Systematic Theology (Vol 1) - Hodge - X - Chapter 5 (Roman Catholic doctrine concerning the rule of faith) concluded

Required reading
Systematic Theology Volume 1 by Charles Hodge (Available from Amazon or free here) - Conclude Chapter 5 (Roman Catholic doctrine concerning the rule of faith).

My summary
Today Hodge continues to critique Roman Catholic Doctrine, in particular their doctrine on the office of the church as a teacher.

Firstly Hodge outlines their teaching on the subject: 'Romanists teach that the Church, as an external, visible society, consisting of those who profess the Christian religion, united in communion of the same sacraments and subjection to lawful pastors, and especially to the Pope of Rome, is divinely appointed to be the infallible teacher of men in all things pertaining to faith and practice.'

Hodge then gives arguments against such a doctrine.  He teaches us that the Romish doctrine of infallibility is:
(i) founded on a wrong theory of the church;
(ii) founded on a wrong theory of apostleship;
(iii) in spite of Christ never promising the true Church that they should not err in doctrine;
(iv) contradicted by the facts of history;
(v) contradicted by the facts of the present.

What grabbed me
I appreciated Hodge's insight into the appeal of the doctrine of the church's infallibility: 'There is something simple and grand in this theory. It is wonderfully adapted to the tastes and wants of men. It relieves them of personal responsibility. Everything is decided for them. Their salvation is secured by merely submitting to be saved by an infallible, sin-pardoning, and grace-imparting Church. Many may be inclined to think that it would have been a great blessing had Christ left on earth a visible representative of himself clothed with his authority to teach and govern, and an order of men dispersed through the world endowed with the gifts of the original Apostles, — men everywhere accessible, to whom we could resort in all times of difficulty and doubt, and whose decisions could be safely received as the decisions of Christ himself. God's thoughts, however, are not as our thoughts. We know that when Christ was on earth, men did not believe or obey Him. We know that when the Apostles were still living, and their authority was still confirmed by signs, and wonders, and divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost, the Church was nevertheless distracted by heretics and schisms. If any in their sluggishness are disposed to think that a perpetual body of infallible teachers would be a blessing, all must admit that the assumption of infallibility by the ignorant, the erring, and the wicked, must be an evil inconceivably great. The Romish theory if true might be a blessing ; if false it must be an awful curse. That it is false may be demonstrated to the satisfaction of all who do not wish it to be true, and who, unlike the Oxford Tractarian, are not determined to believe it because they love it. '

If you want to escape the hard work of determining orthodox doctrine, then an infallible church appears to be a good escape hatch.

Next week's reading
Commence Chapter 6 (The Protestant rule of faith) by reading up to the heading '3. Adverse theories'.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.