The Poetical Works of Frances Ridley Havergal

‘When my Father on His dazzling throne
Sits, with myriad angels all around,
I'll confess his name, to men unknown;
Heaven and earth shall listen to the sound.’

Who, with such a glorious end in view,
Would not in the heavenly conflict join?
Strange that willing soldiers are so few,
Strange so many faint, who once were Thine.

Oh, it is a service blest indeed!
Though the strife be long, the end is sure;
And our Leader gives to all who need
Grace that they may to the end endure.

348

'Neath Thy standard be my place, O Lord:
Grant me strength and grace, that I ere long
May obtain that rich and full reward.
Then, as conquering I sheath my sword,
Thou, my Captain, shall be all my song.

A Song of Welcome.

(FOR THE ST. NICHOLAS SUNDAY SCHOOL.)

Oh God, with grateful hearts we come
Thy goodness to adore,
While we our Pastor welcome home
To England's happy shore.

For Thy delivering love we praise,
And Thy restoring hand,—
Oh spare him yet for long, long days
To this our little band.

Thy Spirit's fulness on him rest,
Thy love his sunshine be!
And may he still, while doubly blest,
A blessing be from Thee.

When the Chief Shepherd shall appear
May he receive, we pray,
A crown of glory bright and clear
That fadeth not away.

349

‘The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and of great mercy.’—

Ps. cxlv. 8.

The Lord is gracious—full of grace
To those who seek through Christ His face;
O come then, sinner, taste and see
The fulness of His love for thee.

Full of compassion is His heart,
Each weary sigh, each rankling smart
Is known to Him whom we adore,
The Saviour who our sorrows bore.

To anger slow! though every hour
Provoking His destroying power;
How strange, such words of peace to give,
Through Him who died that we might live.

Great mercy! Yet another seal
To all His gracious words reveal;
Great mercy for the greatly stained,
For those who mercy long disdained.

We little know God's thoughts to man,
They are too great for us to scan:
Thou art too high and we too low,
The wonders of Thy love to know.

But crown Thy mercies, Lord, and send
Thy Spirit as our Teacher-Friend;
That we may see, and feel, and praise
The grace and love of all Thy ways!

350

[O Spirit of our Triune Lord]

‘The Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son.’

O Spirit of our Triune Lord,
Known by Thy might, unseen but felt,
Be Thy sweet influence now outpoured,
With power to rouse, with love to melt.

O Holy One, who dost proceed
Both from the Father and the Son,
Reveal to us our sin and need,
And what our Saviour Christ hath done.

O Thou, whose love, exceeding great,
Sent Thine own Son to bleed and die,
For Thy good Spirit's power we wait,
Thy glorious grace to testify.

New Year Hymn.

Jesus, blessèd Saviour,
Help us now to raise
Songs of glad thanksgiving,
Songs of holy praise.
O how kind and gracious
Thou hast always been!
O how many blessings
Every day has seen!
Jesus, blessèd Saviour,
Now our praises hear,
For Thy grace and favour
Crowning all the year.

351

Jesus, holy Saviour,
Only Thou canst tell
How we often stumbled,
How we often fell!
All our sins (so many!),
Saviour, Thou dost know;
In Thy blood most precious,
Wash us white as snow.
Jesus, blessèd Saviour,
Keep us in Thy fear,
Let Thy grace and favour
Pardon all the year.

Jesus, loving Saviour,
Only Thou dost know
All that may befall us
As we onward go.
So we humbly pray Thee,
Take us by the hand,
Lead us ever upward
To the Better Land.
Jesus, blessèd Saviour,
Keep us ever near,
Let Thy grace and favour
Shield us all the year.

Jesus, precious Saviour,
Make us all Thine own,
Make us Thine for ever,
Make us Thine alone.

352

Let each day, each moment,
Of this glad New-year,
Be for Jesus only,
Jesus, Saviour dear.
Then, O blessèd Saviour,
Never need we fear,
For Thy grace and favour
Crown our bright New-year!

