Thy Righteousness depending
   Only have we hope of Heaven.

Prior to this earth’s creation
   Man’s redemption was ordained,—
By Thy predetermination
   Long lost Eden was regained.
Undeserved regeneration,
   Blissful immortality,
Pardon, peace, purification,—
   All are offered, Lord, by Thee.

Victim of the foul deceiver,
   Faint at heart and travel stained,
Recognise in Thy Redeemer
   More than Paradise regained.
Faithfulness is what the golden
   Girdle of Thy God displays,
This memento should embolden
   Every penitent who prays.

O the fulness of Salvation!
   Merciful, mysterious plan!
When the God of all creation
   Dignified the dust of man,
p. 6To redeem us yearning, sighing,
   Pleading, bleeding on the tree,
And in dying verifying
   Promise, type and prophecy.

Lowly born to be The Brother
   Of the powerless and poor,
To unite us to each other
   And invite us to be pure,
With one touch The Famed Physician
   Healed the blotch of leprosy,
For His voluntary mission
   Was to free humanity.

Ark of Refuge, Rock Eternal,
   Balm beside the dying bed,
Tree of Life for ever vernal,
   Fountain to revive the dead,
One with us, our pardon pleading,
   One with God, He grants the plea,
While His Spirit interceding
   Certifies His victory.

HYMN II.

Salvation unto our God which sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb.”  Rev. VII. 10.

“Bydd melus cofio y cyfammod,”

Passing sweet to the reflections
   Of the souls redeemed above
Are the many recollections
   Of God’s covenant of Love.
Praise for perfected salvation
   Through Immanuel alone
Animates their adoration
   And their song before the throne.

See the Law by sinners broken
   To the utmost satisfied,
When, in token, Christ had spoken,
   “It is finished!” and died!
p. 7To restore man’s lost perfection,
   And to disannul his doom,
He Who is The Resurrection
   Condescended to the tomb.

He, to Whom His base detractors
   And tormentors owed their breath,
Hung between two malefactors,
   Breathed out His Soul in death.
Thus was man’s emancipation,
   Pardon and salvation won
Through the deep humiliation
   Of God’s Own Incarnate Son.

Ponder, O my soul, with wonder
   On the gloomy cavity
And that weighty stone whereunder
   Lay The Lord of Life for thee.
Join with joy the jubilation
   Of the ransomed in that Hymn
Which ascribes the world’s salvation
   And redemption “unto Him.”

HYMN III.

And so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thess. iv. 17.

“O! ddedwydd ddydd! tragwyddol orphwys.”

I await a peaceful Sabbath
   In the regions of the blest
Where the wicked cease from troubling
   And the wearied are at rest.
In God’s House are many mansions
   Open wide for every one
Who confides in the compassions
   Of His Own Eternal Son.

Neither heat nor cold can ever
   Injure that unnumbered throng
Whose employment and enjoyment
   Centre in a ceaseless song,
p. 8As they celebrate the conquest
   Of the Cross on Calvary,
And the Grace and Love and Comfort
   Of The Blessed Trinity.

HYMN IV.

The haven of their desire” Ps. cviii. 30.

“Mae’r dydd yn d’od ’i ’r hâd brenhinol”

Dawning is that happy morning
   When, beyond the bonds of pain,
The redeemed shall rise rejoicing
   And with Christ together reign.
Faith shall vanish into vision
   Verified, and hope shall be
Satisfied in the fruition
   Of unfailing charity.

Forward! Homeward! way-worn pilgrim!
   That predicted morn is near,
When The once afflicted Saviour
   Crowned with glory shall appear.
Round Him, as a golden girdle
   Shining, is His Faithfulness
Offering the vilest sinner
   Pardon, Peace and Holiness.

HYMN V.

The Blood of Jesus His Son cleanseth from all sin.”  1 S. John i. 7.

