The gospel which these men believed and preached and whose praises
they sang so theologically, so experimentally, and so warmly, is the same
gospel which our land cries out for again, and will remain restless and
in darkness until its truth dawns with power upon the mind and sets the
soul right for eternity.
by Rev. Malcolm D. Evans
Almost due west of Builth Wells and the Wye Valley lies the Irfon Valley
with its beginnings high up in the Drygarn Fawr mountains of Abergwesyn
and
flowing finally into the Wye at Builth Wells.
Not only is it rich in heritage - (it sadly witnessed the betrayal,
in the
Wye Valley, the arrest on the banks of the Irfon river, with the subsequent
execution of Wales's last Prince, Llewelyn, at Cilmery), it is also
particularly rich in its overlooked and largely forgotten Christian
heritage. Within a relatively small triangle, one can find the birthplace
of John Penry (Cefnbrith, Llangammarch Wells), the scenes of the gracious
and powerful ministry of the famous William Williams Pantycelyn at Old
Llanwrtyd Church on the Abergwesyn Road, and the Church at Llanlleonfel,
near Garth (once known as Garth Wells), where Charles Wesley was married
to
Sarah Gwynne (of Garth House) by his brother John Wesley.
I was born in the Irfon Valley at Cefnporth Farm with this richer heritage
than I had ever realised. Mention was made from time to time of these
famous names, but it was only after I was converted and became a Christian
that I came to "know" and admire them as men to whom we owe
so much under
God. Later, my home became Garth and I drew even closer to the scenes
and
memories of these men.
In the village of Garth is the stately home of the late Commander Wilson,
known as 'Garth House' where his son still lives. It was once the home
of
Marmaduke Gwynne (a prominent landowner and friend of Howell Harris) whose
daughter, Sarah was married to Charles Wesley. A tradition says that on
one
occasion when Charles was at Garth House, a storm raged in the valley
of
the Dullas river and while standing by an open window, a small bird flew
in, wet and cold. He sheltered it with the lapels of his coat until it
was
dry and warm and the storm had abated, and this, it is said, gave him
the
inspiration for the hymn:
"Jesu, lover of my soul, let me to thy bosom fly.
While the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high,
Hide me oh my Saviour hide, 'till the storm of life is past,
Safe into the haven guide, oh receive my soul at last"
The imagery is perfect, the language and aspirations of the hymn
magnificent and thoroughly Wesleyan, warm and experimental, and true to
Christian experience. In 1749, the following entry appears in John Wesley's
Journals: "We reached Garth (from Aberdare) , and on Saturday 8,
I married
my brother and Sarah Gwynne. It was a solemn day and such as became the
dignity of a Christian marriage." It appears to have been a happy
marriage,
blessed and honoured by God, having taken place at Llanlleonfel Church,
overlooking Garth House and the Dullas river and a small plaque in the
Church commemorates the occasion. The Church has been rebuilt, but I found
it a precious experience to stand where both Groom and Officiating Minister
might have stood, and to pause and remember the work of these godly men.
Some 5-6 miles further along the A483, through Beulah, one arrives at
Llanwrtyd Wells (once loved and famous for 'taking the waters',( not
overtly or immediately inviting, but exceedingly beneficial) About one
mile
up the Abergwesyn road is 'Old' Llanwrtyd and just over the bridge, the
picturesque and well-kept Church of St.David's. An attractive painting
of
the saintly William Williams hangs at the back of the Church. Only a small
typed sheet of paper indicates that here both he and Dewi Sant laboured
in
the gospel. It is naturally a tranquil scene with the sound of the river
Irfon in its upper reaches meandering through the steep valley, but to
the
believing heart it carries another and a far-deeper peace of a place
sanctified and hallowed by the grace and
presence of God in bygone days, days when by His Spirit, souls were brought
to a saving knowledge of His dear Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and set
right
for eternity. A 'sense' of the sheer beauty and magnitude of those days
still lingers, as in Galilee or 'Rutherford's Walk' in Anworth, or in
any
place where God has displayed His presence.
William Williams was here for some 3 years in the 1740's before engaging
in
a far wider itinerant ministry. He was converted through the preaching
of
Howell Harris in the churchyard at Talgarth and ever spoke warmly and
eloquently of the wonder of that moment. He became the author of almost
1000 hymns, some 130 of them in English. Many times I have cycled through
this area as a young boy but without an awareness of the wonder of 'those
days' Now, it is a place to tarry and long again for such a display of
His
power.
"Jesus is all my Hope, His Death is all my boast,
But for His sov'reign Grace I should be ever lost;
Redeeming Blood, and dying Love,
Shall be my Theme here and above"
(Gloria in Excelsis, by: W.Williams, together with a 'A brief sketch of
his life' by Rev.W.Morgan)
From Llanwrtyd to Cefngorwydd and about half way between Cefngorwydd
and
Llangammarch Wells, and still in the Irfon valley, now very much wider
even
in the short distance from Llanwrtyd, is a turn to the right (sign-posted),
for 'Cefnbrith', the home of John Penry. He was born in 1563, the son
of a
farmer prosperous enough to send him to Peterhouse College, Cambridge
(where he acquitted himself 'laudably'), later transferring to Oxford
to
complete his MA. He became known as "The Welsh literary wizard"-
"the most
artistically gifted and the most original writer among the Puritan
controversialists" His Tracts or Pamphlets were in support of a Reformed
Puritan theology and a Separatist/Congregational Church government. He
longed that the people of Wales might hear the good news of the gospel
in
'their own tongue', and for this and his 'assaults' on the degeneracy
of
his day, he was 'dragged on a hurdle through the streets of London to
the
gallows and there hanged' His last letter to his wife was in the full
confidence of the gospel: "Your husband for a season...your brother
for
eternity"
The gospel which these men believed and preached and whose praises they
sang so theologically, so experimentally, and so warmly, is the same gospel
which our land cries out for again, and will remain restless and in
darkness until its truth dawns with power upon the mind and sets the soul
right for eternity.
"Fly abroad thou mighty gospel
Win and conquer, never cease;
May thy lasting, wide dominion
Multiply and still increase!
Sway Thy sceptre, Saviour,
All the world around"
(William Williams,1717-1791)
Rev. Malcolm D. Evans
Congregational Minister
Woking, Surrey
