to English are,
"I know of a sleep in Jesus' Name," "I come to Thee, O blessed Lord,"
"There many shall come from the East and the West," "When sinners see
their lost condition," and "Before Thee, God, who knowest all."

Although Landstad's hymns do not attain to lofty poetic heights, they are
marked by a spirit of unusual intimacy, deep earnestness, and a warmth of
feeling that make a strong appeal to the worshiper.

PART IV
ENGLISH HYMNODY

Ken's Immortal Evening Hymn

Glory to Thee, my God, this night,
For all the blessings of the light:
Keep me, O keep me, King of kings,
Beneath Thine own almighty wings.

Forgive 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.

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 judgment day.

O then shall I in endless day,
When sleep and death have passed away,
With all Thy saints and angels sing
In endless praise to Thee, my King.

Thomas Ken, 1695.

THE DAWN OF HYMNODY IN ENGLAND

Owing to the strong prejudice in the Reformed Church to hymns of "human
composure," the development of hymnody in England, as well as other
countries where Calvin's teachings were accepted, was slow. Crude
paraphrases of the Psalms, based on the Genevan Psalter, appeared from
the hands of various versifiers and were used generally in the churches
of England and Scotland. It was not until 1637, more than a century after
Luther had published his first hymn-books, that England's first
hymn-writer was born. He was Bishop Thomas Ken.

This first sweet singer in the early dawn of English hymnody holds the
distinction of having written the most famous doxology of the Christian
Church. It is the so-called "long meter" doxology:

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.

His sublime evening hymn, "Glory to Thee, my God, this night," is ranked
as one of the four masterpieces of English praise. His beautiful morning
hymn, "Awake, my soul, and with the sun," is scarcely less deserving of
high distinction. As originally written, both hymns closed with the
famous d