| Edward Farr, ed. Select Poetry of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth. 1845. | | | | A Heauenly Prayer in Contempt of the World and the Vanities Thereof | | LXXXV. Anonymous |
| | | O HEAUENLY God, that gouernes euery thing, | |
| Whose power in heauen and in the earth we know; | |
| Thou God, from whom the giftes of grace doe spring, | |
| Attend my suites, who am opprest with woe: | |
| O pitty, God, sweet God, some pitty take, | 5 |
| And clense my soule for Jesus Christ his sake. | |
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| I waile the life that I haue led before; | |
| The daies ill-spent, that come into my minde, | |
| Incense my soule with horrour very sore, | |
| And threaten death vnless I fauour finde: | 10 |
| O pitty, God, sweet God, some pitty take, | |
| And clense my soule for Jesus Christ his sake. | |
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| My graceless oathes now fade before mine eyes, | |
| My youth, ill-spent, and worne by women’s guile, | |
| My hidden sinnes, my wofull soule’s surprise, | 15 |
| My want of grace once had; and in the while | |
| Cry mercy, Lord, that thou wouldst pitty take, | |
| And clense my soule for Jesus Christ his sake. | |
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| O wayward world, that flatterest earthly man | |
| With heauenly ioyes, and bringst him down to hell, | 20 |
| I loath this life: doe thou whatso thou can, | |
| My longing is with God my Lord to dwell, | |
| Who will repent, surely some pitty take, | |
| To clense my soule for Jesus Christ his sake. | | | | |
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