Welsh Journals

own time, when this earnest man neglected by the authori- ties of the church, sore tried, ordained laymen for the ministry of the church in 1811. Thus in Wales as in England a revival called evangelical, the gospel or preaching revival, vindicated its lay origin by claiming laymen for its ministry. From the beginning it has had its sympathisers among the clergy, but even within the Church of England it retains the character stamped upon it at its birth in the society It has been alleged against the Oxford or High Church movement that it was a clerical reformation. That is true. Its first object was the reformation of the ministry. There were earnest laymen who sympathised with it, and took part in it. But this revival came from above, and was based upon the parable of the Kingdom, the leaven and the grains of mustard seed. It began with the few and not with the many. It aimed at reforming the ministry and so leavening and spiritualising the whole body of the church. Keble and Pusey and the others had taken to heart the words of the Lord to Peter, And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church The seiat in Wales brings near to us some of the ex- periences of the early church. In the offices of Prime and Compline the priest first makes his confession of sins, and is absolved for the whole congregation. 1 he people follow with Od oes un gronyn bach o'm marwol glai'n Rhywiocach beth na'i gilydd, neu od a Drwy frodwaith chwith fy mod un edau fain Yn dangos drudwaith rhyw guddiedig dda Os, o lwyd ludw'r tan a losgai gynt Ar aelwyd fienctid, pan oedd Duw'n y byd, Cwyd sydyn fflach am eiliad yn y gwynt, Cyn cilio'n ol dan len y Hudw mud,- Chwi biau'r rhaln, fy nhadau meirwon chwi Ar erwau llwm hen Landdeiniolen bell. Fu'n puro'r gwaed sy'n rhedog ynof fi, Fu'n casglu erof yr un gronyn gwell. Dyma'ch cofadail,-y sylwedydd syn Yn canfod ynof dda oedd gudd cyn hyn. Ar tor lwerddon, Hydref, 1917. Ar nawnddydd Mai mewn heddwch bro Ar ddifyr dro ymdeithiwn, Ac wrth Lyn Treborth dan y coed Ar ysgafn droed y rhodiwn Diferw oedd ei wyneb teg Heh waneg arno'n cyffro, Ni chlywwn su aHonydd ffrwd. Ond siffrwd deilios effro. Es heibio wedyn ar fy hynt Ag oerwynt Hydre'n rhuo, A chollai'r gwydd eu gwyrddwisg lwys Gan rwysg y ddrycin honno I'M CYNDADAU W. J. Gruffydd. LLYN TREBORTH. theirs and receive absolution from the priest. This is the reduction into order and system of what at first was informal and unstudied. So Wales has had its Seiat brofiad," the experience society, where public confession was made of the ups and downs of the spiritual life. With the advance of education people have become more reticent, and the seiat is losing its hold on them. It is now a short meeting for the members after the sermon on Sunday night, the ordinance of the Lord's Supper being celebrated in it monthly. The week-night seiat is not attended as it used to be. In the early days of Methodism the seiat would be a recreation after the day's toil out of doors. Under present conditions of life week-night attendance, especially in towns, tends to become a burden. The society system still holds its ground in the Church of England. A great part of its voluntary work is carried on through this channel. Trades unionism too has got hold of the name. To the working man, his society is a protection and a dread. There is also a society to be a member of which is the pride of another type of people. I am afraid this fashionable society is like to be the end of the rugged honest and homely old seiat of Wales. The old order changeth, yielding place to new, And God fulfils himself in many ways, Lest one good custom should corrupt the world." CERDD Y GWIN. I fro'r cysgodion y llithrais, A ffoais ar draws y ffin I'r llannerch lle gwelir gwyryfon y gwyll Yn distyll y dwyfol win Grawnsypiau porffor gwinllannoedd Dyffrynnoedd tir y byw Oedd yno yn llanw y gwinwasg gem Wrth ruddem allor Duw. Casglesid grawn ein magwyrydd Yng nghawell y digter mawr A gwae fi o weled eu lliwgar bryd A'u tegwch drud hyd lawr 0 wallgof ddawns y rhianedd, A'r maswedd ar eu min Ac mor ddidostur sang eu traed Yn y gwaed yng ngwasg y gwin. R. Silyn Roberts. Daeth hiraeth 1m am hat ac haul- Ac am y dail a'u diliau, Distewid eu croesawus gerdd Can angerdd gwyllt y tonnau. Ac heddyw gyda'r fintai fawr Ag ia hyd lawr y dyffryn, Ymunais innau'n sionc fy nhroed I gyrchu'r coed a'r glaslyn, Clustfeiniais am a glywswn gynt^ Yng Ngwanwyn twym neu Hydre* Ni chlywwn ddail, ni chlywwn donn, Ond chwerthin Ilon y chware. S. B. Jones.