A prayer from John Donne // March 7, 2007

"O Lord, I most humbly acknowledge and confess that I have understood sin, by understanding thy laws and judgments; but have gone against thy known and revealed will. Thou hast set up many candlesticks and kindled many lamps in me; but I have either blown them out, or carried them to guide me in forbidden ways. Thou hast given me a desire of knowledge, and some means to it, and some possession of it; and I have armed myself with thy weapons against thee. Yet, O God, have mercy upon me, for thine own sake have mercy upon me. Let not sin and me be able to exceed thee, nor defraud thee, nor frustrate thy purposes. But let me, in spite of me, be of so much use to thy glory, that by thy mercy to my sin, other sinners may see how much sin thou canst pardon. Amen"