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A portrait of Pantycelyn by William Mackenzie.
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This year marks the tercentenary of William Williams, Pantycelyn
(1717–91). A hymnodist extraordinaire, seller of tea, poet, prose writer,
preacher, Methodist, and awkward Calvinist. Along with Daniel Rowland and
Howell Harris, he was one of three musketeers of early Calvinistic Methodism in
Wales. It is only fitting to remember aspects of his life and work at the 300th
anniversary of his birth.
Life
and Ministry
He was born at Cefn-coed in the parish of Llanfair-ar-y-bryn in
1717, and educated at a local Nonconformist Academy near Talgarth. He had
originally intended to become a physician, but was converted upon hearing the
preaching of Howell Harris in a graveyard, of all places. Though raised in
nonconformity, Williams took deacon’s orders in 1740 and was appointed as a curate
to Theophilus Evans – a vociferous opponent of the Methodism of George
Whitefield and Howell Harris. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Williams was refused
priest’s orders in 1743 because of his Methodist associations, which Theophilus
undoubtedly viewed with deep suspicion.
He devoted the rest of his life to the Methodist cause as an
assistant to Daniel Rowland and as a leader of the Methodist societies in
Wales. He married Mary Francis of Llansawel around 1748 and they settled
together at Pantycelyn, his mother’s farmhouse. They had several children, and
lived in reasonable comfort. Williams is romantically remembered for his
itinerant ministry as he travelled around Wales on horseback, peddling his hymns,
books, and possibly tea to supplement his livings as a landowner and Methodist
preacher.
His role in the evangelical revival in Wales was decisive and his
hymns played a crucial part in sparking a religious awakening at Llangeitho in
1762.
Hymns
and Epics
Williams chose to convey the dramatic experiential theology of the
evangelical awakenings in Wales through poetry and prose. His epic poems Golwg ar Deyrnas Crist (1764) and Bywyd a Marwolaeth Theomemphus (1764) are
thousands of lines long and together form two of his most substantial works of
theological reflection. Golwg ar Deyrnas Crist considers the sovereignty of Christ over creation, providence,
and redemption, and strikes a decisively Calvinistic tone within a covenantal
framework. The poem is also of interest for its extensive footnotes, revealing
something of Williams’ interest science and physico-theology. Theomemphus considers the Christian life
as pilgrimage from the darkness of sin to redemption, and reflects upon the
trials of the Christian life with considerable honesty. Though not identical,
the poem is comparable with The Pilgrim’s
Progress by John Bunyan.
In addition to his epic poems, Williams wrote over eight hundred
hymns expressing a deeply personal and heartfelt love to God and Jesus Christ.
Most of these hymns were published as collections through the medium of
Welsh: Aleluia (1744–7), Hosanna i
Fab Dafydd (1751–4), Caniadau y Rhai
sydd ar y Môr o Wydr (1762), Ffarwel
Weledig, Groesaw Anweledig Bethau (1763–9), and Gloria in Excelsis (1771–2). However, Williams also
published a number of English hymns as collections in Hosannah to the Son of David (1759) and Gloria in Excelsis (1772). His most well-known hymns in the
anglophone world include, ‘Guide me, O Thou Great Jehovah’, ‘O’er the Gloomy
Hills of Darkness’, ‘Jesus, Jesus, all sufficient’, and ‘In Eden – sad indeed
that day’. His hymns are noted for their warm evangelical fervour and
experiential divinity. As well as writing hymns, Williams published over
thirty elegies (marwnadau) upon the deaths of his fellow Methodists. His elegies often
romantically extol the virtues of Methodist leaders and reflect rapturously on
the joys of heaven.
Prose
Writings
Williams also published several substantial works of prose,
especially following the outbreak of revival in 1762. Pantheologia, neu Hanes Holl Grefyddau’r Byd (1762–79) was published in several parts following the revival.
It is a dense treatise on the history of world religions and culture, and one
of the earliest examples of comparative religion in the Welsh language. At over
six hundred pages, this is not a book for the fainthearted.
