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Title: The Hymns of Ann Griffiths, of Dolwar Fechan - Translated into English Verse
Author: Griffiths, Ann
Language: English
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DOLWAR FECHAN***
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.
* * * * *
“DULCES 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.
Old 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.
HYMN 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,
To 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!
To 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,
As 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!
Though 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:
Be 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.
With 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.
Dissipate 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.
God 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.
Fasting, 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.
When 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?
HYMN 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.
When 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,
Enable 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.
Ye 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!
HYMN 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.
From 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!
Foxes, 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.
Come, 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.
HYMN 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.
HYMN 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.
HYMN 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.
I 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.
HYMN 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.
Indistinct, 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.
Nature, 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!
*** End of this LibraryBlog Digital Book "The Hymns of Ann Griffiths, of Dolwar Fechan - Translated into English Verse" ***
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