Luther on Psalm 12:6-8

These stanzas are from one of Martin Luther’s first metrical compositions of a Psalm:

The silver seven times tried is pure
From all adulteration; [endure
So, through God’s Word, shall men
Each trial and temptation:
Its worth gleams brighter through the cross.
And, purified from human dross,
It shines through every nation.

Thy truth thou wilt preserve, O Lord,
From this vile generation;
Make us to lean upon thy Word,
With calm anticipation.
The wicked walk on every side
When, ‘mid thy flock, the vile abide
In power and exaltation.

James Franklin Lambert, Luther’s Hymns (Philadelphia: General Council Publication House, 1917), 51-52