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

170
DIARY OF LORD WARISTON
the Lord hou al my outward appearances and hoopes failzied
me, and notwithstanding thairof my saule rested and acquiesced
on his providence; I prayed the Lord to temper my doun-
casts with remembrance of my old comforts, and to moderat
also my comforts by remembrance of my bygon humiliations;
thairby 1 may be heaped from despaire and presumption.
My mother told hou hoi 8 or 10 days schoe fasted and prayed
continually for me with great freedom and accesse to the
Throsne of Graice, and I hoope on day to seie that thir fervent
crys of the faithful avayleth mutch.
24 Nov. On Sunday, the 24 of November, in the morning, God let me
seie that the delay of ansuering my proposition, quhilk greived
me so mutch, had tended to my unspeakable good, for therby
God had wakned my faith, hoope, love, repentance, and patience,
hot cheifly had poured doune on me the sprit of mourning and
supplication, of confessing mor humbly, praying mor fervently
and frequently, praysing mor heartily, nor befor nou the spaice
of 15 dayes, quhilk libertie of crying ‘Abba, Fayther’ was
goods cheape bought by al my troubles and perplexities arysing
from the delay, and so was turned to be ane greater blissing to
me nor if he had ansuered my requeasts at the first tyme. Yea,
come quhat wil come, ‘I’ or ‘nay,’ I am mor confident heirby nou
that God is to blisse me nor if he had heard me then. Fra
this meditation of Gods doing me good against my will, I got
my affections againe heartily submitted to him, trusting that
he wald turne al to his glory and my weal, and that, as he was,
so he wald caive to be my Fayther in his forgiving indulgence,
and giving providence, on the quhilk tuo my saule doeth bottom
itselth as one ane unbranslable rok. After that I applyed to
myselth with tears the confessions of Ezra, Nehemiah, and
Daniel, and the Sunday mornings prayer in the Practise of
Pietie; thairafter in prayer I got great freedom and many
tears, praying cheifly that my faith and patience failed me not
til Gods tyme of delyverie. That night, blissed be God quho
keaped me from falling in fc. Haiving requeasted the Lord to
let me seie his providence in reading or singing, we sang al
day the 37, quhilk is the most proper Psalme for my present
estaite. Hir tirlemirles on hir head cast me somquhat doune,
bot hir looks mended that doubt. I had som motion foranoone