“Pechadur aflan yw fy enw,”

What a marvel that Almighty
   God should have so lovingly
Recognised the chief of sinners
   And devised relief for me!
p. 9Though so very sadly broken,
   All the law was satisfied
When in pain and shame and sorrow
   Jesus bowed His Head and died.

In His Hand the golden sceptre
   Is extended to imply
That the vilest wretch may venture
   Confidently to draw nigh.
Therefore, crying “I have sinned!”
   I approach the mercy-seat
Of My pardoning Redeemer
   And adore before His Feet.

Not the waters of the ocean,
   Could they be collected in
One vast reservoir, could ever
   Blot, or wash away one sin:
But the precious Blood of Jesus
   Shed for us on Calvary
And His Righteousness release us
   From its guilt and penalty.

Forth from underneath the threshold
   Of the temple of My God
Flows a Fountain of Forgiveness
   Opened by Immanuel’s Blood:
Pure and bright and clear as crystal,
   Coming down like dew below,
It can make the Ethiopian
   White, like freshly fallen snow.

HYMN VI.

But God is faithful”  1 Cor. x, 18.

“Cofia, Arglwydd, dy ddyweddi,”

Lord, remember, we implore Thee,
   And defend from every foe
Thy poor spouse that bends before Thee
   Palpitating as a doe:
p. 10Be Thou unto her a Pillar
   To direct her in the night,—
To illuminate and fill her
   With the lustre of Thy Light.

Life is far more strange than fiction,—
   But its immortality
In defiance of affliction
   Magnifies its mystery.
When the winnowing commences,
   Lord, enable us to stand
Purified from past offences
   At the last on Thy Right Hand.

O that, as a cloud ascending
   Upwards to the skies above,
We may rise, and with unending
   Rapture realise Thy Love!
Three in One, The Same as ever,
   God proclaims His Name to be
Alpha and Omega, never
   Failing in fidelity.

HYMN VII.

This do in remembrance of me.”  S. Luke xxii., 19.

“Nid oes gwrthddrych ar y ddaear”

Earthly treasure, heaped together
   Into one enormous whole,
Were it all my own, could never
   Satisfy my lonely soul.
Only Jesus Christ can fill me
   With the vivifying light
Of His countenance and thrill me
   With ineffable delight.

Feasting at His holy table
   On the tokens of His love,
Though unworthy, I am able
   To be One with Him above.
p. 11With the loss of one offending
   Member I should be content
When I think of an unending
   Period of punishment.

What a daily delectation
   To my feeble fainting soul
Is The Fountain of Salvation
   Which alone can make me whole!
Thus in calm anticipation
   Of the coming of The Lord,
While I live my meditation
   Is His Everlasting Word.

Soon my soul shall cease to wander
   After earth’s frivolities.
And be overwhelmed with wonder
   At Divine realities.
Perish doubt and hesitation!
   Things unseen do not deceive,—
In Thy Plenary Salvation,
   Blessed Jesus, I believe.

HYMN VIII.

Fountains of waters of life”  Rev. vii., 17.

“Llwybr cwbl groes i natur”

Constantly beset with crosses
   Though my present progress be,
Disappointment, pain and losses
   Point my pilgrimage to Thee.
Through the trough of tribulation
   Roughly runs the narrow road,
But its happy termination
   Is the city of My God.

Lord! upon my faded visage
   Reimprint Thy stamp, I pray,
So shall Satan from Thine image
   Flee discomfited away.
Like the fragrant ointment flowing
   Down the dress of Aaron
Is the blessedness of knowing
   Thee through Thy Beloved Son.

p. 12Dissipate the clouds of darkness
   Now enveloping Thy Face;
And irradiate with gladness
   My cold heart, O God of grace!
Thy redemption, as a river,
   One fell Friday flowed for me
Once for all, and once for ever,
   From the crest of Calvary.

Silently, yet surely giving
   Solace to humanity.
That same river, rich in living
   Water, still distils for me.
It is able to completely
   Wash the Ethiopian
Whiter than the snow and sweetly
   Purify the publican.

