were by his own. Thus the merits of Christ are bestowed upon us, in
order that, when we believe in Him, we may be accounted righteous by
our confidence in Christ's merits as though we had merits of our own.

And from both, namely, from the promise and the bestowment of merits,
confidence in mercy arises [upon both parts must a Christian prayer
be founded]. Such confidence in the divine promise, and likewise in
the merits of Christ, ought to be brought forward when we pray. For
we ought to be truly confident, both that for Christ's sake we are
heard, and that by His merits we have a reconciled Father.

Here the adversaries first bid us invoke the saints, although they
have neither God's promise, nor a command, nor an example from
Scripture. And yet they cause greater confidence in the mercy of the
saints to be conceived than in that of Christ, although Christ bade
us come to Him and not to the saints. Secondly, they apply the
merits of the saints, just as the merits of Christ, to others, they
bid us trust in the merits of the saints as though we were accounted
righteous on account of the merits of the saints, in like manner as
we are accounted righteous by the merits of Christ. Here we
fabricate nothing. In indulgences they say that they apply the
merits of the saints [as satisfactions for our sins]. And Gabriel,
the interpreter of the canon of the Mass, confidently declares:
According to the order instituted by God we should betake ourselves
to the aid of the saints, in order that we may be saved by their
merits and vows. These are the words of Gabriel. And nevertheless
in the books and sermons of the adversaries still more absurd things
are read here and there. What is it to make propitiators if this is
not? They are altogether made equal to Christ if we must trust that
we are saved by their merits.