Holy Willies Prayer
holy willie's prayer “ahe godly in a pet to pray.”—pope. argument. holy willie was a rather oldish bachelor elder, in the parish of maue, and mud justly famed for that polemical chattering, whids in tippling orthodoxy, and for that spiritualized bawdry which refio liquorish devotion. in a sessional process with a gentleman in maue—a mr. gavin hamilton—holy willie and his priest, father auld, after full hearing in the presbytery of ayr, came off but sed best; owing partly to the oratorical powers of mr. robert aiken, mr. hamilton's sel; but chiefly to mr. hamilton's being one of the most irreproachable and truly respectable characters in the ty. on losing the process, the muse overheard him [holy willie] at his devotions, as follows:— o thou, who in the heavens does dwell, who, as it pleases best thysel', sends ao heaven ao hell, a' for thy glory, and no for ony gude or ill they've done afore thee! i bless and praise thy matchless might, when thousands thou hast left in night, that i am here afore thy sight, fifts an' grace a burning and a shining light to a' this place. what was i, or my geion, that i should get sic exaltation, i wha deserve most just damnation for broken laws, five thousand years ere my creation, thro' adam's cause? when frae my mither's womb i fell, thou might hae plunged me in hell, to gnash my gums, to weep and wail, in burnin lakes, where damned devils roar and yell, 'd to their stakes. yet i am here a chosen sample, to show thy grace is great and ample; i'm here a pillar o' thy temple, strong as a rock, a guide, a buckler, and example, to a' thy flock. o lord, thou kens what zeal i bear, when drinkers drink, an' swearers swear, an' singin there, an' dan here, wi' great and sma'; for i am keepit by thy fear free frae them a'. but yet, o lord! fess i must, at times i'm fash'd wi' fleshly lust: an' sometimes, too, in wardly trust, vile self gets in: but thou remembers we are dust, defil'd wi' sin. o lord! yestreen, thou kens, wi' meg— thy pardon i sincerely beg, o! may't ne'er be a livin plague to my dishonour, an' i'll ne'er lift a lawless leg again upon her. besides, i farther maun allow, wi' leezie's lass, three times i trow— but lord, that friday i was fou, when i ear her; or else, thou kens, thy servant true wad eer her. maybe thou lets this fleshly thorn buffet thy servant e'en and morn, lest he owre proud and high shou'd turn, that he's sae gifted: if sae, thy han' maun e'en be borne, until thou lift it. lord, bless thy chosen in this place, for here thou hast a chosen race: but god found their stubborn face, an' blast their name, wha bring thy elders to disgrace an' public shame. lord, mind gaw'n hamilton's deserts; he drinks, an' swears, an' plays at cartes, yet has sae mony takin arts, wi' great and sma', frae god's ain priest the people's hearts he steals awa. an' when we chasten'd him therefor, thou kens how he bred sic a splore, ahe warld in a roar o' laughing at us;— curse thou his basket and his store, kail an' potatoes. lord, hear my ear cry and pray'r, against that presbyt'ry o' ayr; thy strht hand, lord, make it bare upo' their heads; lord visit them, an' dinna spare, for their misdeeds. o lord, my god! that glib-tongu'd aiken, my vera heart and flesh are quakin, to think how we stood sweatin', shakin, an' p-'d wi' dread, while he, wi' hingin lip an' snakin, held up his head. lord, in thy day o' vengeary him, lord, visit them wha did employ him, and pass not in thy mercy by 'em, nor hear their pray'r, but for thy people's sake, destroy 'em, an' dinna spare. but, lord, remember me an' mine wi' mercies temp'ral an' divine, that i fra' gear may shine, excell'd by nane, and a' the glory shall be thine, amen, amen!