Boehm on How Sectarianism Often Replaces Gospel Christianity

"8. The doctrine of faith itself has fared no better. Faith, as it is now in vogue, signifies no more than a firm adhering to a certain sect and denomination of people, and a violent maintaining of such particular tenets as have been received and approved by that party. All the ingredients of such a faith are nothing but human education, custom, tradition, persuasion, conversation. The zeal which goes along with it is entirely the effect of self-love and off corrupt reason, the two great framers of sects and party-notions….This faith is handed down from one generation to the other; one friend persuading the other into the fame notional belief, and parents leaving it to their children, by way of inheritance….Thus is faith, which, according to its primitive standard of scriptural signification, is entirely a creation of God, made a work and persuasion of men, and a traditional business, without so much as one ray of true gospel-light shining into the heart."


"12. The enemy of souls is always busy to obstruct such endeavours as have a direct tendency to the promoting of true faith and religion. This doth plainly appear from the conduct of those who succeeded indeed the first reformers; but did not labor so much to express their inward life and spirit, as tolerably to keep up to outward form, scheme and model by them raised. This has been in all ages one of the sources of corruption. Many have presumed to value themselves and their way of worship, upon a scheme of religion introduced by some apostolical and eminent men, without stirring up in themselves, a spirit of holy emulation, whereby to answer not only the external formality, but the inward zeal also, the love, wisdom, indefatigable diligence, and, other divine characters which rendered their predecessors so conspicuous in their time. But what else can be expected from so dangerous a mismanagement of the work of reformation, but a piece of self-Christianity, consisting in a naked profession of some particular tenets and opinions of men?"