Williams published two fictional letters, Llythyr Martha Philopur at y Parchedig Philo Evangelius (1762) and Atteb Philo Evangelius (1763), following
Llangeitho revival in 1762. Although Martha is a fictional character in
Williams’ prose, she arguably represents the many hundreds of young converts
from the Llangeitho revival. Her letter to Philo Evangelius details the
dramatic nature of her conversion experience and her attempt from Scripture to
justify her religious enthusiasm. Philo Evangelius responds pastorally to
Martha’s letter and locates the revival within the wider context of an
international evangelical awakening, and as part of a series of such religious
awakenings throughout history.
Hanes Bywyd a Marwolaeth Tri Wŷr o Sodom a’r Aipht (1768) concerns the moral conduct and eternal destiny of three
fictional characters: Avaritius (a covetous man), Prodigalus (a wasteful and
extravagant man), and Fidelius (a Christian). Fidelius represents a model
Christian believer who shuns both covetousness and extravagance, and upholds
the virtues of charity and compassion to the poor and needy.
Aurora
Borealis: neu Goleuni yn y Gogledd, fel Arwydd o lwyddiant yr Efengyl (1774) is a fascinating eschatological reflection on the
appearance of the Northern Lights across Wales during the eighteenth century.
Pantycelyn interprets the lights in postmillennial terms as a sign of the
success of the Gospel and perhaps the beginning of the spiritual reign of
Christ upon earth. His eschatological optimism emerges from his belief in the
success of the Gospel and its capacity to transform the world.
Williams also wrote about practical matters such as the
organisation of religious societies in Wales and the complex relations between
society members. Templum Experientiae Apertum: neu Ddrws y Society Profiad (1777) is tract in the form of a dialogue on the importance of the
Seiat or Experience Meeting for the Calvinistic Methodists. It is an essential
source for understanding the experiential theology and structure of the Calvinistic
Methodist societies. Published in the same year, Ductor Nuptiarum: neu Gyfarwyddwr Priodas (1777) is a
practical guide concerning marriage, sexuality, and relationships for society members.
It was a very forward thinking and progressive booklet for the time, and
highlights some of the socio-ethical concerns of the early Calvinistic
Methodists in Wales.
The
Forgotten Pantycelyn?
Williams is arguably one of the foremost literary-theological
figures of eighteenth-century Wales, and he remains one of the most prolific
writers in the Welsh language to this day. Even though his hymns are still sung
with enthusiasm at home in Welsh and around the world in translation, his role
as a theologian and thinker within early evangelicalism has almost been
forgotten. Williams may not have been the first romantic poet in modern Europe
as Saunders Lewis once temptingly suggested, but he was nonetheless a poet-theologian
of international significance and a leading figure within a globalising evangelical
movement.
Recommended
Reading
For those unfamiliar with Williams Pantycelyn or the Welsh
language, the following list of books may be of interest:
Evans, Eifion, Bread of
Heaven: The Life and Work of William Williams, Pantycelyn (Bridgend, 2010).
Hughes, Glyn Tegai, Williams
Pantycelyn (Cardiff, 1983).
James, E. Wyn (ed.), Flame
in the Mountains: Williams Pantycelyn, Ann Griffiths and the Welsh Hymn,
Essays and Translations by H. A. Hodges (Talybont, 2017).
Jenkins, Kathryn, ‘Williams Pantycelyn’, in Branwen Jarvis (ed.), A Guide to Welsh Literature c. 1700–1800
(Cardiff, 2000), pp. 256–78.
Jones, David Ceri, Schlenther, Boyd Stanley, White, Eryn Mant, The Elect Methodists: Calvinistic Methodism
in England and Wales 1735–1811 (Cardiff, 2012).
Jones, David Ceri, The Fire
Divine: An Introduction to the Evangelical Revival (Nottingham, 2015).
Morgan,
Derec Llwyd, The Great Awakening in Wales
(London, 1988).
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