Saron Calvinistic Methodist Chapel - Pontdolgoch (1905)
Whilst listening to the sound of the Infinite's love raining down on South Wales, many a soul in this area has said - 'Let it come upon me too.' Now we can reveal that our wish has not been ignored. Nothing unusual had been experienced prior to the end of last year. But we believe that some of us are leaving behind the old year with a very different mental attitude from what it has been at such times in the past. We were looking forward to the week of prayer and expecting great things. The new year came in and we set apart a week to call on our God. These were, and have continued for months to be, united meetings – ourselves and the Wesleyans. A conspicuous sentence evident in some of the brothers' prayers was this - ' Let us feel you moving from heart to heart.' We were not far into the new year before realising that the Lord was listening to the supplication. The Spirit of the Lord was felt amongst us in one meeting after another. We will remember the first two weeks of the year as one of the most remarkable periods of our lives. We never heard such prayers ever. Once begun, the meeting was thrown open to everyone to take part according to the urgings of the Spirit, and everything went forward at His pace. People were only welcome to speak during the service if a word [=message] was seething in their souls and they could not hold back. A spirit of prayer and song had fallen on the people. The prayers of the first week were distinguished by a measure of passion, the prayers of the second week by profundity and unction. We have heard of preaching with unction, but in the week referred to, we had, in a number of meetings, an example of the thing itself. We are not surprised that theologians can say but little about unction. It is not something to describe, but something to receive - something to be felt and enjoyed. It is like God himself, too high for anyone to be able to give a description of it. In January a young sister from Llawrglyn visited our neighbourhood; before that she had been in South Wales for some time, and had received abundantly of the spirit of the revival. She had a warm message to give at almost every meeting. We believe her to be a means of bringing us closer to the Spiritual. In recent weeks a spirit of prayer has been abundantly poured out on the people of Bwlchygareg, an area where a number of our members live. There is an old schoolhouse there which is claimed by the Established Church, but Nonconformists are allowed to [?] make nothing of it to hold prayer meetings and a Sunday School. There were some meetings in this building during the winter, but now they are more frequent and more powerful. One night a brother was praying who had experienced great things in '59. It was clear that a drop from heaven had fallen on his spirit. A sister from the neighbourhood took part in the meeting. He said a loud Amen, and added – 'carry on, Betsi fach.' Betsi was given help, and we trust strength, to carry on, to conquer with God. Betsi was followed by others at the service, and they have now had many such meetings. We could add some interesting facts about Bwlchygareg, but must refrain. Our young people have had some exceptionally good meetings. We will note one example. This took place on the evening of Sunday, February 12, after the service. When the crowd were about to go out, a comparatively young man got to his feet to say that a meeting for the young people would follow. As the congregation scattered, the brother gave out a verse and began to pray. He was followed by another. A number of the young sisters participated in the meeting. The whole meeting was distinguished by solemnity and intensity of feeling. We believe we have thanked the Lord warmly for blessing us with such a meeting at the end of the Sabbath day. We have accepted 23 as full members. Except for a few of the seed of the church [=?the children of members], they have been brought in through the influence of the revival. Some of them seem like men who are serious about entering into the life. We hope the best for all of them. There are now very few people connected with Saron who are not religious members. There is the occasional one in the neighbourhood who is keeping clear of the revival. We think of them with sadness. The sisters sometimes hold a meeting on their own, and we believe that God causes His holy face to shine upon them. Some meetings take place in houses, and several of them have been very blessed. The revival has provided us with experience for the society meeting, and has produced a crowd of new suppliants [=people prepared to pray in public] among us and we feel great joy and gratitude when we see the progress some of them are making. A host of our members at Saron have felt something during recent months; some have felt 'the thing itself,' while there are others of whom we cannot speak for certain. We want more of the influences which are upon us.
Goleuad - 28th April 1905.
