A Child's Hymn
Hear
my
prayer,
O
heavenly
Father,
Ere
I
lay
me
down
to
sleep;
Bid
Thy
angels,
pure
and
holy,
Round
my
bed
their
vigil
keep.
My
sins
are
heavy,
but
Thy
mercy
Far
outweighs
them,
every
one;
Down
before
Thy
cross
I
cast
them,
Trusting
in
Thy
help
alone.
Keep
me
through
this
night
of
peril
Underneath
its
boundless
shade;
Take
me
to
Thy
rest,
I
pray
Thee,
When
my
pilgrimage
is
made.
None
shall
measure
out
Thy
patience
By
the
span
of
human
thought;
None
shall
bound
the
tender
mercies
Which
Thy
Holy
Son
has
bought.
Pardon
all
my
past
transgressions,
Give
me
strength
for
days
to
come;
Guide
and
guard
me
with
Thy
blessing
Till
Thy
angels
bid
me
home.
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens (born February 7, 1812, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England—died June 9, 1870, Gad’s Hill, near Chatham, Kent) English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian era. His many volumes include such works as A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, Bleak House, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, and Our Mutual Friend. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity during his lifetime than had any previous author. Much in his work could appeal to the simple and the sophisticated, to the poor and to the queen, and technological developments as well as the qualities of his work enabled his fame to spread worldwide very quickly.