The Special Guilt of the Church of Rome
Principal William Cunningham’s volume on Church Principles includes an article entitled “The Errors of Romanism”. It was written as a review of a publication by the Anglican Archbishop of Dublin, Richard Whately (1787-
1863), which drew attention to some of the leading errors of the popish system. The Archbishop drew a link between Rome’s teachings and their origin in the deep corruption inherent in fallen human nature. He maintained that Rome did not sufficiently counteract these tendencies and that her priests were “ever ready to indulge and encourage men’s weaknesses and wickedness, provided they could turn it to their own advantage”.
Cunningham agreed that this was an extremely important point in assessing the true nature of Popery. But Cunningham went much further, and held that Romanism, “in its complex character and as a system, is Satan’s great scheme for frustrating the leading objects of the Christian revelation”. Whately’s view of Rome was softened by the fact that he could identify many areas where Protestants taught opinions, or held to practices, which all too plainly displayed their roots in human corruption. In his view, Rome was bad but others could be bad too. Protestants, he naturally concluded, should therefore be wary not to exhibit similar errors in their own sentiments and conduct.
Whately’s position was one-sided in Cunningham’s view and tended to obscure what he called the peculiar guilt of the Roman system. It could leave the impression that Popery was “not so peculiarly sinful and dangerous as it is sometimes represented to be and is not, after all, much worse than Protestantism”. Protestants might fail to live up to their profession and principles but this did not imply that the principles were wrong. On the other hand, Cunningham held that Rome’s teachings went much further in strengthening the sinful tendencies of human nature:
“The special and peculiar guilt of Popery in this matter, as distinguished from Protestantism, lies in this, that, as a system, in place of being fitted and designed to eradicate or correct the depraved tendencies of human nature towards superstition, vicarious religion, pious frauds, reliance on human authority, persecution, etc, it consecrates, confirms and perpetuates them; whereas the general object and result of Protestantism, as a system, are directly the reverse. The exhibition of these qualities in Protestantism is in spite of the system they profess; in Papists it is because of it.” Popery is the product of corrupt human nature therefore, but Protestantism is not.
This principle of the peculiar guilt of Romanism is important for us to remember in our own day when the vast majority of Protestants have lost sight of the true representation of Popery in Scripture as antichrist. Rome is not just another part of the Christian Church. Her stronger voice on moral issues than that of many Protestant Churches may tend to lessen her special guilt in our thinking. But we must avoid any view of Rome that obscures her true, unchanging nature from our minds. Let us therefore pray for the downfall of Popery and for her multitudes of adherents to be delivered from the
awful and unparalleled errors, which will bring them to eternal ruin if they continue to believe and practise them.
AWM