Clarkson's Prayer for Sierra Leone
O Lord, I beseech Thee favorably to hear the prayer of him who wishes
to be Thy servant, and pardon him for presuming to address Thee from this
sacred place. O God, I know my own infinity and unworthiness, and I
know Thine abundant mercies to those who wish to be guided by thy
will. Support me. O Lord, with thy heavenly grace, and to
enable me to conduct myself through this earthly life that my actions may
be consistent with the words I have uttered this day. Thou knowest
that I am now about to depart from this place, and to leave the people
whom it has pleased Thee to entrust to my care. Guide them, O
merciful God, in the paths of truth and let not a few wicked men among us
draw down Thy vengeance upon this Colony.
In graft into their hearts a proper
sense of duty, and enable them through Thy grace to conduct themselves as
Christians, that they may not come to Thy house without that pleasing emotion
which every grateful man must feel when paying adoration to the Author of
life. But I have a great reason to fear, O Lord, that many who frequent
thy church do not approach thy presence as becomes them, and that they may
partly be compared to the Scribes. Pharisees, and hypocrites. Pardon,
O God, their infirmities, and as thou knowest their weakness from
the manner in which they have formerly been treated, and the little opportunity they have had of knowing thy will and getting acquainted with the merits of thy
Son, our saviour Jesus Christ look down upon them with an eye of mercy and
suffer them not to incur thy displeasure, after they have had an
opportunity of being instructed in the ways of thy commandments.
Bless, O Lord, the inhabitants of this vast continent, and incline their
hearts towards us that they may more readily listen to our advice and
doctrines, and that we may conduct ourselves towards them as to convince
them of the happiness we enjoy under thy almighty protection. Banish
from this Colony, O Lord all heathenish superstition and let the inhabitants
know that thou art the only true Lord in which we live and move and have
our being. If these people who protest thy religion will not be
assured of thy superior power, convince them. O God, of Thine anger
for their profession without their practice, for thou knowest I brought
them here in hopes of making them and their families happy, both in this
world and to all eternity.
But I fear they may not be governed by my advice, and that they themselves
and their children forever by their perverse and general behavior.
I entreat thee not to let their evil example ruin the great cause in which
we have embarked, but I would rather see that place in ashes and every
wicked person destroyed, than that the chance we have now an opportunity
of bringing to the light and knowledge of thy holy religion should, from
the wickedness of a few individuals will continue in their accustomed
darkness and barbarism. They know that I have universally talked
of their apparent virtue the goodness, and have praised thy name for having
permitted me to be the servant employed in so great and glorious
a cause. If I have been deceived, I am sorry for it, and may thy
will be done; but I implore thee to accept the sincerity of my intentions
and my best endeavours to improve the talent committed to my case.
Only pardon the intuity of my nature, and I will trust to thy mercy.
Should any person have a wicked thought in his heart or do anything knowledge
to disturb the peace and comfort of our Colony, let him be rooted our O
God, from off the face of the earth; but have mercy upon him hereafter.
Were I to utter all that my heart now indicates, no time would be
sufficient for any praise and thanksgiving for all the mercies. Thou
has vouchsafed to show me, but as thou art acquainted with every secret of
my heart, accept my thoughts for thanks. I have no words left to
express my gratitude and resignation to thy will. I entreat thee, O
God, if nothing I can say will convince these people of thy power and
goodness, make use of me in anyway thou pleasest, to make an atonement for
their guilt. This is an awful and I fear too presumptuous, a
request; yet if it should be thy will that I should lay down my life for
the cause I have embarked in, assist me, O Lord with thy support, that I
may resign it in such a manner as to convince these unbelieving people that thou art God indeed. May the
heart of this Colony, O Lord, imbibe the spirit of meekness, gentleness, and
truth; and may they henceforth live in unity and godly love, following as far as
the weakness of their mortal natures will admit, that most excellent and
faultless pattern which thou hast given us in thy Son our Saviors, Jesus Christ,
to whom with thee and the Holy Spirit be all honor and glory, now and
forever. Amen.
|