"It is true, wicked men, instigated by the prince of darkness, often abuse darkness, and pervert it for the commission of acts of guilt and shame; but I see in it traces, which few suspect, of the hidden goodness and wisdom of God. Night, with its darkness, serves to cool and refresh the drooping plants, watering them with wholesome dew. It sharpens the sight by giving the eyes time to recover their optic power. It is of equal benefit to the mind. By day, distracted with the multiplicity of the objects presented by the senses, the mind cannot duly weigh them all; but night, wrapping the head in her black mantle, she secludes us from the external world, and gives it solitude and leisure for deep and calm reflection. Besides, what is darkness but a somber curtain which God in His kindness hangs about our beds, that our rest may be tranquil and undisturbed, while He who neither slumbers nor sleeps, keeps watch, like a mother over her child?

  Grant, O God, that when I awake in the night, I may think of you and employ my mind in contemplating your inconceivable goodness. And also, amidst the darkness, cause your light to shine into my soul."

Gotthold's Emblems.