Would that we, defaulting paupers,
   Oftener took heed to see
That we need these healing waters
   Offered thus abundantly!
O that we would live rejecting
   Earth’s inanities and try
To be patiently expecting
   Till redemption draweth nigh!

HYMN IX.

That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection.”  Philip iii., 10.

“O! am dreiddio i’r adnabyddiaeth”

O! for deeper meditation
   On my Living, Loving Lord,
As I read the revelation
   Of His Everlasting Word!
Endless death had been the sinner’s
   Recompense and righteous doom,
But for My Divine Redeemer’s
   Resurrection from the tomb.

p. 13God is terrible in power,
   Though He be a God of love,
And no wonder sinners cower
   At the thought of Him above.
Yet when with humiliation
   We bow down before His Face,
He reveals His great Salvation
   And the riches of His Grace.

To be under His protection
   Is my soul’s security,
While to share in His Refection
   Is both meat and drink to me.
By His Own Right Hand directed
   I am safe where ere I go,—
By His panoply protected
   I need never fear a foe.

God, My Father, is My Tower,
   And what more can I desire
In temptation’s trying hour,—
   In the flood, and in the fire?
By His Providence protected
   I am safe in time of need:
But, if by My God rejected,
   I am destitute indeed.

HYMN X.

God with us.”  S. Matt. i, 23.

“Rhyfedd, rhyfedd gan angylion”

How the angels must have marvelled
   At The Maker of them all
Clad in coarsest garb and cradled
   In a common cattle stall.
Him, in Whom they had their being
   Ere the universe began,
They adored as Their Creator,
   Perfect God and Perfect Man.

p. 14Fasting, faint, and sorely tempted
   In the lonely wilderness,
He confuted and confounded
   Satan with His Holiness.
Full of thankfulness a sinner,
   Such as I should ever be,
That My Maker and Redeemer
   Deigned to suffer death for me.

At the last loud trumpet’s sounding,
   Midst a more terrific blaze
Than was seen on Sinai’s summit
   Once to Israel’s amaze,
Grant, O Merciful Creator,
   That I may with joy arise
Through the merits of My Saviour’s
   All availing Sacrifice.

HYMN XI.

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee;” Isa. xliii, 2.

“Os rhaid wynebu’r afon donog,”

Though I have to cross the river,
   There is One, Who, there before,
Strong as ever to deliver,
   Guarantees a golden shore.
Gazing heavenward at the haven
   Entered by Immanuel,
I expect to triumph even
   Over death, the grave and hell.

Though my flesh must see corruption,
   And be buried in the grave,
He Who is The Resurrection
   Is Omnipotent to save.
Now, as through a glass and darkly,
   Faith enables me to see
My Deliverer, but shortly
   I shall see with certainty.

p. 15When the veil is rent asunder,
   And the records are unsealed,
To mankind and angels’ wonder,
   Jesus Christ shall be revealed.
I shall meet Him as a Person
   Crowned and seated on His throne,
And behold a Blessed Ransom
   Found in Him and Him alone.

Present pleasures prove vexation,—
   Earthly treasures vanity,—
But the waters of salvation
   Satisfy and sanctify.
Oh to live and die esteeming
   Temporalities as dross,
And arise through the Redeeming
   Blood of Him Who bore my cross!

HYMN XII.

Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”  1 Cor. ii, 2.

“Nis dichon byd â’i holl deganau”

All the world, its pomp and pleasure,
   Fail to mesmerise my mind;
But I realise a treasure
   In The Saviour of mankind.
He alone, and not another,
   Could atone for me, and He
Cleaveth closer than a brother
   In the last extremity.

O to live in Him abiding
   Every time I draw my breath,
And to sleep in Him confiding
   When my soul departs in death!
Why should I disdain to carry
   Patiently my cross, when He
Died upon a sanguinary
   Tree on Calvary for me?

p. 16HYMN XIII.

A cloud received Him out of their sight.”  Acts i., 9.

