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

266
DIARY OF LORD WARISTON
thankfulnes for his providence and assistance in that particular
did rayther grudge and hang doune the heed, the Lord brought
to my mynd and pressingly applyed to my saule quhat he
said to Jonah about the gourd, ‘ Doeth thou weal to be
angry for the gourd quhilk I maid to schadou over thy head
to delyver the from greif, for the quhilk thou neyther laboured
nor maidst it grou ?, So the Lord pressed on my conscience,
‘ Did not I call the to this calling ? Any gift thou hes for the
general is it not from me ? did thou not despaire, and haive
not I maid the to hoope ? Fand thou not as it wer in thy-
selth ane impossibilitie, ane uncapabilitie, of any abilitie in
this calling, and nou thou fands my immediat assistance in-
aibling the ? Any thought, meditation, studie in this particular
caime it not from me ? May not I retyre it quhen I wil ? and
as be my presence thou finds thy sprit edged, thy mynd
cleared, thy memoire firmed, so be my absence art thou not
presently dull, dead, dumb ? Sould thou not thank me
chearfully for quhat benefyt, credit, naime, hoope thou haist,
rayther nor to grudge at this litle restraint, and that hot
for a tyme ? quhairof I wil give the, if thou serve me, better
occasions of caiving.’ Quhairupon, my mynd being setled
confessed my raschnes, craived pardon, praysed for his
assistance, begged the continuance thairof. It pleased the
Lord by his providence that sam Sabboth that Mr. Jhon
Chairtres his text in Currie, both foranoone and afternoon,
did so speak about the present defection on 6 Jhon 66, ‘ From
that tyme many of his disciples went bak, and walked no mor
with him. Then sayd Jesus to the tuelve’ (as he presently
seimed to say unto us al), ‘ Wil ye also goe away ? ’ The
Lord maid me in the prayer of my familie with fervencie
to wisse and cry for Peters aunsuear, ‘ Lord, to quhom schal
we goe ? thou haist the words of asternal lyfe. We beleive, and
ar sure, that thou art that Chryst, the Son of living God/
(And, that this was his service quhilk is nou craived to be
abolisched, and the word and worschip of man, if not of the
man of sins invention, to be sett up, he cotted three verry
\_fol. ll.} pertinent passages schauing that if we forsaik the Lord, he
wil forsaik us, 1 Chron. 28 c. 9 v.; item 2 Chron. 15 c. 2 v.,
then 24 ch. 20 v.) Afternoone, his text was that aunsuear