Welsh Journals

Church, Haverfordwest; Broad Haven Baptist Chapel; and especially Molleston Baptist Chapel, though there are many others. These chapels thus seen against the Biblical background reveal and interpret some of the great truths of the Scriptures in a new way. Affirmations We affirm the covenant of the gathered community of believers as the true form of the church. The principal articles of such church covenants as practised by the Baptist churches of Pembrokeshire may thus be briefly recapitulated. Basic is the nurture of the spiritual life of the believer as nourished by scripture study and prayer, and as rehearsed in the first seven and a half verses of Psalm 37. There then generally follows the various articles of the covenant itself with accompanying scriptures: 1. Faithful attendance at the means of grace (Hebrews chapter 10:25, 'Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together'). 2. Regular giving to the cause as the Lord blesses you (1 Corinthians. chapter 16:2, 'Upon the first day of the week, let everyone of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him. 3. Acceptance and offering of admonition in the spirit in which it is given. (Hebrews chapter 13:23, 'And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation'). 4. The things of the house within the house (Matthew chapter 7:6, 'Give not that which is holy unto dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine'). This study is offered to the Pembrokeshire Historical Society in the hope that similar and better presentations may be forthcoming from other communions of the Christian Church in the county. G. HENTON DAVIES Notes and References 1 On the Carmarthenshire bank of the Eastern Cleddau. Cilfowyr Church was originally a meeting founded in 1692 at Cilcam (now Ty Canol) in Eglwyswen, incorporated in 1704, and subsequently moved to its present location in 1716. 2 Elizabeth A. Livingstone (ed.), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Oxford University Press, 1977) p. 19 3 John Absalom a'r Parch. E. Llwyd Williams, Rhamant Rhydwilym (Gwasg Gomer, Llandyssul, 1939) p. 19. The first person baptised was Griffith Howells of Rushacre near Narberth, and it is possible that early baptismal ceremonies and meetings took place either here or at Llanglydwen, as the first church building at Rhydwilym was not established until 1701. 4 Ibid., p. 15ff. 5 Llewellyn Woodward, The Oxford History of England: The Age of Reform 1815- 1870 (Oxford University Press) 6 Brian Howells (ed.), Elizabethan Pembrokeshire. The Evidence of George Owen (Pembrokeshire Record Society, Haverfordwest, 1973) p. lOOf. 7 Woodward, op. cit., p. 509. 8 There were, however, good harvests in 1813-17, 1830-35 and 1842-44.