“Pan esgynodd yr hwn ddisgynodd,”

When Immanuel had ended
   His atoning work of love,
And had in a cloud ascended
   Into His abode above,

Heaven’s expanding portals owned Him,
   And His Father, midst a grand
Symphony of praise, enthroned Him
   Royally at His Right Hand.

HYMN XIV.

The fellowship of His sufferings”  Phil. iii, 10.

“Digon mewn llifeiriant dyfroedd,”

In the depth of tribulation,
   Midst temptation’s hottest fire,
My Redeemer’s consolation
   Answers all my heart’s desire.
In the desert dreading danger
   And my covert enemy,
Faith reminds me of the manger
   And the tree of Calvary.

When by Satan sorely tempted
   To make earthly gain my goal,
Then, unless by grace prevented,
   I am periling my soul.
O for help to keep attending
   To the covenant of God,
And to fall asleep depending
   On My Saviour’s precious Blood!

Lord, I come to Thee regretting
   Not my mortal malady
Half so much as my besetting
   Sin of self-sufficiency.
p. 17When I bow before Thy table,
   Brighten Thou my sight to see
In Thy Rite The Veritable
   Lamb of God Who died for me.

HYMN XV.

He is altogether lovely.”  The Song of Songs, v. 16.

“Wele’n sefyll rhwng y myrtwydd”

Manifest among the myrtles
   Stands The Saviour of mankind,
Though as yet a mist encircles
   Us, and we be weak and blind.
Speed the dawning of the morning
   When the mist shall melt away!

Chief among ten thousand thousand,
   My Beloved, white and ruddy,
Rose of Sharon, fair and fragrant,
   Lovely Lily of the valley,
Friend unfailing of the ailing,
   Author of unending day.

Wherefore care to credit dreamers’
   Mazy Mariolatry,
When aware of One Redeemer’s
   Infinite ability,
And His graciousness and quenchless
   Love for lost humanity?

HYMN XVI.

Being confident of this very thing,”  Philip i. 6.

“O!  Arglwydd Dduw rhagluniaeth,”

O God of Providence
   And consolation,
Thou, Whose omnipotence
   Controls creation,
p. 18Enable me to stand
   In tribulation
Awaiting at Thine Hand
   Emancipation.

Assist my soul to see
   What angels try to trace,—
The Gospel Harmony,—
   Love, Fellowship and Grace,—
Godhead and Manhood met,
   Mysteriously One,
In Him who paid my debt,—
   Thy Well-beloved Son.

My sinful soul arise,
   Shake off thy lethargy,
Awake and realise
   The Ransom wrought for thee.
Trust His Divinity
   That could so sympathise,
And His Humanity
   Which was The Sacrifice.

Though hurricanes may blow
   And billows overwhelm
My battered bark, I know
   That Thou art at the helm,
My Saviour and My God!
   I therefore need not fear
The swelling of the flood
   Of sin with Thee so near.

HYMN XVII.

Preach the Gospel to the whole creation.”  S. Mark xvi. 15.

“Iehofah yw, yn un â’i enw pur,”

Jehovah, the Creator’s Holy Name,
   Continues everlastingly the same.
Ye nations, own and throne Him as The Lord,
   And read with reverence His Living Word.
p. 19Ye pioneers of peace, proclaim the love
   Of Him Who came to save us from above:
Ye Hottentots and Indians, hear His voice,
   Come fearing, and hearing, rejoice.

HYMN XVIII.

And he shall be like a tree planted by streams of water.”  Ps. i. 3.

“Gwna fi fel pren planedig, O! fy Nuw,”

Make me, My God, like some transplanted tree
By living waters thriving healthily,
Deep-rooted, evergreen, and gratefully
Producing fruit acceptable to Thee.

Make me, beneath the shadow of Thy wings,
Superior to sublunary things,—
Yea, like a dew-besprinkled olive tree
Of Thine own choosing yielding well to Thee.

In one high noon of one eternal day,
Within Thine home, before Thy throne I pray.
That I may bear a palm and wear a crown
Prepared for me by Him of great renown.