Hymn for Ireland.

‘The isles shall wait upon Me, and on Mine arm shall they trust.’ —Isa. li. 5.

Father, we would plead Thy promise, bending at Thy glorious throne,
That the isles shall wait upon Thee, trusting in Thine arm alone!
One bright isle we bring before Thee, while in faith Thy children pray
For a full and mighty blessing, with united voice to-day.

Gracious Saviour, look in mercy on this Island of the West,
Win the wandering and the weary with Thy pardon and Thy rest:
As the only Friend and Saviour let Thy blessèd name be owned,
Who hast shed Thy blood most precious, and for ever hast atoned!

Blessèd Spirit, lift Thy standard, pour Thy grace, and shed Thy light!
Lift the veil and loose the fetter; come with new and quickening might;

353

Make the desert places blossom, shower Thy sevenfold gifts abroad;
Make Thy servants wise and stedfast, valiant for the truth of God.

Triune God of grace and glory, be the isle for which we plead
Shielded, succoured with Thy blessing, strong in every hour of need;
Flooded with Thy truth and glory (glowing sunlight from above),
And encompassed with the ocean of Thine everlasting love.

Oh, surround Thy throne of power with Thine emerald bow of peace:
Bid the wailing, and the warring, and the wild confusion cease.
Thou remainest King for ever,—Thou shalt reign, and earth adore!
Thine the kindom, Thine the power, Thine the glory evermore.

Church Missionary Jubilee Hymn.

‘He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied.’— Isa. liii. 11.

Rejoice with Jesus Christ to-day,
All ye who love His holy sway!
The travail of His soul is past,
He shall be satisfied at last.

354

Rejoice with Him, rejoice indeed,
For He shall see His chosen seed!
But ours the trust, the grand employ,
To work out this divinest joy.

Of all His own He loseth none,
They shall be gathered one by one;
He gathereth the smallest grain,
His travail shall not be in vain.

Arise and work! arise and pray
That He would haste the dawning day!
And let the silver trumpet sound,
Wherever Satan's slaves are found.

The vanquished foe shall soon be stilled,
The conquering Saviour's joy fulfilled,
Fulfilled in us, fulfilled in them,
His crown, His royal diadem.

Soon, soon our waiting eyes shall see
The Saviour's mighty Jubilee!
His harvest-joy is filling fast,
He shall be satisfied at last!

Thy Father Waits for Thee.

Wanderer from thy Father's home,
So full of sin, so far away,
Wilt thou any longer roam?
Oh, wilt thou not return to-day?

355

Wilt thou? Oh, He knows it all,
Thy Father sees, He meets thee here!
Wilt thou? Hear His tender call,
‘Return, return!’ while He is near.

He is here! His loving voice
Hath reached thee, though so far away!
He is waiting to rejoice,
O wandering one, o'er thee to-day.
Waiting, waiting to bestow
His perfect pardon, full and free;
Waiting, waiting till thou know
His wealth of love for thee, for thee!

Rise and go! Thy Father waits
To welcome and receive and bless;
Thou shalt tread His palace gates
In royal robe of righteousness.
Thine shall be His heart of love,
And thine His smile, and thine His home,
Thine His joy, all joys above—
O wandering child, no longer roam!

Will You not Come?

Will you not come to Him for Life?
Why will ye die, oh, why?
He gave His life for you, for you!
The gift is free, the word is true!
Will you not come? oh, why will you die?

356

Will you not come to Him for Peace?
Peace through His cross alone!
He shed His precious blood for you;
The gift is free, the word is true!
He is our Peace—oh, is He your own?

Will you not come to Him for Rest?
All that are weary, come!
The rest He gives is deep and true,
'Tis offered now, 'tis offered you!
Rest in His love and rest in His home.

Will you not come to Him for Joy?
Will you not come for this?
He laid His joys aside for you,
To give you joy so sweet, so true:
Sorrowing heart, oh, drink of the bliss!

