80

8,4,8,4,8,8,8,4 God, that madest earth and heaven,

Darkness and light,
Who the day for toil hast given,

For rest the night.
May Thine angel guards defend us,
Slumber sweet Thy mercy send us,
Holy dreams and hopes attend us,

This live-long night.
2 Guard us waking, guard us sleeping,

And, when we die,
May we in Thy mighty keeping,

All peaceful lie.
When the last dread call shall wake us,
Do not Thou, our God, forsake us,
But to reign in glory take us
With Thee on high.

Ř. Heber and R. Whateley.

81

7,6,7,6,8,8 The day is past and over;

All thanks, O Lord, to Thee !
I pray Thee now that sinless

The hours of dark may be.
O Jesus, keep me in Thy sight
And save me through the coming night!
2 The joys of day are over.

I lift my heart to Thee,
And ask Thee, that offenceless

The hours of dark may be.
O Jesus, make their darkness light,
And save me through the coming night!
3 The toils of day are over.

I raise the hymn to Thee,
And ask that free from peril

The hours of fear may be.

O Jesus, keep me in Thy sight,
And guard me through the coming night!
4 Lighten mine eyes, O Saviour,

Or sleep in death shall I,
And he, my wakeful tempter,

Triumphantly shall cry “He could not make their darkness light, Nor guard them through the hours of night." 5 Be Thou my soul's preserver,

O God, for Thou dost know
How many are the perils

Through which I have to go.
Lover of men, oh, hear my call,
And guard and save me from them all!

Anatolius. Tr. J. M. Neale. 82

C. M.
AS NOW the sun's declining rays

At eventide descend,
So life's brief day is sinking down

To its appointed end.
2 Lord, on the cross Thine arms

stretched
To draw Thy people nigh ;
Oh, grant us then that cross to love,

And in those arms to die.

were

3 All glory to the Father be,

All glory to the Son,
All glory, Holy Ghost, to Thee,
While endless ages run.

C. Coffin. Tr. J. Chandler. 83

78,6s. 81. THE hours of day are over,

The evening calls us home ;
Once more, to Thee, O Father,

With thankful hearts we come.

For all Thy countless blessings

We praise Thy holy name,
And own Thy love unchanging,

Through days and years the same. 2 For this O Lord, we bless Thee,

For this, we thank Thee most
The cleansing of the sinful,

The saving of the lost ;
The Teacher ever present,

The Friend for ever nigh,
The home prepared by Jesus

For us above the sky.

3 Lord, gather all Thy children

To meet Thee there at last,
When earthly tasks are ended,

And earthly days are past;
With all our dear ones round us

In that eternal home,
Where death no more shall part us,
And night shall never come!

J. Ellerton.

84

L. M. All praise to Thee, my God, this night, For all the blessings of the light; Keep me, oh keep me, King of kings, Beneath Thine own almighty wings.

2 Forgive me, Lord, for Thy dear Son,

The ill that I this day have done ;
That with the world, myself and Thee,

1, ere I sleep, at peace may be.
3 Teach me to live, that I may dread

The grave as little as my bed ;
Teach me to die that so I may
Rise glorious at Thy judgment day.

4 Oh, may my soul on Thee repose,

And may sweet sleep mine eyelids close — Sleep, that may me more vig'rous 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 The faster sleep the senses binds,

The more unfetter'd are our minds;
Oh, may my soul, from matter free,

Thy loveliness unclouded see.
7 Oh, when shall I, in endless day,

For ever chase dark sleep away,
And hymns with the supernal choir

Incessant sing, and never tire ? 8 Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

T. K’en. 85

S. M.
Our day of praise is done,

The evening shadows fall ;
But pass not from us with the sun,

True light that light'nest all.
2 Around the throne on high,

Where night can never e,
*The white-robed harpers of the sky

Bring ceaseless hymns to Thee.
3 Too faint our anthems here,

Too soon of praise we tire ;
But oh the strains how full and clear

Of that eternal choir !

4 Yet, Lord, to Thy dear will

If Thou attune the heart,
We in Thine angels' music still

May bear our lower part.
5 'Tis Thine each soul to calm,

Each wayward thought reclaim,
And make our life a daily psalm

Of glory to Thy name.
6 A little while, and then

Shall come the glorious end ;
And songs of angels and of men
In perfect praise shall blend.

J. Ellerton.

86

L. M. THE brightning dawn and voiceful day

Thy loving-kindness, Lord, proclaim; And night, with its sublime array

Of starry worlds, doth praise Thy name. 2 Yea, while adoring seraphim

Before Thee bend the willing knee,
From every star a choral hymn
Goes up unc

nceasingly to Thee. 3 O holy Father, ’mid the calm

And stillness of this evening hour,
We, too, would lift our solemn psalm

To praise Thy goodness and Thy power; 4 For over us, as over all,

Thy tender mercies still extend,
Nor vainly shall the contrite call

On Thee, our Father and our Friend. 5 Kept by Thy goodness through the day,

Thanksgiving to Thy name we pour ;