Scripture Verse

These things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. Revelation 2:1

Introduction

portrait
John B. Herbert (1852–1927)

Words: Phi­lip Dodd­ridge (1702–1751). Pub­lished post­hu­mous­ly in Hymns Found­ed on Va­ri­ous Texts in the Ho­ly Scrip­tures, by Job Or­ton (Shrop­shire, Eng­land: Jo­shua Ed­dowes & John Cot­ton, 1755), num­ber 352: Christ’s care of min­is­ters and church­es.

Music: La­fay­ette John B. Her­bert, 1890 (🔊 pdf nwc).

portrait
Philip Doddridge (1702–1751)

Lyrics

We bless th’eter­nal Source of light,
Who makes the stars to shine;
And, through this dark be­cloud­ed world,
Diffuseth rays di­vine.

We bless the church­es’ so­ver­eign king,
Whose gold­en lamps we are;
Fixed in the tem­ples of His love
To shine with ra­di­ance fair.

Still be our pu­ri­ty be pre­served;
Still fled with oil the flame;
And in deep char­ac­ters in­scribed
Our hea­ven­ly mas­ter’s name.

Then, while be­tween our ranks He walks
And all our state sur­veys,
His smiles shall with new lus­ter deck
The peo­ple of His praise.