Strength in Weakness - Song 1
1
Men's Strength meer Weakness is,
As frail as Venice Glass:
And all his Excellency like
The flower upon the grass
Adam in Paradise,
And in his perfect state,
When left of God unto himself,
Could soon degenerate.
2
He that was strong at first
Immediately grew weak;
And let the stock of Grace run out,
Like vessels that do leak
Hence we are all made weak,
And neither have Free-will
To chuse, nor Power to do what's good,
But only what is ill.
3
But God, the God of Grace,
His Blessed Son imploy'd
And sent to ransome and restore
What Adam had destroy'd.
He having us Redeem'd
And Ransom'd with his Blood,
And also purchased for us
All grace and saving good
4
Restoreth us to life,
Createth us anew,
Enableth us to do what's good
And evil to eschew.
But still he keeps the Stock
Of grace in his own hand,
And hath not left it unto us
To be at our command
5
The strongest Saints have need
Of daily fresh supplies:
And Christ will teach them where their strength
And all their power lies.
Unless the Sun do shine,
Soon vanisheth the Beam:
Unless the Fountain feed it still,
Soon dry'd up is the Stream.
6
Hence if the strongest Saints
Begin to grow secure,
Neglect their watch, trust in themselves;
Christ will not this endure.
He leaves them to themselves,
And lets them trie their strength:
They fall and feel their weaknesses
Unto their cost at length.
7
Thus David sadly fell;
And who more strong then David ?
Or who more graciously himself
In all his straits behaved?
David , while weak, was strong,
And kept his hands most pure:
But in his strength he grew most weak
By being too secure.
8
Peter was confident
And thought he had much strength
To follow Christ through thick and thin:
But what came on't at length?
He thought his Love so great,
He could with Christ have dy'd:
But ah frail man! e're morning light
He Christ three times deny'd.
Obj.
9
Some haply here will say;
If Saints of such renown
Have been so foil'd, and to the ground
In time of Trial thrown;
What will become of me,
That am so weak and frail!
How shall I stand, when violent
Temptations me assail?
Sol
10
Though God sometimes permit
The strongest Saints to fall,
To stain the glory of all Flesh,
And to awaken all:
Yet let not weak ones faint,
Nor be discouraged,
Who feel their wants and weaknesses,
And flee to Christ their Head.
11
For Christ hath strength enough:
Do thou on him depend,
And he will make thee stand in storms,
And hold out to the end
For in our weakness great
Christ's strength doth more appear:
We never are so safe, as when
We get to him most near.
12
When sense of our own wants,
And manifold defects,
Drives us to Christ our only strength;
Then he the weak protects
Hence we are never stronger,
Then when we are most weak
Because we then most heartily
Christ's help and succour seek
13
Thus Paul that great Apostle,
when I am weak, saith he,
Then am I strong; because the strength
Of Christ then rests on me.
Therefore I rather chuse
In weaknesses to glory,
Then of my Revelations great
To tell an ample story.
Men's Strength meer Weakness is,
As frail as Venice Glass:
And all his Excellency like
The flower upon the grass
Adam in Paradise,
And in his perfect state,
When left of God unto himself,
Could soon degenerate.
2
He that was strong at first
Immediately grew weak;
And let the stock of Grace run out,
Like vessels that do leak
Hence we are all made weak,
And neither have Free-will
To chuse, nor Power to do what's good,
But only what is ill.
3
But God, the God of Grace,
His Blessed Son imploy'd
And sent to ransome and restore
What Adam had destroy'd.
He having us Redeem'd
And Ransom'd with his Blood,
And also purchased for us
All grace and saving good
4
Restoreth us to life,
Createth us anew,
Enableth us to do what's good
And evil to eschew.
But still he keeps the Stock
Of grace in his own hand,
And hath not left it unto us
To be at our command
5
The strongest Saints have need
Of daily fresh supplies:
And Christ will teach them where their strength
And all their power lies.
Unless the Sun do shine,
Soon vanisheth the Beam:
Unless the Fountain feed it still,
Soon dry'd up is the Stream.
6
Hence if the strongest Saints
Begin to grow secure,
Neglect their watch, trust in themselves;
Christ will not this endure.
He leaves them to themselves,
And lets them trie their strength:
They fall and feel their weaknesses
Unto their cost at length.
7
Thus David sadly fell;
And who more strong then David ?
Or who more graciously himself
In all his straits behaved?
David , while weak, was strong,
And kept his hands most pure:
But in his strength he grew most weak
By being too secure.
8
Peter was confident
And thought he had much strength
To follow Christ through thick and thin:
But what came on't at length?
He thought his Love so great,
He could with Christ have dy'd:
But ah frail man! e're morning light
He Christ three times deny'd.
Obj.
9
Some haply here will say;
If Saints of such renown
Have been so foil'd, and to the ground
In time of Trial thrown;
What will become of me,
That am so weak and frail!
How shall I stand, when violent
Temptations me assail?
Sol
10
Though God sometimes permit
The strongest Saints to fall,
To stain the glory of all Flesh,
And to awaken all:
Yet let not weak ones faint,
Nor be discouraged,
Who feel their wants and weaknesses,
And flee to Christ their Head.
11
For Christ hath strength enough:
Do thou on him depend,
And he will make thee stand in storms,
And hold out to the end
For in our weakness great
Christ's strength doth more appear:
We never are so safe, as when
We get to him most near.
12
When sense of our own wants,
And manifold defects,
Drives us to Christ our only strength;
Then he the weak protects
Hence we are never stronger,
Then when we are most weak
Because we then most heartily
Christ's help and succour seek
13
Thus Paul that great Apostle,
when I am weak, saith he,
Then am I strong; because the strength
Of Christ then rests on me.
Therefore I rather chuse
In weaknesses to glory,
Then of my Revelations great
To tell an ample story.
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