Show l. l A n n r f s BY BV ClINT CLINT BONNER Va T li ll 0 1 I I Love Thy Kingdom Lord I IThe The oldest o surviving American hymn There were two Timothy both clergymen clergymen clergy clergy- men both New Englanders both Yale dents The hymn writer headed the institution from 1795 to 1817 The second changed the college college college col col- lege to a university to and md d was its president from 1886 to 1899 Just as ns Stonewall Jackson held prayer meetIngs meetings meetings meet meet- ings In his classrooms at Virginia Military In Institute Institute Institute In- In so did Timothy Dwight hold revivals Inthe in inthe inthe the chapel of Yale And for tor good reason mason It was an age when everybody was Vt Tom Paines Paine's Age of Reason and interviews interview'S with students revealed only five professed ed Christians So President Dwight took to the chapel pulpit and put the fear tear of God into his pupils Like Benjamin Franklin Timothy Dwight was as one of those sturdy early Americans who could do almost anything He lie was farmer clergyman editor poet legislator orator busin business man and teacher As one of his pupils put it he was interested in everything and his hb knowledge boundless his chief love was But was adI ad- ad I love Thy kingdom Lord The house of Thine abode The Church our Blest saved With His own precious blood I love Thy Church 0 O Godl Her walls before The Thee stand Dear as the apple of Thine eye ye And graven on Thy hand For her my tears teon shall falls fall For her my prayers ascends ascend I learning and Christianity An avid Federalist his his' chief hate hato was DS Thomas Jet fertans fertan's fer- fer tans ron doctrine of democratic In a Q Fourth of July oration In 1800 1806 ho walled wailed that mankind was being driven back to a savage state and the tho country was being run by blockheads blockheads block blockI I heads While teaching oratory literature theology preaching to his students and running business affairs of Yale Dwight took on the editing of ofa a n collection of Isaac Watts' Watts hymns and though his eyes were wens weak from smallpox and overwork overwork overwork over over- work he wrote 33 hymns of his own Thirty Thirty- two vo nave bane been forgotten but one stands out as ns the tho only hymn written in America for tor the tile two centuries after the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock flock that is still in common 15 use Besides Beside's making Christians of a spiritually confused contused confused con con- fused student body Timothy I Dwight is fe best I-a- I e- e for tor making three throe things n a leading Institution of n a small college hell heU for JeffersonIan Jefferson- Jefferson Ian D Democrats and a hymn that promises to live livens as ns long as IS Yale or the party To her my cares and tolls tons be given Till toils tons and cares shall end Beyond my highest laY joy oy I prize her heavenly ways Her sweet communion solemn vows Her hymns of love lov and praise Sure r. r as Thy truth shall last To ZIon shall be given ghen The glories earth can yield oMd And brighter bliss bit of heaven J 1 b k ci I |