Series 1 > Diary of Sir Archibald Johnston of Wariston 1632-1639

MEMENTO QUAMDIU VIVAS
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furnisched the conceptions and words by his Sprite. Remember,
O saule, hou oft God hes maid the speak to hir of God and
godlines in thy bed and to passe over al the principals of
religion, making hir repeat the Lords Prayer, the Comands, and
the Beleif unto the ; and, having posed hir upon som quaestions
therin, schoe ansuered the so perfytly as thou kissed hir, blissed
God, and rejoyced in thy heart for verry joy to seie sutch ane
young creaturto knou God ; remember, O saule, hou on Sunday
morning lying on your bed in Libertoune thou went over with
hir the 1 part of the Creed, ‘ I beleave in God the Fayther
Almightie,’ and having speared at hir quhat schoe knou of God,
quherfor he was called Fayther and quherby declaired he his
almighty pouer, O saule, remember quhou thy heart was
ravisched with hir ansuears and blissed God for hir; remember
quhen God moved the extraordinarly he forced the to cal upon
hir and both togither humbly to confesse our sinnes, cry for
pardon, and ask a blissing upon us both; remember al the
winter mornings somtyms thou exponed thy Greek chapter to
hir, somtyms schoe got 2 Psalmes every morning and repeated
them to you, sumtymes schoe read on the Bible in hir bed,
and sumtymes, yea on Sunday morning especialy, Gerards
Meditations on the pains of hell and the joies of heaven;1
remember particularly the Frayday befor thy going with hir to
the comunion in Musselbrugh, thou haiving counted over the
catalog of thy sinnes and not being moved to tears therby,
thou poured out thy heart befor God quhen thou begoud to
pray for hir that the Lord wald prsepaire hir yet for that holy
exercice; and then, haiving called hir alone up the stair, I boued
my knees with hir and obteaned tears in abundance, seieing
the Lord moving hir heart wonderfully according to my
prayer, so that or I came of my knees I was forced to blisse
God for thos present tears and softnes of heart he had given
to us both; and siklyk the Saturday morning and at evening,
1 John Gerhard, an eminent German Lutheran divine, born in Saxony 1582,
was Professor of Divinity at Jena ; died 1637 ; published The Christian Man’s
Week Work of Meditations atid Prayers, translated by Ric. Brush, London,
i6ll,8vo; The Soule's Watch, or a DayBooke for the Devout Soule, ‘consisting
of. . . Meditations fitted to all dayes of the week,’ translated into English by
R. Winterton, 1627.