The words
Stanza 1. When first my soul enlistedMy Savior’s foes to fight;Mistaken friends insistedI was not armed aright:So Saul advised DavidHe certainly would fail;Nor could his life be savedWithout a coat of mail.
Stanza 2. But David, though he yieldedTo put the armor on,Soon found he could not wield it,And ventured forth with none.With only sling and pebbleHe fought the fight of faith;The weapons seemed but feeble,Yet proved Goliath’s death.
Stanza 3. Had I by him been guided,And quickly thrown awayThe armor men provided,I might have gained the day;But armed as they advised me,My expectations failed;My enemy surprised me,And had almost prevailed.
Stanza 4. Furnished with books and notions,And arguments and prideI practised all my motions,And Satan’s pow’r defiedBut soon perceived with trouble,That these would do no good;Iron to him is stubble,And brass like rotten wood.
Stanza 5. I triumphed at a distanceWhile he was out of sight;But faint was my resistanceWhen forced to join in fight:He broke my sword in shivers,And pierced my boasted shield;Laughed at my vain endeavors,And drove me from the field.
Stanza 6. Satan will not be bravedBy such a worm as I;Then let me learn with David,To trust in the Most High;To plead the name of Jesus,And use the sling of prayer;Thus armed, when Satan sees usHe’ll tremble and despair.
Olney Hymns (1779), Book 1, Hymn 28. John Newton. Public domain. CCEL transcription with modernized spelling. www.praylock.com/olney-hymns/1-28