Will you not come to Him for Love,
Love that can fill the heart?
Exceeding great, exceeding free!
He loveth you, He loveth me!
Will you not come? Why stand you apart?

Will you not come to Him for all?
Will you not ‘taste and see?’
He waits to give it all to you,
The gifts are free, the words are true!
Jesus is calling, ‘Come unto Me!’

357

What will You do without Him?

I could not do without Him!
Jesus is more to me
Than all the richest, fairest gifts
Of earth could ever be.
But the more I find Him precious—
And the more I find Him true—
The more I long for you to find
What He can be to you.

You need not do without Him,
For He is passing by,
He is waiting to be gracious,
Only waiting for your cry;
He is waiting to receive you—
To make you all His own!
Why will you do without Him,
And wander on alone?

Why will you do without Him?
Is He not kind indeed?
Did He not die to save you?
Is He not all you need?
Do you not want a Saviour?
Do you not want a Friend?
One who will love you faithfully,
And love you to the end?

Why will you do without Him?
The word of God is true,

358

The world is passing to its doom—
And you are passing too.
It may be no to-morrow
Shall dawn on you or me;
Why will you run the awful risk
Of all eternity?

What will you do without Him,
In the long and dreary day
Of trouble and perplexity,
When you do not know the way,
And no one else can help you,
And no one guides you right,
And hope comes not with morning,
And rest comes not with night?

You could not do without Him,
If once He made you see
The fetters that enchain you,
Till He hath set you free:
If once you saw the fearful load
Of sin upon your soul—
The hidden plague that ends in death,
Unless He makes you whole.

What will you do without Him
When death is drawing near?
Without His love—the only love
That casts out every fear;
When the shadow-valley opens,
Unlighted and unknown,
And the terrors of its darkness
Must all be passed alone!

359

What will you do without Him,
When the great white throne is set,
And the Judge who never can mistake,
And never can forget,—
The Judge whom you have never here
As Friend and Saviour sought,
Shall summon you to give account
Of deed and word and thought?

What will you do without Him,
When He hath shut the door,
And you are left outside, because
You would not come before?
When it is no use knocking,
No use to stand and wait,
For the word of doom tolls through your heart,
That terrible ‘Too late!’

You cannot do without Him
There is no other Name
By which you ever can be saved,
No way, no hope, no claim!
Without Him—everlasting loss
Of love, and life, and light!
Without Him—everlasting woe,
And everlasting night.

But with Him—oh! with Jesus!
Are any words so blest?
With Jesus, everlasting joy
And everlasting rest!

360

With Jesus,—all the empty heart
Filled with His perfect love;
With Jesus,—perfect peace below,
And perfect bliss above.

Why should you do without Him?
It is not yet too late;
He has not closed the day of grace,
He has not shut the gate.
He calls you!—hush! He calls you!
He would not have you go
Another step without Him,
Because He loves you so.

He would not do without you!
He calls and calls again—
‘Come unto Me! Come unto Me!’
Oh, shall He call in vain?
He wants to have you with Him;
Do you not want Him too?
You cannot do without Him,
And He wants—even you.

‘Forgiven—even until Now.’

FOR NEW YEAR'S DAY 1879.

[_]

(Num. xiv. 19.)

‘Thou hast forgiven—even until now!’
We bless Thee, Lord, for this,
And take Thy great forgiveness as we bow
In depth of sorrowing bliss;

361

While over all the long, regretful past
This veil of wondrous grace Thy sovereign hand doth cast.

‘Forgiven until now!’ For Jesus died
To take our sins away;
His Blood was shed, and still the infinite tide
Flows full and deep to-day.
He paid the debt; we own it, and go free!
The cancelled bond is cast in Love's unfathomed sea.

‘Forgiven until now!’ For God is true,
Faithful and just is He!
Forgiving, cleansing, making all things new!
‘Who is a God like Thee?’
O precious blood of Christ, that saves and heals,
While all its cleansing might the Holy Ghost reveals.

