All praise to Thee, my God, this night

ALL praise to Thee, my God, this night,
For all the blessings of the light;
Keep me, O keep me, King of kings,
Beneath Thy own almighty wings.

2Forgive me, Lord, for Thy dear Son,
The ill that I this day have done;
That with the world, myself, and Thee,
I, ere I sleep, at peace may be.

3 Teach me to live, that I may dread
The grave as little as my bed ;
To die, that this vile body may
Rise glorious at the awful day.

4 O may my soul on Thee repose,
And with sweet sleep mine eyelids close;
Sleep that may me more vigorous make
To serve my God when I awake.

5 When in the night I sleepless lie,
My soul with heavenly thoughts supply;
Let no ill dreams disturb my rest,
No powers of darkness me molest.
6 O when shall I in endless day
For ever chase dark sleep away,
And hymns with the supernal choir
Incessant sing, and never tire I

This hymn, as also No. 7, was written more than two centuries ago by Thomas Ken. He was born in 1637, was educated at Winchester College and Oxford, and became a clergyman. We do not know just when he wrote the hymns, but he printed them in a little book ofprayers he made for the scholars at Winchester. Ken was a good man in a bad time. His holy life shines like "a good deed in a naughty world." He was made Bishop of Bath and Wells by King Charles II, who respected him because he was brave. But his life was filled with troubles until he died in 1711. His morning and evening hymns still live in millions of hearts. There are 12 verses in all in this hymn. [NOTES—Verse 1, line 4. See Psalms xvii, 8; xxxvi, 7. Verse 3, line 3. Vile body. " Vile " is used in the older sense of" held in little esteem " (that is, as compared with the "glorious" resurrection body).