place of Christ. Men have invoked her, have trusted in her mercy,
through her have desired to appease Christ, as though He were not a
Propitiator, but only a dreadful judge and avenger. We believe,
however, that we must not trust that the merits of the saints are
applied to us, that on account of these God is reconciled to us, or
accounts us just, or saves us. For we obtain remission of sins only
by the merits of Christ, when we believe in Him. Of the other saints
it has been said, 1 Cor. 3, 8: Every man shall receive his own reward
according to his own labor, i.e., they cannot mutually bestow their
own merits, the one upon the other, as the monks sell the merits of
their orders. Even Hilary says of the foolish virgins: And as the
foolish virgins could not go forth with their lamps extinguished,
they besought those who were prudent to lend them oil; to whom they
replied that they could not give it because peradventure there might
not be enough for all; i.e., no one can be aided by the works and
merits of another, because it is necessary for every one to buy oil
for his own lamp. [Here he points out that none of us can aid
another by other people's works or merits.]

Since, therefore, the adversaries teach us to place confidence in the
invocation of saints, although they have neither the Word of God nor
the example of Scripture [of the Old or of the New Testament]; since
they apply the merits of the saints on behalf of others, not
otherwise than they apply the merits of Christ, and transfer the
honor belonging only to Christ to the saints, we can receive neither
their opinions concerning the worship of the saints, nor the practise
of invocation. For we know that confidence is to be placed in the
intercession of Christ, because this alone has God's promise. We
know that the merits of Christ alone are a propitiation for us. On
account of the merits of Christ we are accounted righteous when we