Special and chosen sermons of D. Martin Luther collected out of his writings and…

This also the history of this Gospel seemeth to signify, when as the Lord showeth to his disciples, but specially to Thomas, his hands & feet. By which deed he declareth, that it was necessary, that those hands and feet should do these things, & that no other works, that is, their own, & not the works of an other, do pertain unto salvation.¹ For in the Scriptures by hands and feet works & conversation are signified. These hands and feet Christ doth as yet eftsoons show to us & say: Behold, I am that only man, whose works & conversation are of force with God, thou shalt labour in vain with thine own works, thine own righteousness maketh nothing hereunto, it hath an other end. If thou be righteous, it is profitable to thee among men, here in earth thou hast the glory & praise thereof, as Paul saith Rom. 4. But before God this thy righteousness is of no estimation, thou must set in place thereof an other, namely mine, this God my father doth allow. For I have delivered thee from sins, death, the devil, hell, & from all evil, thou shouldest never have escaped out of these by thine own power, but hadst lien as yet most deeply drowned in them. I have appeased the wrath of God, and of an angry judge, have made him, a gentle, merciful and gracious father, believe this and it goeth well with thee, thou art then safe, entire, and righteous. Beware that thou presume not to deal before God with thine own works, but if thou wilt do any ⟨p. 453⟩thing with him, creep into me, put on me, and thou shalt obtain of my Father, whatsoever thou desirest and askest, as he him self saith unto his Disciples Joh. 16: Verily, verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Wherefore as from the beginning sin which was an others, hath been derived unto us from Adam, for neither I, nor thou have eat of the apple: so also by the righteousness of an other we must be restored unto righteousness and integrity. This other is Christ Jesus, by whose righteousness and works we are all saved, as I have now sufficiently declared. This S. Paul hath very pithily comprehended even in one sentence, where 1. Cor. 1. he saith thus: Christ Jesus is made unto us of God, wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, & redemption, that, according as it is written, he that rejoiceth, let him rejoice in the Lord. And