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

DIARY, 1637-1639
335
for that day quhilk with our eyes we durst never lippen to haive
seien. In the morning, haiving read the 60, 61, 63 ch. of
Isay, and sung 22 Ps., Mr. H. Rollok, scairse aible to speak
for cold, preatched on the 126 Ps., ‘Quhen the Lord turned
again the captivitie of Zion, we war lyk them that dreame.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tounge with
singing: then said they among the heathin, the Lord haith
doone great things for them,’ quhair he scheu that Izrael had
remaned Zion in hir captivitie, notwithstanding of threats and
allurments; that this was the reason of Gods returning ; that
hir captivitie was from her profession, posession, and libertie,
quhairin he 1 paralelled hir in the first and the last by the
Articles and Canons; that God did be himselth maik this
turne out of the 1 ch. of Ezra and last of the Chron., being
joyned with a reformation in worschip and lyfe, the straingnes
of hir delyverie in respect of thair desynes, of the difficulties,
and of the maner of it, as quhen God draues contrary con¬
clusions out of contrary praemisses, means, and intentions; as
our Lord hes used the Service Book, brought in to droune us
in superstition, as Gods dischclout to scoure the vessels of
his sanctuarie from the filthines of the ceremonies, and hes
maid thair crouning of thair defection to be the verry rasing
of the fondation ; as this dayes libertie of the puretie of the
sacrament, so contrair to thair means and meanings, doeth
witnes to the world. Thou got good in his exhortation, in
his sermon, and at his taiking the oath of thos quho had not
suorne of befoir, quhairat thair was a verry sensible motion.
Mr. Rob. Blair, becaus of Mr. H. hairsnes,2 maid al the ex¬
hortations; and, at the taible quhairat thou was, he insisted on
the 11 ch. Heb. 26 v., Moyses ‘aesteiming the reproach of
Chryst greater ritches then the thresaurs of JSgipt: for he had
respect unto the recompense of the reward,’ and sau him quho
is invisible,—upon the quhilk thou took the sacrament; and
joyning with it Chrysts prayer, 17 Jhon, presently read the
covenant in 32 Jere. and 36 ch. Ezekiel, with Mr. R. Blairs
text, 3 c. Mai. Thou took the sacrament as the scale of God
upon his pairt to fulfil this to me, to glorifie himselth in my
1 MS. we.
2 Mr. H. Rollock’s hoarseness.