“If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you.”
Psalm 137:5-6
As believers, we must cherish our godly heritage and protect them and pass them over to our children and community. Meditating on and singing Hymns are powerful, deeper and gracious ways to worship from the heart and preach Bible to all that hear us. I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord is a hymn that helps us think deeper on our heavenly Jerusalem, the Church militant and the Church triumphant and our duties and responsibilites to her.
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 giv’n,
Till toils and cares shall end.
Beyond my highest joy
I prize her heav’nly ways,
Her sweet communion, solemn vows,
Her hymns of love and praise.
Jesus, thou Friend Divine,
Our Saviour and our King,
Thy hand from ev’ry snare and foe
Shall great deliv’rance bring.
Sure as thy truth shall last,
To Zion shall be giv’n
The brightest glories earth can yield,
And brighter bliss of heav’n.
Author: Timothy Dwight (1752 – 1817)
Born: May 14, 1752, Northampton, Massachusetts.
Died: January 11, 1817, New Haven, Connecticut.
Buried: Grove Street Cemetery, New Haven, Connecticut.
Dwight was a man for all seasons: an ordained Congregational minister, grandson of preacher Jonathan Edwards, personal friend of American President George Washington, and Army chaplain. He began reading the Bible at age four, and secretly learned Latin despite his father’s prohibition. In 1785, he published the 11-volume Conquest of Canaan. In 1787, he received a Doctor of Divinity degree from Princeton University. In 1795, he became president of Yale University (where, like his grandfather Jonathan Edwards, he matriculated at age 13). He helped found Andover Theological Seminary—the first seminary in New England—in 1809. Dwight died of cancer after serving as president of Yale University for 22 years.
