O thou thy self dost say to vs – Scholarly Edition

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O thou thy self dost say to vs:
          Thou wilt not sinners death,
But that we do conuert and liue¹“Say to them: As I live, saith the Lord God, I desire not the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way, and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways: and why will you die, O house of Israel?” (Ezechiel 33:11, Douay-Rheims Bible).
          euen while our souls haue breath,
And no more then to cease to be
          canst thou (O God) refuse
To pardon humble penitents
          that do themselues accuse,
Being no accepter of persons
          al hauing cost thee deare,
Yea euen thy very life; it-self
          how can I therefor fear?
If euer yet he did disdain
          sinners that fled to him,
Then had I little cause of hope
          but this was neuer seen.
For if they doe return to thee,
          thy hart thou wilt not close,
As witnes can my wretched soul,
          who was so like to lose
Al grace and goodnes (if thou hadst
          not me with helpe preuented)
By sins that would with bloudy teares,
          be while I live lamented,
If I as grateful were to thee,
          as thou deseruest I should,
Or as another in my case
          vnto thy mercy would.
But thou whiles that thou liuedst heer,
          by tokens plain didst shew,
That none should be refused by thee,
          who dost in mercy flow.
And that my wicked hart did proue,
          who after sins so many
Hath found much fauour in thine eys,
          without deseruing any.
O blessed euer be my God,
          for this preuenting grace,²A reference to the doctrine of prevenient grace, in which God’s grace occurs before a human being takes any action.
Which I vnworthy have receaud
          in this most happy place.
I fled from thee by many sins,
          and thou didst follow me,
As if my ruin would haue causd
          some detriment to thee.
How can this choose but wound my hart,
          when I remember it,
And ever serue to humble me,
          while at thy feet I sit?³“And she had a sister called Mary, who sitting also at the Lord’s feet, heard his word” (Luke 10:39, Douay-Rheims Bible).
From whence my Lord, my God, and al,
          permit me not to rise,
til I do love thee as thou wouldst,
          the which doth al comprise.