This is an idealistic hymn written by a Unitarian minister, Frederick Lucian Hosmer (1840-1929). In many Unitarian hymns, as in this one, an appeal is made for the salvation of the whole world and to the brotherhood of man and Fatherhood of God in a sense of common salvation. There is no general salvation. Salvation is an act of the grace of God working by faith in the hearts of His people. Though it would be a most glorious event to have all nations become one in Christ, that cannot happen under the present world and political economy. God’s elect are separate from the world, and must remain so. Only when Christ returns and the Kingdoms of this world are One in Him can such a sentiment be realized. However, there are many beautiful sentiments of spiritual value expressed in the hymn. The tune is INVITATION by Frederick C. Maker, 1905. This hymn is number 534 in the 1940 Church Hymnal.
Thy Kingdom Come, O Lord, Wide-Circling as The Sun
Thy Kingdom come, O Lord,
Wide-circling as the sun;
Fulfill of old Thy word,
And make the nations one,
One in the bond of peace,
The service glad and free
Of truth and righteousness,
Of love and equity.
Speed, speed the longed-for time
Foretold by raptured seers,
The prophecy sublime,
The hope of all the years,
Till rise at last, to span
Its firm foundations broad,
The commonwealth of man, The city of our God. Amen.
1 Thy Kingdom come, O Lord, Wide-circling as the sun; Fulfill thy word, And make the nations one, One in the bond of peace, The service glad and free Of truth and righteousness, Of love and equity. The Coming of the Kingdom of God is a prayer prayed in Anglican Churches, and many other Reformed churches, each worship service, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done . . . . ‘ On His return, every eye shall behold Him. God’s promise of salvation first appears in the biblical text in the 3rd chapter of Genesis (after the Fall of Adam): “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” There is a further symbolic reference to the Redeemer in the same chapter, veiled in words that only the believer can grasp: “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” Imagine the pain of God in having to take the life of a beautiful and innocent creature to provide skins to cover the Nakedness (sins) of Adam. It is a picture of a far greater sacrifice some thousands of years later when His own ‘Only Begotten Son’ would be that Lamb without blemish “sacrificed from before the foundation of the world!” Though we may hear peace, peace, heralded from many quarters, there will be no peace until the Lord comes and sets all things right in judgment. The author asks, “Fulfill of old Thy word.” And how old is the Word of God – His was the first Word uttered in all time and eternity. His Word is the Ancient Landmark, and the Rock that cannot be moved.
2 Speed, speed the longed-for time Foretold by raptured seers, The prophecy sublime, The hope of all the years, Till rise at last, to span Its firm foundations broad, The commonwealth of man,. The city of our God. As in Adam and the Law, we are cursed (last word of Old Testament Malachi 4:6), we are made sons and daughters by the unmerited grace of God. The last words of the New Testament are: “Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” We should also pray in hope of the soon coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. But He will come at precisely the right time of the Father’s choosing. All prophecy is fulfilled in Christ. In fact, the Law AND the prophets are made complete in Him. He is the Word from everlasting to everlasting. The commonwealth of man will become the Kingdom of God writ large! The city of our God will not be the muds-baked streets of that city of blood we know as Jerusalem, but the New Jerusalem and City of God which shall descend as a Bride adorned for her Husband – the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen. If a hymn is worth its salt as a hymn of worship or praise, it should end with ‘AMEN,’ because it would be biblically and doctrinally worthy. The classical hymns reinforce doctrine and remind us of the mystery and beauty of God’s Holy word. We know its words to be true if we have known the word these hymns express; therefore, we say AMEN!
