att s ' s ▁h ym ns ▁are ▁now ▁better ▁known ▁than ▁these ▁po ems , ▁Div ine ▁Songs ▁was ▁a ▁u bi quit ous ▁children ' s ▁book ▁for ▁nearly ▁two ▁hundred ▁years , ▁serving ▁as ▁a ▁standard ▁text book ▁in ▁schools . ▁By ▁the ▁mid - 1 9 th ▁century ▁there ▁were ▁more ▁than ▁one ▁thousand ▁ed itions . ▁ ▁Three ▁of ▁the ▁best - known ▁po ems ▁in ▁the ▁collection ▁are ▁" P raise ▁for ▁Cre ation ▁and ▁Prov idence ", ▁" Ag ain st ▁Id len ess ▁and ▁M isch ief ", ▁and ▁" The ▁Sl ugg ard ". ▁ ▁" P raise ▁for ▁Cre ation ▁and ▁Prov idence " ▁( bet ter ▁known ▁as ▁" I ▁sing ▁the ▁mighty ▁power ▁of ▁God ") ▁is ▁now ▁a ▁h ymn ▁s ung ▁by ▁all ▁ages . ▁" Ag ain st ▁Id len ess ▁and ▁M isch ief " ▁and ▁" The ▁Sl ugg ard " ▁( bet ter ▁known ▁as ▁" How ▁d oth ▁the ▁little ▁busy ▁be e " ▁and ▁"' T is ▁the ▁voice ▁of ▁the ▁sl ugg ard ") ▁were ▁both ▁meant ▁to ▁teach ▁children ▁the ▁importance ▁of ▁hard ▁work , ▁and ▁were ▁extremely ▁well ▁known ▁in ▁the ▁nin ete enth ▁century . ▁Walter ▁de ▁la ▁Mare ▁wrote ▁that ▁" a ▁child hood ▁without ▁the ▁busy ▁be e ▁and ▁the ▁sl ugg ard ▁would ▁res emble ▁a ▁h ymn al ▁without ▁‘ O ▁God , ▁our ▁help ▁in ▁ages ▁past ’ ." ▁Charles ▁Dick ens ' s