Yes, ‘even until now!’ And so we stand,
Forgiven, loved, and blessed;
And, covered in the shadow of God's hand,
Believing, are at rest.
The one great load is lifted from the soul,
That henceforth on the Lord all burdens we may roll.

Yes, ‘even until now!’ Then let us press
With free and willing feet
Along the King's highway of holiness,
Until we gain the street
Of golden crystal, praising purely when
We see our pardoning Lord; forgiven until then!

362

He Hath Done it!

‘I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto Me; for I have redeemed thee. Sing, O ye heavens; for the Lord hath done it.’— Isa. xliv. 22, 23.

‘I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it.’— Eccles. iii. 14.

Sing, O heavens! the Lord hath done it!
Sound it forth o'er land and sea!
Jesus says, ‘I have redeemed thee,
Now return, return to Me.’
Oh return, for His own life-blood
Paid the ransom, made us free
Evermore and evermore.

For I know that what He doeth
Stands for ever, fixed and true;
Nothing can be added to it,
Nothing left for us to do;
Nothing can be taken from it,
Done for me and done for you,
Evermore and evermore.

Listen now! the Lord hath done it!
For He loved us unto death;
It is finished! He has saved us!
Only trust to what He saith.
He hath done it! Come and bless Him,
Spend in praise your ransomed breath
Evermore and evermore.

363

O believe the Lord hath done it!
Wherefore linger? wherefore doubt?
All the cloud of black transgression
He Himself hath blotted out.
He hath done it! Come and bless Him,
Swell the grand thanksgiving shout
Evermore and evermore.

Asking.

[_]

Luke xi. 13.

O Heavenly Father, Thou hast told
Of a Gift more precious than pearls and gold:
A Gift that is free to every one,
Through Jesus Christ, Thy only Son:
For His sake, give it to me.

Oh, give it to me! for Jesus said,
That a father giveth his children bread,
And how much more Thou wilt surely give
The Gift by which the dead shall live!
For Christ's sake, give it to me.

If Thou hast said it, I must believe
It is only ‘ask’ and I shall receive;
If Thou hast said it, it must be true,
And there's nothing else for me to do!
For Christ's sake, give it to me.

364

So I come and ask, because my need
Is very great and real indeed.
On the strength of Thy word I come and say,
Oh, let Thy word come true to-day!
For Christ's sake, give it to me!

Love for Love.

[_]

1 John iv. 16.

Knowing that the God on high,
With a tender Father's grace,
Waits to hear your faintest cry,
Waits to show a Father's face,—
Stay and think!—oh, should not you
Love this gracious Father too?

Knowing Christ was crucified,
Knowing that He loves you now
Just as much as when He died
With the thorns upon His brow,—
Stay and think!—oh, should not you
Love this blessèd Saviour too?

Knowing that a Spirit strives
With your weary, wandering heart,
Who can change the restless lives,
Pure and perfect peace impart,—
Stay and think!—oh, should not you
Love this loving Spirit too?

365

Nothing to Pay.

Nothing to pay! Ah, nothing to pay!
Never a word of excuse to say!
Year after year thou hast filled the score,
Owing thy Lord still more and more.
Hear the voice of Jesus say,
‘Verily thou hast nothing to pay!
Ruined, lost art thou, and yet
I forgave thee all that debt.’

Nothing to pay! the debt is so great;
What will you do with the awful weight?
How shall the way of escape be made?
Nothing to pay! yet it must be paid!
Hear the voice of Jesus say,
‘Verily thou hast nothing to pay!
All has been put to My account,
I have paid the full amount.’

Nothing to pay; yes, nothing to pay!
Jesus has cleared all the debt away;
Blotted it out with His bleeding hand!
Free and forgiven and loved you stand.
Hear the voice of Jesus say,
‘Verily thou hast nothing to pay!
Paid is the debt, and the debtor free!
Now I ask thee, lovest thou Me?’

University of Virginia Library

Hymns.

Prayer before Church.

A Prayer.

Thoughts.

‘He that Overcometh.’