The History of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland

Now if the Unction and Office saved not Abiathar, because that Gods sentence must needs be performed, Can any privilege granted by man be a Buckler to malefactors, that they shall not be subject to the punishments pronounced by God? I think no man will be so foolish as so to affirm; for a thing more then evident it is, That the whole Priesthood in the time of the Law was bound to give obedience to the Civill Powers; and if any member of the same was found criminal, the same was subject to the punishment of the Sword which God had put into the hand of the Magistrate. And this Ordinance of his Father did not Christ disannul, but rather did confirm the same,¹ commanding Tribute to be paid for himself and for Peter; who perfectly knowing the mind of his Master, writeth thus in his Epistle; Submit your selves to all manner of Ordinance of man (he excepteth such as be expressly repugning to Gods Commandment) for the Lords sake, ²whether it be to the King, as to the chief Head, or unto Rulers, as unto them that are sent by him for punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of them that do well. The same doth the Apostle Saint Paul most plainly command in these words;³ Let every soul be subject to the Superior Powers. Which places make evident, That neither Christ, neither his Apostles, hath given any assurance of this immunity and privilege which ⟨p. 28⟩men of Church (as they will be termed) do this day claim: Yea, it was a thing unknown to the Primitive Church many years after the days of the Apostles:⁴ For Chrysostom, who served in the Church at Constantinople four hundred years after Christs Ascension, and after that corruption was greatly increased, doth yet thus write upon the foresaid words of the Apostle,⁵ This precept (saith he) doth not appertain to such as be called seculars only, but even to those that be Priests and religious men: And after he addeth, Whether thou be Apostle, Evangelist, Prophet, or whosoever thou be, thou canst not be excepted from this subjection. Hereof it is plain Chrysostom did not understand that God had exempted any person from obedience and subjection of the Civill Power, neither yet that he was Author of such exemption and privilege, as Papists do this day claim. And the same was the judgement and uniform Doctrine of the Primitive Church for many years after Christ.