Influenced of the Light divine

Let thine own light in good works shine;
Reflect all heaven's propitious rays
In ardent love and cheerful praise.

Wake and lift up thyself, my heart,
And with the angels bear thy part,
Who all night long unwearied sing
Glory to the Eternal King.

I wake, I wake, ye heavenly choir,
May your devotion me inspire,
That I like you my age may spend,
Like you may on my GOD attend.

May I like you in GOD delight,
Have all day long my GOD in sight,
Perform like you my Maker's will,
Oh may I never more do ill.

Had I your wings to heaven I'd fly;
But GOD shall that defect supply,
And my soul, winged with warm desire,
Shall all day long to heaven aspire.

Glory to thee who safe hast kept,

And hast refreshed me while I slept;

Grant, Lord, when I from death shall wake,
I may of endless light partake.

I would not wake, nor rise again,
E'en heaven itself I would disdain,
Wert not thou there to be enjoyed,
And I in hymns to be employed.

Heaven is, dear Lord, where'er thou art;
Oh never then from me depart;
For to my soul 't is hell to be,
But for a moment without thee.

Lord, I my vows to thee renew;
Scatter my sins as morning dew;

Guard my first springs of thought and will,
And with thyself my spirit fill.

Direct, control, suggest this day,

All I design, or do, or say;

That all my powers, with all their might

In thy sole glory may unite.

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow:

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye angelic host,
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

KEN'S EVENING HYMN.

ORIGINAL TEXT OF 1697.

GLORY to Thee, my GOD, this night
For all the blessings of the light;
Keep me, oh keep me, KING of kings,
Under thine own Almighty wings.

Forgive me, LORD, for thy dear SON,
The ills 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;
Teach me to die, that so I may
Triumphing rise at the last day.

Oh may my soul on thee repose,
And may sweet sleep mine eyelids close,
Sleep that shall me more vigorous make
To serve my GOD when I awake.

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.

Dull sleep, of sense me to deprive!
I am but half my days alive;
Thy faithful lovers, Lord, are grieved
To lie so long of thee bereaved.

But though sleep o'er my frailty reigns,
Let it not hold me long in chains,
And now and then let loose my heart,
Till it a hallelujah dart.

The faster sleep the sense does bind,
The more unfettered is the mind,
Oh may my soul, from matter free,
Thy unveiled goodness waking see.

Oh when shall I, in endless day,
For ever chase dark sleep away,

And endless praise with the heavenly choir
Incessant sing, and never tire?

You, my blest guardian, whilst I sleep,
Close to my bed your vigils keep,

Divine love into me instil,

Stop all the avenues of ill.

Thought to thought with my soul converse,

Celestial joys to me rehearse,

And in my stead all the night long,

Sing to my God a grateful song.

Praise GOD from whom all blessings flow: Praise Him all creatures here below:

Praise Him above, ye angelic host:

Praise FATHER, SON, and HOLY GHOST.

"ROCK OF AGES.”

THE hymn beginning,

"Rock of Ages, cleft for me,"

may well be esteemed one of the brightest gems of Christian psalmody. It holds a place in the affections of the church, second, perhaps, only to Charles Wesley's deep spiritual petition,

"Jesus, lover of my soul."

It is a grand tone that nerves and strengthens faith, that associates the sublime imagery of the Hebrew Scriptures with the all-protecting love of Christ, and that has consoled thousands of Christians in the dying hour. The late Prince Consort repeated the first stanza on his bed of death, and found in it the perfect interpretation of the sentiment of his hopeful Christian experience.

Augustus Montague Toplady, the author, was born at Farnham, Surrey, England in 1740. His father fell at the battle of Carthagena, and he was brought up in charge of an exemplary and pious mother. He was

educated at Westminster school.

At the age of sixteen, Toplady chanced to go into a barn at an obscure place, called Codymain, Ireland, to hear an illiterate layman preach. The sermon made upon him an unexpected impression and led to his immediate conversion. He thus speaks of this interesting experience in his diary: "That sweet text, 'Ye who sometime were afar off are made nigh by the blood of Christ,' was particularly delightful and refreshing to my soul. It was from that passage that Mr. Morris preached on the

memorable evening of my effectual call by the grace of God, under the ministry of that dear messenger, under that sermon, I was, I trust, brought nigh by the blood of Christ, in August, 1756.

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Strange that I, who had so long been under the means of grace in England, should be brought nigh to God in an obscure part of Ireland, amidst a handful of God's people met together in a barn, and under the ministry of one who could scarcely spell his name. The excellency of such power must be of God and cannot be of men."

He became a minister of the church of England, maintained the Calvinistic doctrines in opposition to the Wesleys, and preached and wrote with self-consuming zeal. The only blemish of his high character was heated language and intolerance in controversy.

In the year 1775 his health began to fail. It was evident that the sword was too sharp for the scabbard. His physical energies were being destroyed by the fiery ardor of soul that over-taxed them. His physician commanded him to go to London. Here a new field opened before him, and he became pastor of the French Calvinist Reformed Church.

On the year of his settlement in London, he published in the Gospel Magazine (March, 1776) an article, entitled "Questions and Answers Relative to the National Debt," in which he adverts to the debt of sin, and shows how multitudinous are the sins of mankind. By numerical calculations, he exhibits the enormity of the debt of the redeemed soul, which Christ has cancelled, and impresses 3

Story of Hymns.