Bishop Wyn Evans on John Vaughan

PREGETH I GOFIO TAIRCANMLWYDDIANT MARWOLAETH

JOHN VAUGHAN, DERLLYS

EGLWYS LLANLLWCH 16 TACHWEDD 2022

A SERMON TO REMEMBER THE TERCENTENARY OF JOHN VAUGHAN, DERLLYS 16th NOVEMBER 2022

BY THE RIGHT REVD WYN EVANS, FORMER BISHOP OF ST DAVIDS

GAN Y GWIR BARCH’G WYN EVANS, CYN ESGOB TYDDEWI

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Psalm 73 28: Ond da i mi yw dod yn agos at Dduw:

yr wyf wedi gwneud yr Arglwydd Dduw yn gysgod i mi er mwyn mi fynegu dy ryfeddodau. But is it is good for me to draw near to God: in the Lord God have I made my refuge; that I may tell of all your works.

Ar yr adeg hon o'r flwyddyn yr ydym yn dod a'r saint i gôf. Pythefnos yn ôl yr oeddem yn dathlu Gwyl yr Holl Saint. Wythnos yn ôl yr oeddem yn cofio holl saint Cymru. Ddoe yr oeddem yn dod â saint a merthyron Gogledd America i gôf. Heno yr ydym yn dwyn i gôf a dathlu Sant arall: Sant arbennig Llanllwch ar y noswaith hon sydd yn dair canrif union ar ôl ei farwolaeth ar 16 Tachwedd 1722-ond nos Lun oedd honno ym 1722.

Ar ôl taflu cipolwg dros fywyd a buchedd--ac ymarweddiad—John Vaughan, ac yr wyf yn dra diolchgar i'm hen gyfaill a chyd-Ardwyniad Ron Lewis am ei ysgrif gynhwysfawr ar John Vaughan Cwrt Derllys fel ag yr wyf am ysgrif faith y diweddar Ddr Mary Clement ar deulu'r Fychaniaid ac am ei llyfrau ar yr SPCK a'r SPG am sylwedd yr hyn sydd gennyf i ddweud am John Vaughan — a'u deulu, nid oes amheuaeth yn fy meddwl i, na ddylid ystyried a chyfrif John Vaughan Derllys ymhlith y saint a saint Cymru yn arbennig.

I do not think, after having read about John Vaughan— and I want to thank Canon Ann Howells for the invitation to come and preach on this the tercentenary of the death of that utterly remarkable man John Vaughan of Derllys Court in the parish of Merthyr to the North of us and for her welcome - y mae hi'n dda bod yn ôl yma - it is good to be back with you again and to be able to say something about John Vaughan, whose tombstone has always intrigued me and fulsome though it is, the eighteenth century sentiments thereon displayed does not really tell the half of his remarkable life, focussing as it does on his bounty and generosity to this church and to this neighbourhood and may I say how grateful I am not only to the late Dr Mary Clement—a friend of my Mother-for her extensive published work both on SPCK and SPG and Wales on John Vaughan and his Family, but to my friend and fellow Ardwynian Ron Lewis for his contribution on John Vaughan which multum in parvo distills a wide ranging life into a few fact packed pages, and I do not think having read about John Vaughan and his family, that I am far from my place in seeing in him and his equally remarkable daughter Bridget Madam Bevan the same elements as we recognise in the saints of Wales, ten thousand times ten thousand indeed..

Ac y mae hynny ohono ei hun wrth gwrs yn codi'r cwestiwn- beth sydd yn nodweddu sant? Ar yr un llaw wrth gwrs, dyna sut y mae'r Testament Newydd yn disgrifio pob Cristion-yr ydym ni i gyd sydd yma heno yn saint oherwydd ein galwedigaeth fel Cristnogion. Dyna beth y mae ein Bedydd a'n Conffyrmasiwn yn ein gwneud ni.

Ond, ar y llaw arall, y peth yw, sut y mae hwnnw i'w ganfod? How is sainthood to be recognised? Sainthood for us, and more so for one of our sister churches, has become a technical matter, a convoluted legal process, with several stages and periods of time to be negotiated, not an immediate impression or conviction..

Because we know, don't we, when we are in the presence of a saint. Those of us who are in ministry know, especially when we are taking the Sacrament to the house bound, so often we are the ones who receive ministry from bedbound or housebound saints, whose prayer life and spiritual sensitivities put ours to shame. Their lives are focussed on God and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. The words of the psalm are indeed relevant to them: they have seen it good to draw near to God; to have made the Lord God their refuge and the foundation of their lives; and to communicate that faith, that trust, that certainty, that relationship. But their sainthood is so often known only, but I am convinced of this, their sainthood is fully recognised by God.

So, what about those whose sainthood is recognisable in the public sphere, for sainthood has to be recognisable and acknowledgeable to those around. The saints and their way of life, their lifestyle have to tell of all the works of God. They have to be able to communicate their relationship to God so that it may attract and influence and change the lives of those with whom they come into contact; and they keep on doing so.

