If thou but knew the life that thou are leading In sin and shame is Satan's tyranny, Thou wouldest kneel and with the Lord be pleading That He thy soul from bondage would set free. Oh, how the Saviour would rejoice If thou today should'st listen to His voice! And the day of salvation is now at hand. O, seek the Lord today, Today He hath salvation. Approach Him while He may Still hear thy supplication. Repent and seek His grace While yet His call doth sound, Yea turn to Him thy face While still He may be found. Orthodoxy had instilled a formal, but often spiritless faith. Pietism aimed to awaken the great mass of formal believers to a new life, a living and active faith. This is strongly expressed in the very popular hymn below. The faith that Christ embraces[6] And purifies the hearts The faith that boldly faces The devil's fiery darts, That faith is strong and must Withstand the world's temptation And in all tribulation, In Christ, the Saviour, trust. The faith that knows no struggle Against the power of sin, The faith that sounds no bugle To waken, fight and win, That faith is dead and vain, Its sacred name disgracing, And impotent when facing The devil's mighty reign. A Christian wears his armor To wage the war of faith Against the crafty charmer, His foe in life and death. With Jesus he must stand Undaunted and victorious, If he would win his glorious Reward at God's right hand. It is a comfort pleasing In our embattled life, To feel our strength increasing In trying days of strife. And as our days shall be The Lord will help accord us And with His gifts reward us When striving faithfully. O Lord, my hope most fervent, My refuge in all woe, I will hence be Thy servant Through all my days below. Let come whatever may, I will exalt Thee ever, And ask no other favor Than live with Thee for aye. Although Brorson knew that-- The cost is greater than at first expected To be in God's unbounded gifts perfected. he holds that It does not cost too hard a strife To be a Christian, pure and heaven-minded,-- But a Christian must be steadfast and persevering, as he admonishes himself and others in the following very popular hymn. The translation is by Pastor P. C. Paulsen. Stand fast, my soul, stand fast In Christ, thy Saviour! Lose not the war at last By faint behaviour. It is of no avail That thou hast known Him If when thy foes assail, Thou shalt His banner fail, And thus disown Him. To brandish high thy sword, With calm assurance, And face the devil's horde With brave endurance, Is meet and well begun, And merits praising. But from the strife to run, When blows thy courage stun, Is most disgracing.