believe in Him, as the text says, Rom. 9, 33 (cf. 1 Pet. 2, 6 and Is.
28, 16): Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be confounded. Neither
are we to trust that we are accounted righteous by the merits of the
blessed Virgin or of the other saints.

With the learned this error also prevails namely, that to each saint
a particular administration has been committed, that Anna bestows
riches [protects from poverty], Sebastian keeps off pestilence,
Valentine heals epilepsy, George protects horsemen. These opinions
have clearly sprung from heathen examples. For thus, among the
Romans Juno was thought to enrich, Febris to keep off fever, Castor
and Pollux to protect horsemen, etc. Even though we should imagine
that the invocation of saints were taught with the greatest prudence,
yet since the example is most dangerous, why is it necessary to
defend it when it has no command or testimony from God's Word? Aye,
it has not even the testimony of the ancient writers. First because,
as I have said above, when other mediators are sought in addition to
Christ, and confidence is put in others, the entire knowledge of
Christ is suppressed. The subject shows this. In the beginning,
mention of the saints seems to have been admitted with a design that
is endurable, as in the ancient prayers. Afterwards invocation
followed, and abuses that are prodigious and more than heathenish
followed invocation. From invocation the next step was to images;
these also were worshiped, and a virtue was supposed to exist in
these, just as magicians imagine that a virtue exists in images of
the heavenly bodies carved at a particular time. In a certain
monastery we [some of us] have seen a statue of the blessed Virgin,
which moved automatically by a trick [within by a string], so as to
seem either to turn away from [those who did not make a large
offering] or nod to those making request.