Saints have to be recognisable as saints, especially when they operate in the public sphere. And that is certainly true of John Vaughan. He certainly operated in the public sphere, both locally in Merthyr and Llanllwch and Camarthen and West Wales and on a Wales wide scale and, through his membership of SPG and SPCK on a wider canvas.

Yr ateb i'r cwestiwn sut y mae sant yn adnabyddadwy yw buchedd ac ymarweddiad. Buchedd ac ymarweddiad sydd wedi eu canoli ar Dduw fel yng ngeiriau'r Salm. Y mae'r saint yn agos at Dduw-y maent wedi gwneud yr Arglwydd Dduw yn gysgod iddynt ac o'r sylfaen honno y maent yn mynegu rhyfeddodau a chariad Duw; aberth lesu Grist a grym yr Ysbryd Glân. Y fuchedd, y ffordd o fyw, felly, yn ysprydoli drwy esiampl a'r ymarweddiad yn ysprydoli yn ymarferol. Ac y mae hynny yn sicr yn wir lle mae John Vaughan yn y cwestiwn.

Yn fy mhrofiad i, ar ôl dros hanner canrif yn y weinidogaeth, yr wyf yn ffyddiog i mi gyfarfod a dod i gysylltiad â dau sant felly er nad ydynt wedi cael eu cydnabod felly drwy broses. Y cyntaf oedd George McLeod, sylfeinydd Cymuned lona- a oedd yn seiliedig ar ei brofiad fel gweinidog ac ar ei argyhoeddiad nad oedd yn gyfiawn nac yn Gristnogol i oddef y diweithdra a'r tlodi ymhlith trigolion Glasgow yn Nirwasgiad dauddegau a thridegau y ganrif ddiwethaf. A phenderfyniad i wneud rhywbeth. Agwedd arall arno oedd ei brofiad yn y Rhyfel Byd Cyntaf a'r teimlad na ddylai hyn byth ddigwydd eto, a'r penderfyniad i lafurio dros heddwch a heddychiaeth. Cawr o ddyn ymhob ffordd.

Yr ail oedd y Brawd Roger o Taizé. Dyn bach yn gorfforol yn llai na mi - ond yr oedd presenoldeb ganddo. Yr oedd ef, yn weinidog gydag eglwys ddiwygiedig Ffrainc, wedi cynorthwyo Iddewon ffoi dros y ffin rhwng Ffrainc dan y Natsiaid a Ffrainc Vichy; a chynnig lloches iddynt. Yr oedd ar ôl y Rhyfel wedi ymgartrefu ym Maenordy Taizé ym Murgundy ac wedi sefydlu cymuned eciwmenaidd o frodyr gan groesi ffiniau eto y tro hwn rhwng Protestaniaeth a Phabyddiaeth yr oedd cymodi rhwng gwahanol ganghennau o'r eglwys Gristnogol yn holl bwysig iddo; ac wedyn y ny chwedegau yn ddigon agored a hyblyg i groesawu ieuenctid a odd yn ffoi trafferthion Paris ym 1968 ac yn ceisio lloches. Allan o hynny daeth gweinidogaeth litwrgaidd arbennig a ddenodd miloedd o ieuenctid ac eraill i Taizé.

Yr hyn sydd yn cysylltu'r ddu yw ei ymddiried cadarn yn Nuw; canfod angen a gweithredu yn enw lesu Grist fdrwy ateb yr angen hwnnw yn gyhoeddus. Yr wyf yn gweld John Vaughn yn mynegu y patrwm hwnnw yn glir, nid lleiaf oherwydd y modd y mae yn cyfathrebu ei ffydd. Edrychwch ar ei ddiddordebau-look at John Vaughan's interests in all their aspects focussed on the communication of the Christian Faith..

He was concerned with the education of the children of the poor. Such as that one at Llangynog next door- and there is an interesting crossover here, for near the site was and I hope still is the Holy Well: an early modern Reformed phenomenon in the school, now sadly closed but a Church School until its closing; and an example of mediaeval devotion in the Holy Well. He was concerned with establishing libraries of religious books accessible to those who had none of their own. He was concerned to stock those libraries and to provide more generally, religious literature in English and in Welsh for ordinary people. He was concerned with providing materials for family worship a concern which no doubt lay behind the contribution of his daughter Madam Bridget Bevan to the continuation, management and administration of the circulating schools established by Griffith Jones, Llanddowror.

