In this civilized age, it seems strange that the Church would so dominate the State, since the State must have consented to such a power, or it could not have existed; but the Church, in this superstitious period of mankind, held the terror of excommunication over the heads of the temporal authorities and the State was thus coerced into the gradual consent to the domination of the spiritual authorities. The Church always claimed exclusive jurisdiction over all spiritual offenses, and as it held the unfettered power of excommunication, even though its degrees were opposed to secular laws, those around whom the Church threw its protecting arms were really held to be above and beyond the power of the secular courts. The power of the Church was based upon a theory of Divine Right and it was claimed to be far nobler than that of the State, because, whereas, the power of the Pope extended to the soul, itself, the power of Princes was limited to the body alone. The power of the Church, being thus _jure divino_, ought to have been limited, at all times, to matters spiritual, but by a gradual encroachment and by compact with the powers of the State, the Church also assumed to exercise authority over bodies by the aid of the State. But notwithstanding the firmness with which the clergy claimed the exemption from all secular interference for the persons of clerks, and the general indulgence that the laity gave to this claim, confirmed, as it was by solemn declarations and acts of Parliament, the privilege was always viewed with more or less jealousy and considered as a usurpation that was generously tolerated rather than as a part and parcel of the established common law of England.[6] Under the terms of the canonical decree, “No power was given to laymen to judge God’s anointed,”[7] because laymen, instead of possessing power to command, were under the Divine injunction to obey the Church and Churchmen. The clergy was not without a notable precedent for this position, for it was recorded that king Alfred had a judge hanged who had executed a clerk, because as a secular judge, he must have known that he had no power over clerks.[8] Churchmen also found many Bible references as authority for the privilege. In King David’s psalm of praise, he cautioned his subjects: “Be ye mindful always of his covenant, and the word which he commanded to a thousand generations; Even of the covenant which he made with Abraham and of his oath unto Isaac; And hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant: He suffered no man to do them wrong; yea, he reproved kings for their sakes, Saying, _Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm_.”[9]