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

54
DIARY OF LORD WARISTON
thou was under the sprit of bondage, for Gods blissing the in
thy wyfe, and his ansuear unto the lyk that of Ely the 17 v.,
4 Goe in peace: the God of Israel grant thy petition.’
After desner, in thy old little upper chalmer telling thy
mother thy present estaite, thy fears, thy tears, thy hops and
prayers on the uther pairt, Oh hou thy heart melted befor God.
Then, having repeated the samin to the Lady Currihil, thou
returned to the long aylay; thou turned the 119 psalm unto
ane prayer in thy meditation chiefly 25, ‘ My saule cleaveth to
the dust: quiken me according to thy word1; 28, 4 My saule
melteth for heavines: strenthen me ’; 49, 4 Remember the word
unto thy servant, upon which thou haist caused me to hope’; 57,
4 Thou art my portion, O Lord : I intreated thy favour with my
wholheart, be merciful unto me’; 67, ‘Befor I was afflicted I went
astray ’ (mak me say the rest): 4 hot non haive I kept thy word,’
71.4 It is good for me that I haive bein afflicted ’; (Lord, let me
learne this fruit of it) ‘that I might learne thy statuts’; 81,4 My
saule fainteth for thy salvation ; hot I hope in thy word : myne
eies faile for thy word, saying, When wilt thou comfort me ? for
I am becom lyk ane bottel in the smoak ’; 92,4 Unles thy lau ’
(and the promises of the Gospel with the prayers of the Psalmes)
had bein my delight, I sould haive perisched in myne affliction ’;
114.4 Thou art my hyding place and my scheild : I hope in thy
word; 116 4 Uphold me according to thy word, and let me not be
aschamed of my hope ’; 123, ‘Myne eies faile for thy salvation ’;
132, ‘Look uponme,and be merciful unto me,as thou usest todoe
to thosthat love thy naime’; 147, 4 I prevented the dauning of
the morning, and cryed : I hoped in thy word. Myne eies pre¬
vent the night watches. Consider myne affliction and delyver
me’; and so in the rest. Thairafter my saule cryed unto the Lord
that, as ever, so non in this he wald caive his merciful providence,
and that, as ever befor so nou also, seing he haive given me
ane heart for to cry, he wald haive ane eare for to hear.
At evening, having dedicat that night to ane privat fast, I
read The sanctuary of a troubled saule about the joies of
heaven almost tuyse over, and the second tyme on my knees,
praying, longing, hoping for the fruition thairof; thairafter I
could not get my saule satisfied with repeating of the Lords
Prayer and of the Blissing thryse, and that so pithily, pour-
fully, and with sutch eagernes of sprite and expositions of