The similar phrase 'Worldly Christianity' is one used by Bonhoeffer. It's J Gresham Machen that I want to line up most closely with. See his Christianity and culture here. Having done commentaries on Proverbs (Heavenly Wisdom) and Song of Songs (Heavenly Love), a matching title for Ecclesiastes would be Heavenly Worldliness. For my stance on worldliness, see 3 posts here.

Ai am fy meiau i

I just posted this here.

Ai am fy meiau i
Dioddefodd Iesu mawr,
Pan ddaeth yn ngrym ei gariad Ef
O entrych nef i lawr?

Cyflawnai 'r gyfraith bur,
Cyfiawnder gafodd iawn;
A'r ddyled fawr, er cymaint oedd,
A dalodd Ef yn llawn.

Dioddefodd angau loes,
Yn ufudd ar y bryn;
A'i waed a ylch yr Ethiop du,
Yn làn fel eira gwyn.

Bu 'n angau i'n hangau ni,
Wrth farw ar y pren;
A thrwy ei waed y dygir llu,
Trwy angau, i'r nefoedd wen.

Pan grymodd Iesu ei ben,
Wrth farw yn ein lle,
Agorodd ffordd, pan rwygai 'r llen,
I bur drigfannau 'r ne'.

Gorchfygodd uffern ddu,
Gwnaeth ben y sarph yn friw;
O'r carchar caeth y dygir llu,
Trwy ras, i deulu Duw.

Did he for my mistakes,
Great Jesus, face such plight,
When, in power, his love came down
To earth from heaven's height?

The law so pure he kept
To justice true he stayed;
The massive debt, although so great,
In full he now has paid.

Obedient on the hill,
He suffered death in woe;
His blood the black Eth-iop-ian cleans
As pure as pure white snow.

His death it is our death,
Through his work on the cross;
A legion, because of his blood,
Through death to glory pass.

When dying in our place
He, Jesus, bowed his head,
A way he made, through the rent veil,
To heaven's pure abode.

He conquered a black hell,
The serpent's head he bruised;
Through grace, from jail, to join God's own,
He brought a legion loosed.

3 comments:

Alan said...

Christian Hymns has a translation that begins "And was it for my sin". I don't have access to a Christian Hymns just now, but I can pop that version in a comment later.

Alan said...

AND was it for my sin
that Jesus suffered so,
when moved by His all-powerful love
He came to earth below?

Your holy law fulfilled,
atonement now is made,
and our great debt, too great for us,
He now has fully paid.

He suffered pain and death,
when on the hill brought low;
His blood will wash the guilty clean,
as pure and white as snow.

For in His death our death
died with Him on the tree,
and great the number by His blood
will go to heaven made free.

When Jesus bowed His head
and, dying, took our place,
the veil was rent, a way was found
to that pure home of grace.

He conquered blackest hell;
He trod the serpent down;
a host from fetters He’ll set free
by grace to be God’s own.

John Elias, 1774-1841;
tr. by Noel Gibbard, b. 1932
Author/Copyright Control

Gary Brady said...

Diolch Alan. I'm not sure how I missed that. I'd read that Elias wrote some hymns and couldn't recall singing any. I looked on line and found this (in Google Books - it's also mentioned elsewhere). I had a go at translating it (more literal than Mr G). Then I thought it was by another John Elias and left it but in the new transaltion of Y Tadau Methodistaidd it says that this is by Elias. Are you aware of any other Elias hymns?