Hymn: Forth went the heralds of the cross
- Title:
- First Line: Forth went the heralds of the cross
- Hymnal: A Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion (15th ed.)
- Denomination: Unitarians and Universalists
- Publisher: Ticknor and Fields
- Publication Date: 1866
Author(s)
- Author Name: William Gaskell
- Born: 1805
- Died: 1884
- Gender: M
Full Text
Forth went the heralds of the cross, No dangers made them pause; They counted all the world but loss, For their great Master's cause. Through looks of fire, and words of scorn, Serene their path they trod; And to the dreary dungeon borne, Sang praises unto God. Friends dropped the hand they clasped before, Love changed to cruel hate; And home to them was home no more; Yet mourned they not their fate. In all his dark and dread array, Death rose upon their sight; But calmly still they kept their way, And shrank not from the fight. They knew to whom their trust was given, They could not doubt His word; Before them beamed the light of heaven, The presence of their Lord. O, may a faith as true be ours, And shed as pure a light Of peace across the darkest hours, And make the last one bright!