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

72
DIARY OF LORD WARISTON
of daise, thou sclied tears out of the bitternes of thy saule;
as also siklyk at desnei*, with many pitiful, pithie ejaculations
unto God the Fayther, as nou reconciled in Chryst, for pitie of
thy present miserie, mercy unto thy bygon guiltines the cause
tlieirof, and for ane delyvrie from both to his glory, the weal
of his curche, and the salvation and consolation of thy poor
distressed saule. After desner, to the praise of Gods providence
and thy comfort, thair was read that sueat 8 chap, of the
Remains. Thairafter, in the chalmer of daise, thou fel to
meditation and to the reiteration of thy prayers ; and then, up
in thy goodfaythers chalmer, with tears running over thy
cheaks and sadnes suallouing up thy saule in bittemes,
desyring the Lord earnestly that as foranoone he had descryved
unto the admirably by his special providence the estait of thy
secur and impaenitent foolischnes during the dayes of thy
prosperite, therby for to cast the doune and for to humble the,
so that nou afternoone he wald be weal pleased evin for to
speak som word of comfort concerning thy present estaite of
adversite ; for to uphald me on the uther hand least I, only
seing the first, sould be altogither comfortlesly and hoplesly
confounded.
My saule, blisse thou God for the moving the to put up this
petition unto him, and then for his indulgent hearing and
granting it unto the beyond thy expectatione. For afternoone
Mr. Archibald Scaldee preatched most comfortably for me on
the 14 v. of 145 Ps., ‘ The Lord upholdeth al that fall and
raiseth up al thos that be boued doune.’ The very reading of
the text maid the to praesage som notable comfort, and lot the
seie Gods present providence in it, for the quhilk thou blissed
God evin or he begoud. Then he having maid 2 expositions
of that word (that fal and ar boued doune), to wit eyther unto
sinne, or unto trouble for sine, or unto both. Out of the first he
said ‘ God upholdeth thos that fal in sine, first by heaping them
from comittingof it, and that be removing al the occasions of it
and tentations to it out of the way, or by not suffering them to
concurreand heir,saule, thou blissed God for thy auine experi¬
ence of Gods heaping the wonderfully from the tyrannic and scan¬
dalous acts of lust in thy youthhead. Secondly, quhyles God
39.] suffred his auin dearest children to fall unto gros and greivous