HYMN XIX.

There remaineth therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God.”  Heb. iv. 9.

“Gwlad dda heb wae, gwlad wedi ei rhoi dan sêl,”

A land of Holiness, a Sabbath rest,
A land with more than milk and honey blest,
A land of everlasting Bread and Wine,—
A land where Jesus bids us “come and dine,”—
O! may that happy land be thine and mine!

p. 20HYMN XX.

A new and living way”  Heb. x, 20.

“Ffordd â’i henw yn “Rhyfeddol””

Yesterday, to-day, and ever,—
   Liable to no decay,—
Wonderful above all other
   Is the new and living way:
Stained, regained and consecrated
   By My Blessed Saviour’s Blood,
It conducts the lone, belated
   Pilgrim to the throne of God.

Though it mean regeneration,
   Rest, imputed righteousness,
Liberty, justification,
   And eternal happiness,
Multitudes, preferring midnight,
   Wander witlessly astray,
Even though the shining sunlight
   Shew this new and living way.

Preordained before creation
   Rose—in Eve, the woman’s seed,—
It was man’s one consolation
   In his night of utmost need—
Primitively preconcerted
   By The Blessed Trinity.—
Never may I be perverted,
   O My God, from it and Thee!

HYMN XXI.

Behold, I have set before thee a door opened, which none can shut”  Rev. iii, 8.

“O’m blaen mi welaf ddrws agored,”

Strait, yet open wide before me,
   Stands a door by which the blest,
Through The Blood of My Redeemer,
   Enter into endless rest.
p. 21From the devil and his angels
   Jesus died to rescue me,
Crucified in shame and anguish
   On the tree of Calvary.

O for grace to be submissive
   And attentive to His Word,—
Grace to cast the galling burden
   Of the past upon The Lord,—
Grace to pay my vows whenever
   I have vowed unto The Lord,—
Grace to sway the sword of safety,
   Ever His Eternal Word!

Human life, in all its stages,
   Meets with many enemies,
Satan’s evil emissaries
   Compassing about like bees,
Some within my mind are tempting
   My dull soul to doubt My God;
Help me, Gracious Lord, to rout them,
   Trusting to Thy Precious Blood.

To a sorrow stricken sinner
   It is comforting to read
That My God is My Redeemer
   Ever nigh in time of need.
When the veil is rent asunder,
   Oh! how blessed will it be
To behold The Same Redeemer
   Still My Own eternally.

HYMN XXII.

Oh that mine head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears”  Jer. lx. 1.

“O! na bai fy mhen yn ddyfroedd”

Would that my poor head were waters
   That I might not cease to weep
Over Sion’s sons and daughters,
   Wrapt in waywardness and sleep!
p. 22Foxes, the vineyard thieving,
   Are destroying all the bloom,
And the bright Sheckinah, leaving
   Sion, leaves her to her doom.

Lord, remember how Thou swearedst
   In Thy covenant of old
To redeem, and how Thou carest
   For the frailest in Thy fold.
Shed within us some reflection
   Of Thyself, The Living Word,
Thou That art The Resurrection
   And The Everlasting Lord!

HYMN XXIII.

That ye be renewed in the Spirit of your mind”  Ephes. iv. 23.

“A raid i’m sêl, oedd farwor tanllyd”

Is the zeal, which, as a burning
   Coal within me, made me bold
In old days departed, turning
   Into doubt, and growing cold?
Pardon, Lord, my base defection,
   Fill my bosom with Thy love,
And revive my lost affection
   For the things of heaven above.

HYMN XXIV.

With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of Salvation.”  Isa. xii. 3.

“Y mae dyfroedd iachawdwriaeth,”

Still salubrious as ever,
   Still to thirsting sinners free,
Flow the waters of salvation
   Opened first on Calvary.
p. 23Come, ye sons of fallen Adam,
   Wounded by the serpent’s sting,
Come, and in these wondrous waters
   Find relief from suffering.

