Richard Verstegan [ca. 1550-1640], Odes. In imitation of the seaven penitential psalms, with sundry other poemes and ditties tending to devotion and pietie. Antwerp: 1601. [STC2 21359]
Miserere mei Deus. Pfal.50.
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Have
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mercy o good God on me, | |
| In greatness of thy grace, | ||
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O
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Let thy mercies manifold | |
| My many faults deface. | ||
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Foule
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filthy loath-some ugly sin | |
| Hath so defyled me, | ||
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With
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streams of pittie wash me cleane | |
| Els clean I cannot be. | ||
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To
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wel my foul unclensed crymes | |
| Remembrance do renew, | ||
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To
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plaine in anguish of my hart | |
| They stand before my view. | ||
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To
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thee alone o Lord to thee | |
| Thease evilles I have donne, | ||
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And
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in thy presence, wo is mee, | |
| That ere they were begun. | ||
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But
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since thow pardon promisest | |
| Where harts-true-ruthe is showne | ||
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Shew
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now thy mercies unto me | |
| To make thy justnesse knowne. | ||
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That
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such as do infringe thy grace | |
| Be made asham'd and shent, | ||
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As
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ryse thy thy mercies to behold | |
| As sinners to repent | ||
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With
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favour view my foul deffects | |
| In crymes I did begin, | ||
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My
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nature bad, my mother fraile | |
| Conceav'd I was in sin. | ||
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But
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since thy self affectest truthe | |
| And truthe it self is thee, | ||
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I
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truly hope to have thy grace | |
| From sin to set me free. | ||
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Since
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to thy faithful thow before | |
| The secret scyence gave, | ||
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Whereby
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to know what thou would'st spend | |
| The sinful world to save. | ||
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Whose
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heavenly hopeful sacred droppes | |
| Shal me besprinckle so, | ||
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That
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it my sin-defyled soule | |
| Shall wash more whyte then snow. | ||
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O
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when myne ears receave the sound | |
| Of such my soules release, | ||
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How
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do sin-laden lymmes rejoyce | |
| At harets true yoyes encrease? | ||
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From
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my misdeedes retyre thy sight | |
| View not so foule a staine, | ||
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First
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wype a way my spots impure | |
| Then turne thy face againe. | ||
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A
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cleane and undefyled hart | |
| O God create in mee, | ||
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Let
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in me Lord, of righeousnesse | |
| A spirit infused bee. | ||
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From
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that most glorious face of thyne, | |
| O cast me not away. | ||
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Thy
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holy Ghoste voutsafe o God, | |
| With mee that it may stay. | ||
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The
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joy of thy salvation Lord | |
| Restore to me again | ||
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And
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with thy spryte of graces chief | |
| Confirme it to remaine. | ||
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That
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when at thy most gracious hand | |
| My sutes receaved bee, | ||
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The
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impious I may instruckt | |
| How they may turn to thee. | ||
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For
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when o Lord I am releast | |
| From vengeance and from blood, | ||
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How
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joyful shal I speak of thee | |
| So gratious and so good. | ||
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Thow
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Lord wilt give me leave to speak | |
| And I thy praise will shew, | ||
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For
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so the graces do requyre | |
| Thow doest on me bestow. | ||
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If
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thou sin offringes had'stt desyr'd, | |
| As wonted weere to bee, | ||
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How
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gladly those for all my illes | |
| I would have yeilded thee. | ||
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But
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thow accepts in sacrifise, | |
| A sorowing soule for sin, | ||
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Despysing
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not the hart contryte | |
| And humbled mynde within. | ||
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Deal
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gratiously o loving Lord, | |
| In thy free bounties wil, | ||
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With
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Syon, thy dere spouse in earth, | |
| And fortify it stil. | ||
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That
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so thow maiest hence receave,, | |
| That soveraigne sacryfise, | ||
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From
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alter of all faithful hartes, | |
| Devoutly where it lies. | ||
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To
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thee o Father glory bee | |
| And glory to the Sonne, | ||
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And
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glory to the holy Ghost | |
| Eternally be donne. | ||
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AMEN.
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