The Doxology (Quick Thoughts on a Hymn)

On one occasion, Paul and Silas were cruelly beaten and taken to the Roman prison in Philippi. Their feet were fastened in the stocks and they were locked in a dismal cell to await an uncertain fate. But their painful situation did not dampen their joyful faith. Scripture says, “At midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God” (Acts 16:25). The song of the redeemed cannot be stifled by social custom or even adverse circumstances.

In a much different setting, something similar happened to a hymn written by a man named Thomas Ken (1637-1710). Bishop Ken lived at a time when the English church sang nothing but the Psalms. To attempt the writing of a new congregational hymn was blasphemous in the eyes of some. It was like trying to add something to the Bible. Thomas Ken was both a fine preacher and an able musician. But he knew his songs would never be welcomed in the churches of his day. In 1674, he published a book called A Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Scholars of Winchester College (a boys’ school he himself had attended). In his book, Bishop Ken included three lovely hymns he had written, but they were accompanied by the strict instruction that they never be sung in public! They were simply to be used by the boys in their private devotions.

It is ironic, therefore, that the last verse of all three hymns has likely become the most frequently sung hymn in the Christian church. It says, “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.” Once again it seems that when praise to God is due, it must come, even if it be in spite of binding tradition or human opposition. Regardless of Bishop Ken’s stern insistence, for over three hundred years the church has been singing his hymn of praise to God.