y; but he has at all times an aversion
for the law and would rather be free. Now where there is
unwillingness, there can never be a good work. For what is not
done willingly is not good, and only seems to be good.
Consequently, all the laws cannot make one really pious without
the grace of God, for they can produce only dissemblers,
hypocrites, pretenders, and proud saints, such as have their
reward here [Matt. 6:2], and never please God. Thus He says to
the Jews, Malachi i: "I have no pleasure in you; for who is there
among you that would even as much as shut a door for me,
willingly and out of love?" [Mal. 1:10]

[Sidenote: Sects and Divisions]

2. Another result of many laws is this, that many sects and
divisions in the congregations [Gemeinden] arise from them. One
adopts this way, another that, and there grows up in each man a
false, secret love for his own sect, and a hatred, or at least a
contempt for, and a disregard of the other sects, whereby
brotherly, free, common love perishes, and selfish love prevails.
So Jeremiah and Hosea speak, [Jer. 2:28, Hos. 8:11,12] yea, all
the profits lament that the people of Israel divided themselves
into as many sects as there were cities in the land; each
desiring to outdo the others. Thence also arose the Sadducees and
Pharisees in the Gospel.

So we observe to-day, that through the Spiritual Law[2] but
little justice and piety have arisen in Christendom; the world
has been filled with dissemblers and hypocrites and with so many
sects, orders, and divisions of the one people of Christ, that
almost every city is divided into ten parties or more. And they
daily devise new ways and manners (as they think) of serving God,
until it has come to this, that priests, monks, and laity have
become more hostile toward each other than Turks and Christians.
Yea, the priests and the monks are deadly enemies, wrangling
about their self-conceived ways and methods like fools and
madmen, not only to the hindrance, but to the very destruction of
Christian love and unity. Each one clings to his sect and
despises the others; and they regard the laymen as though they
were no Christians. This lamentable condition is only a result of
the laws.

[Sidenote: The Mass Christ's Law]

3. Christ, in order that He might prepare for Himself an
acceptable and beloved people, which should be bound together in
unity through love, abolished the whole law of Moses. And that He
might not give further occ