If, when ankle deep, such waters
   Prove of present potency,
What will be the bliss of bathing
   In them everlastingly?
Children of the Resurrection,
   What will be your ecstasy
When arriving sat The Fountain
   Head That bled on Calvary?

HYMN XXV.

That through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”  Rom. xv. 4.

“Cofia ddilyn y medelwyr,”

When the sultry sun is beaming
   Down upon the harvest field,
Dip thy morsel in the streaming
   Fountain at the Cross unsealed.
Glean among the revelations
   Of God’s Oracles, and find
In thy gleaning consolations
   Competent to calm the mind.

When to mark the publication
   Of the Law, Mount Sinai blazed,
And, amazed, the Jewish nation
   Gazed, and shuddered as they gazed,
Under Sinai stunned with thunder
   Rose an altar solemnly
Shadowing another Wonder
   Greater still on Calvary.

p. 24HYMN XXVI.

Look not upon me because I am swarthy.”  Solomon’s Song, i. 6.

“Nac edryched neb i gloffi,”

Daughters fair of David’s city,
   Stare not with disdain upon
Me because my face is swarthy,
   For, if sunburnt, it is comely
As the curtains of the costly
   Corridors of Solomon.

HYMN XXVII.

A golden bell and a pomegranate,”  Exod. xxviii. 34.

“Mae swn y clychau ’n chwareu”

The blossoms of the pomegranates
   Emit enchanting smells,
As, pealing through the pearly gates
   The melody of bells
Proclaims to every sinner
   That pardon has been won
And favour with the Father
   By His eternal Son.

Oh! may my meditation
   Perpetually be
The marvellous salvation
   Which He has wrought for me:
And may my whole demeanour
   Be in conformity
With all that My Redeemer
   Would have my life to be.

p. 25HYMN XXVIII.

What is Thy Beloved more than another beloved?”  The Song of Songs, v. 9.

“Rhyfedda byth, briodas ferch,”

What is Thy Beloved more
Than another, O thou fairest
Of thy sisters, that thou carest
Thus His Features to adore?
Of ten thousand, verily,
Marked out by a banner, He
Is The Chiefest unto me.

HYMN XXIX.

Who His own self bare our sins in His Body upon the tree”  1 S. Peter ii. 24.

“Mi gerdda ’n araf ddyddiau f’ oes,”

Beneath the shadow of the tree
Where Jesus bled and died for me
I seek and see security.
O may my spirit never be
Far from the tree of Calvary
Whereon My Daysman died for me!

HYMN XXX.

The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”  Rom. xvi. 20.

“Ma myrdd o ryfeddodau”

When suffering reverses,
   My soul has learnt to know
The multitude of mercies
   That from My Saviour flow.
Sing, then, my soul, the fulness
   Of that redeeming grace
Which offers perfect soundness
   To all of Adam’s race.

p. 26HYMN XXXI.

The word of the Cross”  1 Cor. i, 18.

“Efengyl Crist sy’n galw”

While to the disobedient
   The day is drawing near
When they shall pray to Christ too late,
   And He refuse to hear,
Unmerited forgiveness
   Is offered unto all
That with unfeigned repentance
   Obey the Gospel Call.

HYMN XXXII.

Knowing that the putting off of my tabernacle cometh swiftly.”  2 S. Peter i. 14.

“Rwy’n cael arwyddion amlwg”

How many intimations
   Have I that I must go
Away from my relations
   And neighbours here below!
Promoted from the army
   On earth, I trust to rise
To where no foe can harm me,—
   The rest of Paradise.

Though temporal affliction
   Has laid my body low,
Contrition and conviction
   Of sin have made me know
That My Redeemer liveth,
   And that He soon shall stand
To bless, when He receiveth
   His own at His Right Hand.

I thus with resignation
   Anticipate the grave,
Confiding my salvation
   To Him Who died to save.
p. 27I hope to rise with gladness
   At the dread trumpet’s sound,
And see Him Whom in sadness
   I have always found.

