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

DIARY OF LORD WARISTON
thou hes brought me out of many distresses. O keepe my
saule, and dely ver me; let me not be aschaimed; for I put my
trust in the. Let integritie and uprightnes praeserve me; for
I wayte on the.1 I went through this psalme with ane parti¬
cular application of it to myselth, to al the dayes of my lyfe
mor particularly to the subsequent yeir, to al my wayes mor
particularly to my calling, bot especyaly to Gods auin cause
nou in hand in my calling; then in a recomendation of my
wyfe, children, estait, familie, goodsister, hir chyld. Bot at the
hinmist verse, ‘ Redeeme Izrael, 0 God, out of al his troubles,1
I was mooved first to confesse the sins of our Izrael in this
nation; then to acknouledge Gods wonderful blissings on our
Izrael this yeir bygon; thridly, to recomend earnestly the
Lords auin cause to himselth for the glory of his auin naime,
. and to end this mornings exercise with a voue to marke al the
Lords wayes and to magnifie him at the yeirs end for them al
through Chryst Jesus. I got good in the publik prayer of my
familie by pressing on thair consciences, with great earnestnes,
the threefold deuties of that day. Afternoone I had ane good
conference of that and uther things with my L. Craighal and
his Lady, quhom I exhorted to thos practical deuties and to
the reading of Scripture with use, meditation, and application.
On the Tuesday morning I went through the rest of my
paipers of the last yeir of 1637; and thanked the Lord for
every blissing, bot especyaly for the last in imploying me any
wayes on thir troublesom dayes for defence of his worschip
and churche, in the quhilk I prayed the Lord to contineu and
blisse my exercise. I read over my paipers anent the K. prse-
rogative, and acknouledgit Gods assistance in them; and prayed
the Lord to reneu, yea to increase the samin according to the
necessitie of his glory in the work in hand. Quhyle I am,
after publik prayer, seiking Gods blissing in privat to this end,
and praysing the Lord for the decadence of my paine and
recoverie of my health with hope and desyre it might be for
the furtherance of this work, the Lord brought to my mynd
the light quhilk in on of thir main questions I might receave
from Parq polit1 and cros ; for the quhilk my heart praysed the
1 De politeia Ecclesiastica Christi et hierarchica opposita, libri tres, 1616,
by Robert Parker.