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

MEMENTO QUAMDIU VIVAS
239
and ane outgaite to my perplexities; I conjured him by al his
mercies and promises ; and at every tyme of our prayers to
God we reiterated al our vones, especialy thos contained in the
81 page of thir paipers. Non let my saule cry, ‘ O Lord, hou
long, hou long, quhen schal I liaive the occasion to sett doune
in writte the gratious maner of my undeserved delyverie?
Lord, if it wer thy will, etc., hot not my will hot thy will be
doone.’ Halving written quhat preceds I went doune to
Mr. R. L. and al things went wrong; Mr. J. S. wald not seie
the minut of the L. Currihils ratification ; the L. Currihil was
in James Murraes.1 In this perplexitie I went to the kirk, sang
61 Ps.; heard sermon on 34 Ps., ‘ Many ar the afflictions of the
righteous,’ etc., quhair he handled the reasons of our manifold
afflictions, the uses, and Gods delyght rayther to delyver nor
to afflict. Al foranoone maters went ay fra il to worse betuixt
Mr. J. S. and the Lady; and afternoone they went fra worse to
worse, by Mr. Rogers Mouats disuasion, the Ladys refuising, and
Mr. J. S. urging continualy quhat schoe refuised. After many
goings betuixt the tuo parties I, seing it impossible to agree
them and finding every humaine means quhilk was proponed to
faille,begoud to dense myselthfor deserting thispurpose quhyles
that I despaired of al, becaus al secondary means of agreement
failed, and al apearances seimed to cry in my faice that God
expresly crossed this busines. The Lord maid my extremitie
his oportunitie, for on a sudaine, quhyles I was rysing to desert
it, he turned Mr. J. Skeins heart, and maid him to promise
that, notwithstanding of al his plots had failed him, yet he wald
tak the hazard himselth; and so, contraire to my deservings,
contraire to my exspectation, contraire to al lyklihood of reason,
the Lord maid the seie his finger, ending al farre better nor
if the middes I did propone had beine accepted. Al this day
H. H. being retyred got ane great libertie in prayer, ane great
accesse to the Throsne of Grace, ane great submission of
hir will to Gods will, ane great assurance that, come
quhat wald come, he sould turne al to hir weal and myne.
Heirupon we fell doune togither praysing the Lord from our
1 Possibly James Murray, who and Sir Anthony Alexander (note,, p. 254)
were Masters of His Majesty’s Works.—See Privy Council Records, vol. v.
p. 12.