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

MEMENTO QUAMDIU VIVAS 141
in him, I was confident that, my fayth and love being tryed,
God wald thairafter delyver me to his glory, quhairof I sould
not doubt, halving both his promises and the experiences of
them in my voyage and mariage. Thairafter God assured me
that on day I sould seie thair was uther ends and causes
mooved God thus to afflict me nor the punischment of my
sinne; I pray the Lord to let me seie them. Thairafter, in
my prayer, Gods Sprit wonderfully assisted me, bringing neu
thoughts in my head, and with them ever neu motions and
floods of comfortable tears. Then he opened my eies in prayer
to seie ane glampse of my present miserie and extremite with
great greaf of my heart, quhilk he maid me as it wer to spread
befor God instantly with tears and groans, desyring him only
for to look on it, not craiving ane delyvrie from it bot absolutly
submitting myselth and it unto his best blissed pleasure, say¬
ing unto my Fayther, ‘ Lord, I wil not desyre the to delyver me,
for I wayt not quhat is fittest for thy glory and my weal; bot
thou that knoueth best, thou that loveth me better nor my¬
selth, doe quhat thou thinks fittest for thy glory, the weal of
uthers and myne, with me out of faytherly compassion and
pitie.’ And therupon I remembred of 16 c. Jhon 26 v., ‘ I say
not unto you that I wil pray the Fayther for you, for the
Fayther himselth loveth you,; as also immediatly I remembred
of Gods dealing with me in this same maner on this sam
Saturday tuelmoneth after my comunicating in Liberton.
Then God moved me extraordinarly againe by praying that, as
both inwardly and outwardly he had dejected, so non he wald
let me taist of his inward indulgence this day by assuring me
that I am his son and he my Fayther, be reading of the Burn¬
ing Busse;1 as also that in his auin tyme he wald let me find and
seie his outward providence as indulgent, merciful, and liberal
as ever I had found it; both seing my guiltines, the cause of the
chainge, was taiken away, as also my outward delyvrie wald
advance his glorie, and comfort al uther that ar humbled under
his hand, seing the Lord elevating me quhom befor he had
extraordinarly humbled, 34 Ps. 2 v., ‘ My soule schal boast in
the Lord, the humble schal hear and be glad ’; as also it wald
O/. 73. j
1 See note, p. 103.