churches, officers, and church government is _jure divino_, and how far man may or may not add or alter, and what I meant in my proposition, viz. That if men introduce a new universal head to the church catholic, or a new head to particular churches, instead of that of Christ's institution, this is, _in sensu politico_, to make new species of churches, and destroy those that Christ hath instituted (for the _pars gubernans_ and _pars gubernata_ are the essential constituents of a church). And with such a church, as such, in specie, I must have no communion (which is our case with the papal church); though with the material parts of that church, as members of Christ, I may hold communion still. 5. If particular members are guilty of obstinate impenitency in true heresy, or ungodliness, or any scandalous crime, the church may and must remove such from her communion; for it is the communion of saints. And the offender is the cause of this separation. 6. If a whole church be guilty of some notorious, scandalous sin, and refuse with obstinacy to repent and reform, when admonished by neighbour churches, or if that church do thus defend such a sin in any of her members, so as openly to own it; other churches may refuse communion with her, till she repent and be reformed. Or if they see cause to hold communion with her in other respects, yet in this they must have none.[146] 7. If any church will admit none to her personal communion, but those that will take some false oath, or subscribe any untruth, or tell a lie, though that church do think it to be true, (as the Trent oath which their priests all swear,) it is not lawful to do any such unlawful thing to obtain communion with that church: and he that refuseth in this case to commit this sin, is no way guilty of the separation, but is commendable for being true to God.[147] And though the case may be sad to be deprived of the liberty of public worship, and the benefits of public communion with that church, yet sin is worse, and obedience is better than sacrifice.[148] God will not be served with sin, nor accept the sacrifice of a disobedient fool, Eccles. v. 1, 2. Nor must we lie to glorify him, nor do evil that good may come by it: just is the damnation of such servers of God, Rom. i. 7, 8. All public worship is rather to be omitted, than any one sin committed to enjoy it (though neither should be done where it is possible to do better). It is not so unwise to think to feed a man with poisons, as to think to serve God acceptably by sin. 8. If any one church would ambitiously usurp a governing power over others, (as Rome doth over the world,) it is no unwarrantable separation to refuse the government of that usurping church. We may hold communion with them as christians, and yet refuse to be their subjects. And therefore it is a proud and ignorant complaint of the church of Rome, that the protestants separate from them as to communion, because they will not take them for their governors.