And there was his concern for this building and the worshippers within it as his epitaph shows. He was instrumental in the 1711 rebuild of this church, chapel to St Peter's Carmarthen as it then was, and he clearly made sure that others knew of its need and was inviting them to contribute - that is how I am reading the words. He industriously promoted the same charitable Disposition to others. Indeed, when he got to know that there was a Commission to build 50 new Churches in London in 1711, he lobbied one of the Commissioners, his relative Sir John Philipps of Picton, to see whether some of that money might come Llanllwch's way. I am sure that he lobbied the Secretary also, for Jenkin Thomas Phillips the noted linguist and grammarian, Historiographer toi Geroge II, was from Llansawel..

John Vaughan was clearly concerned with communication; with raising awareness and consciousness regarding what he saw was the need for education and Christian literature for the poor and communicating that to those whom he thought could help him realise his intentions.. He was concerned for the poor and the less fortunate —and especially for their children. And he expressed his charity practically and within a Christian context as again his epitaph reveals: he left four pounds for the clothing of poor scholars taught at the charity school erected on ye Common in the parish of Llangunnock together with twenty shillings for Bibles for them. At the same time, ar yr un pryd gadawodd ddeugain swllt i bob gweinidog yn y capel hwn a deg swllt tuag at gadw'r adeilad hwn mewn cyflwr da: and ten shillings for keeping the building in repair.

The one thing that has struck me in looking into John Vaughan's life and contribution is his skill at networking with both individuals and organisations. He had the advantage of being related to the Philipps's of Picton though his own lineage was as ancient as theirs through his brother Richard who was married to Sir John Phillips of Picton's sister Arabella; and as we know Griffith Jones Llanddorwror was married to her sister Margaret.. Sir John, the Good Sir John as he is known was a power in the land and a mover and shaker as indeed was John Vaughan himself. Vaughan was a correspondent with SPCK - just over fifty letters from him survive in their archives; and he also corresponded with SPG.

He was concerned, driven really, and really campaigned for a renewal of religious life. He is part of a wider movement exemplified by SPG and SPCK and by John Philipps and Griffith Jones and his daughter Madam Bevan.

Ond nid oedd yn byw ynghudd ac allan o'r byd. Nid meudwy ydoedd. Yr oedd yn cymryd ei ran mewn bywyd cyhoeddus y cyfnod; yn cymryd ei ddyletswyddau o ddifrif fel aelod o'r dosbarth cymdeithasol yr oedd yn perthyn iddo. Yr oedd yn Faer Caerfyrddin yn 1710-1711- yr union adeg yr oedd yn adfer adeilad hwn. yn Roedd yn aelod o Gyngor yr Bwrdreisdref Caerfyrddin o 1707 hyd ei farwolaeth ym 1722.. Ac yr oedd yn Ustus Heddwch o 1717..

His public life reflected the various strands of his social, religious and educational concerns. And he lobbied persistently through the extensive networks to which he belonged for assistance, practical and financial in order to better the lot and ignite and enlarge the spiritual experience, especially through literacy and education of the less fortunate members of the people among whom he lived; the Promotion of Christian Knowledge indeed; and the Propagation of the Gospel indeed, and not in foreign parts either but here on his doorstep.

And, yes, he asked for contributions from others, but John Vaughan also drew generously on the income deriving from his substantial estate in order to do so.. And he did so consistently and persistently for much of his adult life.. .

Y mae saint yn llawn cymhelliad. Maent yn ddygn yn dyfalbarhau er mwyn gwireddu'r weledigaeth a'r alwedigaeth y mae Duw wedi gosod o'u blaen i'w chyflawni. Ac y maent yn gwneud gwahaniaeth. Y mae John Vaughan yn ffitio i'r dim i mewn i'r patrwm hwnnw o sant. Os yw Griffith Jones, ei berthynas drwy briodas yn cael ei gofio ar 8ed Ebrill yng Nghalendar yr Eglwys yng Nghymru, fe ddylai John Vaughan gael ei goffhau yn y Calendar ar y diwrnod hwn 16 Tachwedd, oherwydd y mae ei gyfraniad yr un mor bwysig. Clywsoch chi e gynta o'r pulpud hwn heno. You heard it first from this pulpit this evening.

Saints are driven people. They are persistent, persistent in carrying out the calling that God had laid on them. They make a difference.. And they make a difference, not for themselves; not for the sake of their own self image; not for the sake of their own egos: but for God in the name of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and in the power of the Spirit. That to me sums up John Vaughan and his expression of his Christian Faith for the benefit not of himself but of others and for the Gospel. If Griffith Jones, Llanddowror is commemorated in the Calendar of the Church in Wales for his contribution to the revival of religion through literacy and Christian Education, why is John Vaughan not likewise commemorated on this the 16th of November? He thoroughly deserves it in my view.

So we commemorate him; we give thanks for his contribution, not least in the rebuilding of the church we are in this evening which is a memorial to his foresight and persistence. It is fitting that he is buried here. But his greatest memorial is his example and his inspiration and so we pray that his example may inspire us to recognise the needs of our generation in the propagation of the gospel and the promotion of Christian Education and the preparation of Christ's people for God's kingdom.

AMEN.