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

144
DIARY OF LORD WARISTON
the inward experience of al—Rogers, Bifields, Bruce, thair
singes did undoubtedly assure me. At night I read the
Practise of Pietie concerning the sanctification of the Sabbath.
Aug. On Sunday morning after divine meditation in my bed (for
al this tyme I never sleaped fra daylight) I confessed and
thair with joyned the Sunday mornings prayer out of the
Practise of Pietie; then, in meditation, remembring of my
heaping ane privat fast unto God al the last weak, I read over
al the maner of sanctifying ane fast unto God out of the
Practise of Pietie; and, remarquing the differences of my
practise and his rules, I put up every on of my petitions unto
God, with many tears, and added that as the hinmist of al,
that the Lord wald pardoune, in the blood of Chryst, the im¬
perfections of my confessions, prayers, and prayses of this my
last fast; quhilk I did with many tears, and great greif of heart
to seie that, quhilk sould bring doune on me ane blissing, to
deserve most justly ane curse, suppose al uther sinnes wer
forgiven quhilk I confessed ; and having craived pardon ended
al in prayses. Going to the curche I meditated on 42 Ps.,
haiving instantly craived from God that he wald let me seie
his providence in singing, reading, or hearing, for my consola¬
tion, direction, and strenth. The first Psalme quhilk we sang is
the 91 Ps.:—
Quho so with ful intent and mynd
In God most high himselth doeth stay :
His mightie pouer that man schal find
A sure defence to be alway,
etc. Quherof the verry first words astonisched me by Gods
wonderful indulgence, for it is on of the most comfortable
psalmes in al the book. Then the reader red the 6 c. of Luik,
and the 7 c., quherby the notes of thy Bible wil declaire
quhat comfort thou got. Then I heard Mr. Alexander1 on
7 c. Mark 28 v. 29 v., ‘ Schoe ansuered, yes Lord, yet the dogs
under the taible eat of the childrens crumbes, and he said
to hir, For this saying goe thy wayes, the devil is gone out
of thy daughter; and quhen schoe came hoome schoe fand
the devil gone out and hir daughter layd on the bed’;
1 Mr. Alexander Thomson.