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

MEMENTO QUAMDIU VIVAS
13
prayer at hir bedstok quherin I recomended hir particularly
unto the Lord yet fearing nothing; on Tuesday night schoe
seiemed to be better until 6 heurs of the morning on the
12 of June 1633 that it pleased God upon a sudainty
for causes knouen to himselth to separat thos saules quhilk
he had joined out of his love, and to tak the on to aeternal
glory, and to leave the uther plunged in ane unspeakable
misery.
O saule, as thou haist considered hou God was praepairing
hir for the joies of heavens, so consider hou [he] was praepaix-ing
the for this hel of misery; remember thy carnal securite and
impenitency, thy bakslydings, the breaking of thy voues, thy
unthankfulnes for and abuse of the blissing, then thy prayer to
God rayther to weaken thy mynd, torment thy body, and
crosse the in al thy hearts desyrs befor he permitted the to
remaine in that of ane inhardened hairt; then he troubled thy
mynd with som doubts about thy calling; then to the admira¬
tion of al that kneu it, in the midst of al wordly contentments,
injoying al wordly desyrs in wyfe freinds allye and means, yet
thy heart was ever discontent and deemed al thos pleasurs to
be burdens, as my letters to my mother and uthers can report;
then God halving taken from me the taist of al wordlie con¬
tentment, hebegoud to acquaint me with som miscontentments
especialy by tormenting my belly al this spring with ane secret
unknouen torment; on the uther pairt he gaive me som strenth
befor hand by my going to the com union in Musselbrugh, in
Kennouay, and in the West Kirk; my letter to Mr. Robert
Bailzie1 8 days befor this accident was ane propliecie of it;
did not I on day in the weak befor tel hir that glaidly
I wald goe to God and leave hir (‘lord, Joe,1 said schoe,
‘never pray to God to tak you wil he tak me with you1);
during al my prosperite, Lord, thou is my witnes my saule
was ever groaning, under the burden evin of wordly content¬
ments, for to be dissolved and to be with the, farre mor nou
1 The well-known Principal Baillie. Wariston passed through his college
classes in Glasgow University under him as Regent. His mother was one of
the Durie family, and he was thus connected with Wariston. They were for
many years close friends.