Dear reader,

Frances Ridley Havergal’s formal education ended when she was 17, with one term at a young women’s school in Düsseldorf, Germany, yet she was a true scholar all her life. Fluent in German and French and nearly so in Italian, she read and loved the Reformers in Latin, German, and French. Knowledge was never an end in itself, only a means to know better her Lord and Saviour and to help to bring others to know Him. The Bible was her only Book, and she studied the Hebrew and Greek texts of Scripture, memorized nearly all the New Testament and large portions of the Old Testament, and loved the Author with all her being.

   Frances was brought to a saving knowledge of Christ when she was 14, and the rest of her life was consecrated to her Saviour, the Lord Jesus. She clearly rejected “sinless perfectionism” as false doctrine against Scripture. Keenly aware of her own sinfulness and inability, her sole desire was to please and glorify Him alone. Very finely gifted, she was truly diligent with her gifts: her poetry is among the finest in the English language, after George Herbert (fully at the level of George Herbert in her ideas and presentation of the ideas, and more accessible); her prose works are deeply beneficial; a musician to the core, she left behind important compositions. Like her works, her life richly touched the ones near her and countless many who met or heard her, and her letters and the accounts of those who knew her have true benefit for us today. The Lord Jesus Christ was her one and only beauty, and she glowed Him and His truth. Never wanting attention to herself, Frances’ desire of her heart was for herself and for others to know her King, the Lord Jesus Christ. As her sister Maria wrote, “Knowing her intense desire that Christ should be magnified, whether by her life or in her death, may it be to His glory that in these pages she, being dead, 'Yet speaketh!'”

   Next, I will copy her poem “Reality.” This is my favorite piece by F.R.H. This poem is priceless to me, truly precious (“precious” is the strongest word in the English language for dearness).
        Reality.

“Father, we know the REALITY of Jesus Christ.”—
     Words used by a workman in prayer

     Reality, reality,
   Lord Jesus Christ, Thou art to me!
From the spectral mists and driving clouds,
From the shifting shadows and phantom crowds;
From unreal words and unreal lives,
Where truth with falsehood feebly strives;
From the passings away, the chance and change,
Flickerings, vanishings, swift and strange,
   I turn to my glorious rest on Thee,
   Who art the grand Reality.

     Reality in greatest need,
   Lord Jesus Christ, Thou art indeed!
Is the pilot real, who alone can guide
The drifting ship through the midnight tide?
Is the lifeboat real, as it nears the wreck,
And the saved ones leap from the parting deck?
Is the haven real, where the barque may flee
From the autumn gales of the wild North Sea?
   Reality indeed art Thou,
   My Pilot, Lifeboat, Haven now!

     Reality, reality,
   In brightest days Thou art to me!
Thou art the sunshine of my mirth,
Thou art the heaven above my earth,
The spring of the love of all my heart,
And the Fountain of my song Thou art;
For dearer than the dearest now,
And better than the best, art Thou,
   Belovèd Lord, in whom I see
   Joy-giving, glad Reality.

     Reality, reality,
   Lord Jesus, Thou hast been to me.
When I thought the dream of life was past,
And “the Master's home-call” come at last;
When I thought I only had to wait
A little while at the Golden Gate,—
Only another day or two,
Till Thou Thyself shouldst bear me through,
   How real Thy presence was to me,
   How precious Thy Reality!

     Reality, reality,
   Lord Jesus Christ, Thou art to me!
Thy name is sweeter than songs of old,
Thy words are better than “most fine gold,”
Thy deeds are greater than hero-glory,
Thy life is grander than poet-story;
But Thou, Thyself, for aye the same,
Art more than words and life and name!
   Thyself Thou has revealed to me,
   In glorious Reality.

     Reality, reality,
   Lord Jesus Christ, is crowned in Thee.
In Thee is every type fulfilled,
In Thee is every yearning stilled
For perfect beauty, truth, and love;
For Thou art always far above
The grandest glimpse of our Ideal,
Yet more and more we know Thee real,
   And marvel more and more to see
   Thine infinite Reality.

     Reality, reality
   Of grace and glory dwells in Thee.
How real Thy mercy and Thy might!
How real Thy love, how real Thy light!
How real Thy truth and faithfulness!
How real Thy blessing when Thou dost bless!
How real Thy coming to dwell within!
How real the triumphs Thou dost win!
   Does not the loving and glowing heart
   Leap up to own how real Thou art?

     Reality, reality!
   Such let our adoration be!
Father, we bless Thee with heart and voice,
For the wondrous grace of Thy sovereign choice,
That patiently, gently, sought us out
In the far-off land of death and doubt,
That drew us to Christ by the Spirit's might,
That opened our eyes to see the light
   That arose in strange reality,
   From the darkness falling on Calvary.

     Reality, reality,
   Lord Jesus Christ, Thou art to me!
My glorious King, my Lord, my God,
Life is too short for half the laud,
For half the debt of praise I owe
For this blest knowledge, that “I know
The reality of Jesus Christ,”—
Unmeasured blessing, gift unpriced!
   Will I not praise Thee when I see
   In the long noon of Eternity,
   Unveiled, Thy “bright Reality!”

Frances Ridley Havergal October 14, 1875
  Sincerely,
David Chalkley
editor of the Havergal edition
As I wrote at the end of the first three e-mails, I want to say this also at the end of each of these e-mails: Much work has been done by a number of people to make F.R.H.’s works available to many. There is life in these pages, and the reality of Jesus Christ. These works truly glorify the Lord, and help, encourage, enrich His people. There are also parts of this that are very clear, compassionate, powerful presentations of the truth to people who have not yet been saved. If you see the value in these works, please tell others who might be interested in this. We have no desire to become rich or famous from this, not a trace. Our desire is that these works be widely disseminated, for the Lord’s glory and the good of His people.

We would be glad to hear from you. Please write to us by replying to this email or by contacting us through the Havergal Trust website.

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