Psalm 4: For a True Faith
PSALM 4: FOR A TRUE FAITH
(Prayer 1) We being straitly hold in with great perils and distresses, cry unto thee (O almighty God) that thou aiding us with thy puissant help, we may at length have most large and pleasant passage out of the afflictions of this world.
We acknowledge ourselves to be unworthy of thy assistance, because we have very often and grievously declined from thee: but our humble petition and earnest request is, that thou wouldest vouchsafe not to regard every particular and several work of ours, but the worthiness of the cause. And forsomuch as (O God) thou thyself art accustomed to show and approve in every point the righteousness of thy blessed word, defend and uphold now mightily thy high renowned honor and Gospel, and us also, who, according to thy will and pleasure are corrected and chastised. This is it that we bewail and lament presently before thee, that the mighty and puissant of this world, being united together, go about by all the means they can, to deface the glory of thy sacred gospel and pure religion, yea, and utterly to subvert it, by means of their foolish devises and vain hopes, which of themselves they have imagined. I would it were thy pleasure (O high and mighty God) openly to show and make manifest the beauty of thy true
Church unto them, which thou hast picked out and chosen for thyself, and which also thou hearest so often as it prayeth and calleth faithfully upon thee. So they should peradventure understand, so should they be rather moved, and have a very great regard they offend it not. They would perhaps weigh with themselves, yea, even in their bed they would consider; what a regard they ought to have unto it, and so peradventure they would be in quiet, and persuaded to offer, wish it the Sacrifices of true righteousness: where as now being altogether blind, they wish nothing more than to satisfy their madness and outrage against the same, and esteem it an high felicity to subvert and utterly overthrow the true church. But so many of us (O good God) as honor and worship thy divine majesty in spirit and truth, have very often prayed to thee for these our cruel enemies: yea when any good and prosperous things happened unto them, we did heartily rejoice. Grant therefore (for thy infinite mercies sake) that we may at the last live