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

MEMENTO QUAMDIU VIVAS
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for to glorifie himseltli, aedifie others, and saive my saule in lyfe
or in death according to his good pleasure; only, cryed I, Turne
both lyfe and death to be occasions of my continual praysing
God. Oh, as I cryed, ‘ Lord, and it by [sic] thy pleasure I chuse
rayther this present actual assurance of thy love reconciled in
Chryst with al crosses, troubles, and calamities quhatsomever,
nor al the wordly prosperite and blissings without the actual
assurance of this blissing of blissings; yea, Lord, the fruition
of ane thousand worlds, and al the pleasurs theirof, is not
worth ane moments presence of this joie, or ane moments
hoope of that asternal happines quherto nou thou sealeth up
my saule, by the testimony of thy Sprit testifing to my sprit
that I am thy chyld in Chryst.’
On Foorsday morning, siklyk my saule was in the verry same
disposition; and, having found nou by Gods special providence
ane experimental exposition of Sampsons ridle, £ Out of soure
ther came sueate, out of darknes also ther came unto me light,1
my saule voued unto God to blisse him every morning and
evening for the sanctifieing of this my crosse unto me, and then
with ane unspeakable heartines blissed God for the comfort he
had given me, and prayed him for to contineu and for to perfyte
it by my final delyvrie, to the further glorie of his goodnes,
weal of his servants, and salvation of my saule. In the kirk I
heard Mr. Hery liollok on 2 c. Genesis 1 v., ‘ Then the heavens
and the earth wer finisched, and al the hoste of them. And
on the seventh day God ended his work quhilk he had maid;
and he rested on the seventh day from al his work quhilk he had
maid.1 Quheron he urged this doctrine, that God never begoud
ane work quhilk he did not perfyte, 1 c. Phil. 6 v., for he was
not as man qulio quhyles left of to perfyte quhat he begoud,
eyther becaus he dislyked it, or becaus he was not able to
perfyte it, or becaus ane stronger hindert him from ending of it;
he urged also that, suppose God rested from creating, yet not,
5 c. Jhon 15 v., from the work of preservation, of multiplica¬
tion, of direction, and of collection. Having read that day on
the Burning Busse,1 at evening I prayed and praysed as I
could, bot was first hindred and then interrupted.
1 The Burning Bush not consumed, or how to judge whether one be the child
of God or not, by J. Hart: London, 1616.
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