I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord
I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord
I love Thy kingdom, Lord,
The house of Thine abode,
The Church our blest Redeemer saved
With His own precious blood.
I love Thy Church, O God!
Her walls before Thee stand
Dear as the apple of Thine eye,
And graven on Thy hand.
For her my tears shall fall,
For her my prayers ascend,
To her my cares and toils be given,
Till toils and cares shall end.
Beyond my highest joy
I prize her heavenly ways,
Her sweet communion, solemn vows,
Her hymns of love and praise.
Sure as Thy truth shall last,
To Zion shall be given
The brightest glories earth can yield,
And brighter bliss of heaven.
LIKE HIS GRANDFATHER theologian Jonathan Edwards, Timothy Dwight was a brilliant scholar. He could read Latin when he was six, graduated from Yale at seventeen, began teaching there at nineteen, and wrote his first book at twenty.
He enlisted in the Continental Army in 1777 as a chaplain, where he became known for writing songs to encourage the troops. After the Revolutionary War, he served as a pastor in Connecticut. Finally, in 1795, he accepted the trustees’ invitation to become president of Yale.
When Dwight returned to Yale, there were probably as few as five professing Christians on campus. But with Dwight came a new spiritual emphasis, and revival soon swept over the university. This hymn, written during the revivals at Yale, is the earliest American hymn in use today.
God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to you. This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people.
Colossians 1:25-26
From the book
