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

MEMENTO QUAMDIU VIVAS
225
for his graices, praysing for his blissings on hir saule and heart
by the pourful manifestation of himselth at that comunion and
in the tyme of hir reading my last letter; for the quhilk motions
of Gods Sprit with hir I praysed the Lord as heartily as for
thos I fand in myselth. After supper I got mutch good and
praysed the Lord for the neues of my u s.,1 resting assured that
the Lord wald evin in his auin tyme scheu unto me his pro¬
vidence in that just disapoyntment of unlauful hoopes quhilk,
God knoueth, I did never conceave in my mynd; bot, on the
contraire, for to praeveiue the least thought of that kynd to
arise in my heart I continualy prayed for long dayes to my
u. and for children unto him, telling the Lord that my con¬
fidence was only unfallibly grounded upon his never failing,
provident indulgence, and not upon any outward lauful middes
or apearances, and farre lesse on unlauful hoopes.
On Saturday morning the Lord most pourfully assisted the \j0i. us.]
in thy confessions and meditations, maiking the find, during 31 May.
the unspeakable libertie of tears, strong cryes, and sobbes in
thy prayer, the Son of God himselth interceeding for the and
putting up al my petitions to his Fayther quherupon I was
wonderfully comforted; and, haiving read the 5 c. Ephe. to the
18 v., I fand the Sprit of God turning it al over unto prayer in
my naime; bot thairaftei’, in my auin chalmer, quhyle I was
wryting the words marqued with the lettre W.2 in the preceding
page, my mothers speaking of my hollie sarks brought al my
troubles so fresch unto my mynd, that therby the Lord maid
me with unutterable thankfulnes to acknoledge al Gods blis¬
sings to me in my mariage, and with the humblest prostration
of my saule, then as it wer melted al unto tears and sobs, to
confesse my abhominations under my mariage the causes foi’cing
God so to humble me, also with uncontrolled willingnes of my
mynd to submit my bak to the wand, to kisse and blisse the
rod that strok me; and lastly, with the eagerest petitions that
could flou from a peirced heart, to cry undenyably for Gods
delyvering providence in his auin tyme, as he forced me to
1 Uncle’s son. The birth of this son disappointed him of the succession to
his Uncle Samuel’s estate.
2 W here in text and in margin. See p. 211.