“Indeed
it is a matter of devout thankfulness to God that underneath the
numerous grievous and destructive errors of the Romish Church, the great
truths of the Gospel are preserved. The Trinity, the true divinity of
Christ, the true doctrine concerning his person as God and man in two
distinct natures and one person forever; salvation through his blood,
regeneration and sanctification through the almighty power of the
Spirit, the resurrection of the body, and eternal life, are doctrines on
which the people of God in that communion live, and which have produced
such saintly men as St. Bernard, Fenelon, and doubtless thousands of
others who are of the number of God’s elect. Every true worshipper of
Christ must in his heart recognize as a Christian brother, wherever he
may be found, any one who loves, worships, and trusts the Lord Jesus
Christ as God manifest in the flesh and the only Saviour of men”
(Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Volume 3, pp. 135-136).
Charles Hodge’s view of the Roman Catholic Whore church is somewhat similar to John Calvin’s view of the Great Whore (cf. John Calvin, Institutes 4.2.11. and 4.2.12.)
Charles Hodge pontificates on "the great truths of the Gospel" that are
preserved beneath the whorish rubble. Hodge mentions the phrase
“salvation through his blood,” while draining its Scriptural meaning. The
Romish Whore does NOT believe in salvation SOLELY through His blood
since they believe that Jesus Christ died for everyone without exception (i.e.,
universal atonement). On this point of universal atonement, Hodge
believes similarly to the Romish Whore with whom he fornicates:
“Admitting, however, that the Augustinian doctrine that
Christ died specially for his own people does account for the general
offer of the gospel, how can it be reconciled with those passages which,
in one form or another, teach that He died for all men? In answer to this question, it may be remarked in the first place that Augustinians do not deny that Christ died for all men. What they deny is that He died equally, and with the same design, for all men” (Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Volume 2, p. 558; bold emphasis mine–CD).
To paraphrase and adapt a prophet of Hodge’s own:
Being deceived, Charles Hodge was unable to distinguish
the true church from the filthy synagogues of Satan and thus received
and imprudently embraced the Horrible Harlot (Revelation 17:1-5) instead
of the Virgin Bride of Christ (Revelation 21:2-9).
