1 MY brethren beloved, Your calling ye see;
In Jesus approved, No goodness have we,
No riches or merit, No wisdom or might,
But all things inherit Through Jesus's right.
2 Yet not many wise His summons obey,
And great ones despise So vulgar a way,
And strong ones will never Their helplessness own,
Or stoop to find favour Through mercy alone.
3 And therefore our God The outcasts hath chose,
His righteousness showed To heathens like us;
When wise ones rejected His offers of grace,
His goodness elected The foolish and base.
4 To baffle the wise, And noble, and strong,
He bade us arise, An impotent throng;
Poor ignorant wretches, We gladly embrace
A Prophet who teaches Salvation by grace.
5 The things that were not, His mercy bids live;
His mercy unbought We freely receive;
His gracious compassion We thankfully prove,
And all our salvation Ascribe to his love.