52 LETTERS of THE [1639. of Barek. My deare Ned, theas things are of the Lord, and as none thought of such a biusnes as this is, so we are as ignorant whate the issue will be : the Lord giue vs harts of depentances vpon him. Haueing bine offtin not well, and confined to so sollatary a place as my heed, I made choys of an entertainement for meself, which might be eassy and of some benifit to meself; in which I made choys to reade the life of Luther, rwite by Mr. Calluen. I did the more willingly reade it, becaus he is generally branded with ambistion, which caused him to doo what he did, and that the papis doo so generally obrade us that we cannot tell wheare our religion was before Luther; and some haue taxt him of an imteperat life. Theas resons made me desire to reade his life, to see vpon what growned theas opinions weare biult; and finding such satisfaction to meself, how fallsly theas weare raised, I put it into Inglisch, and heare in closed bane sent it you; it is not all his life, for I put no more into Inglisch then was not in the booke of Marters. Theas things of note I finde in it, firstly, what Luther acknow- ledgs, he was instructed in the truth by an old man, whoo led him to the doctrine of justification by faith in Christ: and Erasmas, when his opinion was asked of Luther, said he was in the right. It is true the truth was much obscured with error ; and then it pleased the Lord to rais up Luther as a trumpet to proclame His truth, and as a standeredbarare to hoold out the ensinge of His truth; which did but make thos to apeare of the Lords side, whoo weare so before. And it is aparent to me, that no ambistious ends maned Luther ; for in all the cours of his life he neuer sheawed ambistion : tho he loued lerneing, yet, as fare as I can obsarue, he neuer affected to be estemed more lerned than he was. So that in Luther we see our owne fasess ; they that stand for the old truee way they bring vp nwe doctriner, and it is ambistion, vnder the vaile of religion. Another obseruation I finde in Luther, that all his fasting and striknes, in the way of Popery, neuer gaue him peace of concience; for he had greate feares tell he had throughly learned the doctrine of justification by Christ alone ; and so it will be with vs all ; no
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