More wondrous revelations
   Shall at that sound be made
Than when the first foundations
   Of heaven and earth were laid—
Before the malediction
   Is uttered from the throne
Shall come the benediction
   When Christ shall own His own.

Yet, midst the jubilation
   That shall abound among
The saved of every nation
   In one resounding song,
By far the most amazing
   Surprise to me will be
Myself in rapture gazing
   On Him Who died for me.

HYMN XXXIII.

Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.”  Ps. lxxiii, 24.

“Yma’r wyf mewn anial maith,”

Through my pilgrimage below
   Guide Thou me,
Jesu, free me from every foe,
   Graciously!
All my care I cast on Thee
   Till life’s end,
Well aware that Thou shalt be
   Still My Friend.

p. 28HYMN XXXIV.

Be still, and know that I am God.”  Ps. xlvi, 10.

“Dyfais fawr tragwyddol gariad,”

Full and undeserved salvation
   Founded on Eternal Love
Has been won for every nation,—
   Peace on earth and bliss above.
On God’s covenant depending,
   Howsoever storms may rage,
I am safe, for He attending
   Will protect my pilgrimage.

What if health be frail and fleeting,—
   Heart and flesh together quail,—
And the pulse of life cease beating?
   God’s compassions never fail.
Oh! how fraught with consolation
   Is this thought to every one
Who commits his soul’s salvation
   To the merits of His Son!

The commandments I have pondered
   Over; Christ in agony
   have seen by faith and wondered
   At the tree of Calvary;
And if my peregrination
   Through this earth be frequently
But a path of perturbation
   It betokens victory.

Things that seem to teem with sadness,
   Darkness, bitterness and fear,
Shall be swallowed up in gladness
   When the glory shall appear.
Looking upwards at the haven
   Where my soul aspires to be
I behold prepared in heaven
   An inheritance for me.

p. 29Indistinct, and distant glimpses
   Only come within my sight:
But these glimpses thrill my senses
   With ineffable delight:
While the promise of Salvation
   Purchased by Immanuel’s Blood
Gives my spirit Consolation,
   Courage, and The Peace of God.

Fondly feeling that, surviving
   Every tempest’s angry swell,
I was happily arriving
   At the goal where I would dwell,
My glad soul exclaimed, O Father,
   Have I come to be with Thee,
Safe eternally from further
   Anguish and anxiety?

“Hush, my child, be calm and quiet;
   Recollect that I am God:
Nothing can withstand the fiat
   Of My All-commanding Nod:
Though thy ghostly foe be railing,
   Know that I am on thy side,
And, although thy strength be failing,
   I, Thy Guide, will still provide.”

This contents my soul: The Giver
   Of all good, My Loving Lord,
Is Almighty to deliver,
   And, depending on His Word,
Underneath the safe protection
   Of the shadow of His Wings,
I have less and less affection
   For earth’s evanescent things.

Suffering with resignation
   All the trials of to-day,
In composed anticipation,
   Come, or go, whatever may,
I await the promised vision
   Of God’s Face in Righteousness
And the perfected fruition
   Of His Grace and Holiness.

p. 30Nature, at the contemplation
   Of The Godhead, faints with fear,
And, distraught with consternation,
   Dreads the thought that God is near.
O for grace to bear the vision
   Of Jehovah’s Majesty,
And to share in the fruition
   Of an endless Jubilee!

HYMN XXXV.

Far be it for me to glory save in the Cross”  Gal. vi., 14.

“Nid oes gwrthrych ar y ddaear”

Earth’s emoluments and pleasure
   Fail to fascinate my mind
When I contemplate the treasure
   Gained by Christ for all mankind.
He, though greater than a creature
   Such as I can comprehend,
Can compose my craving nature
   With the Comfort of a Friend.

O for Grace to live depending
   On His Merits and to meet,
After death, in life unending,
   Him before the judgment seat!—
Grace to bear whatever crosses
   Come, because He bore His Own,
And to learn that earthly losses
   Lead to where no care is known!