Additional Information
Tra yn clywed swn gwlaw cariad yr Anfeidrol yn disgyn yn drwm ar Ddcheudir Cymru, dywedai llawer enaid yn yr ardal hon—' Deued hefyd arnaf fi.' Erbyn hyn gallwn fynegu na ddiystyrwyd ein dymuniad. Nid oedd dim dieithr wedi ei brofi yma cyn diwedd y flwyddyn o'r blaen. Ond credwn fod agwedd meddwl amryw o honom wrth ymadael a'r hen flwyddyn yn dra gwahanol i'r hyn ydoedd ar adegau felly yn y gorphenol. Edrychid ymlaen at yr wythnos weddiau a disgwylid am bethau mawrion. Daeth blwyddyn newydd i mewn ac wele ninau yn neillduo wythnos i alw ar ein Duw, Cynhelid y cyfarfodydd yn undebol - ni a'r Wesleyaid ac yn undebol y maent wedi para trwy y misoedd. Brawddeg amlwg yn ngweddiau rhai o'r brodyr oedd hon - 'Gad i hi dy deimlo yn symud o galon 'i galon.' Ni ddaethom yh nepell i'r flwyddyn newydd cyn sylweddoli fod yr Arglwydd yn gwrando y deisyfiad, Teimlwyd Ysbryd Duw yn ein plith y naill gyfarfod ar ol y Hall. Mae y bythefnos cyntaf o'r flwyddyn yn aros yn ein cof fel darn hynod yn mysg dyddiau ein bywyd. Ni chlywsom y fath weddio erioed. Wedi dechreu, teflid y cyfarfod yn agored i bawb gymeryd rhan fel y cymhellid hwy gan yr Ysbryd, ac a'i pob peth ymlaen wrth ei bwysau. Nid oedd croesaw i neb siarad ar ganol y gwasanaeth oddieithr fod gair yn berwi yn enaid rhywun ac nas gallai ymatal. Ysbryd gweddio a chanu oedd wedi disgyn ar y bobl. Hynodid gweddiau yr wythnos gyntaf gan fesur o danbeidrwydd, gweddiau yr ail wythnos gan ddwysder ac eneiniad. Clywsom am bregethu gydag eneiniad, ond yr wythnos y cyfeiriwyd ati, cawsom yn amryw o'r cyfarfodydd engraifft o'r peth ei hun. Nid syn genym fod duwinyddion yn methu dweyd ond ychydig ar eneiniad. Nid peth i'w ddesgrifio mo hono, ond rhywbeth i'w dderbyn—peth i'w deimlo a'i fwynhau. Mae fel Duw ei hun yn rhy uchel i neb allu rhoddi desgrifiad o hno. Yn lonawr ymwelodd chwaer ieuanc o Lawrglyn a'n cymydogaeth, yr oedd wedi bod am beth amser cyn hyny yn y Deheudir, ac wedi derbyn yn helaeth o ysbryd y diwygiad. Dywedai air yn gynes yn mron ymhob cyfarfod. Credwn iddi fod yn gyfrwng i ddwyn yr Ysbrydol a ninau yn nes at ein gilydd. Yr wyth nosau diweddaf mae ysbryd gweddi wedi ei dywallt yn helaeth ar drigolion Bwlchygareg, ardal lle y preswylia amryw o'n haelodau. Yn y fangre hon mae ysgoldy henafol. Honir hawl ynddo gan yr Eglwys Sefydledig, ond caniateir i Ymneillduwyr wneyd dim o hono i gynal Ysgol Sul a chwrdd gweddi. Cafwyd rhai cyfarfodydd yn yr adeilad hwn yn ystod y gauaf, ond maent yn amlach yn awr ac yn fwy grymus. Un noson gweddiai brawd a brofodd bethau mawrion yn '59. Dilynwyd ef gan eraill yn yr oedfa, ac y maent erbyn hyn wedi cael llawer cyfarfod cyffelyb. Gallem ychwanegu ffeithiau dyddorol am Fwlchygareg, ond rhaid ymatal; Mae ein pobl ieuainc wedi cael rhai cyfarfodydd eithriadol o dda. Nodwn un fel engraifft. Cafwyd hwn nos Sul, Chwefror 12, ar ol y gwasanaeth. Pan oedd y dyrfa ar fedr myned allan wele ddyn cydmarol ieuanc ar ei draed yn hysbysu fod cyfarfod i'r bobl ieuainc ar ol. Gyda bod y gynulleidfa yn ymwasgaru dyma frawd yn rhoddi penill allan ac yn myned i weddi. Dilynwyd ef gan un arall drachefn. Cymerodd amryw o'r chwiorydd ieuainc ran yn y cyfarfod. Hynodid yr oll o hono gan ddifrifwch a dwysder teimlad. Credwn i ni ddiolch yn gynes i'r Arglwydd am ein bendithio a'r fath gyfarfod ddiwedd y Sabboth. Yr ydym wedi derbyn 23 yn gyflawn aelodau. Oddieithr ychydig o had yr eglwys yr oeddent wedi eu dwyn i mewn trwy ddylanwad y diwygiad. Ymddengys rhai o honynt fel dynion o ddifrif am fyned i mewn i'r bywyd. Gobeithiwn y goreu am yr oll. Nid oes ond ychydig iawn bellach yn dal perthynas a Saron nad ydynt yn aelodau crefyddol. Mae ambell un ar hyd y gymydogaeth yn cadw draw oddiwrth y dylanwadau. Gyda thristwch y meddyliwn am y cyfryw. Ca' y chwiorydd weithiau gyfarfod iddynt eu hunain, a chredwn fod Duw yn tywynu ei wyneb sanctaidd arnynt. Ceir rhai cyfarfodydd mewn tai anedd, ac mae amryw o honynt wedi bod yn dra bendithiol. Mae y diwygiad wedi rhoddi i ni brofiad ar gyfer y seiat, ac wedi cynyrchu torf o weddiwyr newyddion yn ein plith; ac nid bychan ein llawenydd a'n diolchgarwch wrth weled y cynydd a wna amryw o honynt. Mae llu o'n haelodau yn Saron yn ystod y misoedd diweddaf wedi teimlo rhywbeth, rhai wedi teimlo 'y peth,' tra y mae eraill nas medrwn lefaru yn bendant yn eu cylch. Eisiau ychwaneg o'r dylanwadau sydd arnom.
Goleuad - 28th April 1905.
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