andsuchaone，St。PauladvisethTitusafterthefirstandsecondadmonition，toreject。Buttorejectinthisplaceisnottoexcommunicatetheman；buttogiveoveradmonishinghim，tolethimalone，tosetbydisputingwithhim，asonethatistobeconvincedonlybyhimself。ThesameApostlesaith，“Foolishandunlearnedquestionsavoid“：*4Thewordavoidinthisplace，andrejectintheformer，isthesameintheoriginal，paraitou，butfoolishquestionsmaybesetbywithoutexcommunication。Andagain，“Avoidfoolishquestions，：*5wheretheoriginalperiistasosetthembyisequivalenttotheformerword，reject。ThereisnootherplacethatcansomuchascolourablybedrawntocountenancethecastingoutoftheChurchfaithfulmen，suchasbelievedthefoundation，onlyforasingularsuperstructureoftheirown，proceedingperhapsfromagoodandpiousconscience。But，onthecontrary，allsuchplacesascommandavoidingsuchdisputesarewrittenforalessontopastors，suchasTimothyandTituswere，nottomakenewarticlesoffaithbydeterminingeverysmallcontroversy，whichobligementoaneedlessburdenofconscience，orprovokethemtobreaktheunionoftheChurch。WhichlessontheApostlesthemselvesobservedwell。St。
PeterandSt。Paul，thoughtheircontroversyweregreat，aswemayreadinGalatians，2。11，yettheydidnotcastoneanotheroutoftheChurch。Nevertheless，duringtheApostles’times，therewereotherpastorsthatobserveditnot；asDiotrepheswhocastoutoftheChurchsuchasSt。Johnhimselfthoughtfittobereceivedintoit，outofapridehetookinpre-eminence：*6soearlyitwasthatvaingloryandambitionhadfoundentranceintotheChurchofChrist。
Thatamanbeliabletoexcommunication，therebemanyconditionsrequisite；asfirst，thathebeamemberofsomecommonalty，thatistosay，ofsomelawfulassembly，thatistosay，ofsomeChristianChurchthathathpowertojudgeofthecauseforwhichheistobeexcommunicated。Forwherethereisnocommunity，therecanbenoexcommunication；norwherethereisnopowertojudge，cantherebeanypowertogivesentence。
FromhenceitfolloweththatoneChurchcannotbeexcommunicatedbyanother：foreithertheyhaveequalpowertoexcommunicateeachother，inwhichcaseexcommunicationisnotdiscipline，noranactofauthority，butschism，anddissolutionofcharity；oroneissosubordinatetotheotherasthattheybothhavebutonevoice，andthentheybebutoneChurch；andthepartexcommunicatedisnomoreaChurch，butadissolutenumberofindividualpersons。
Andbecausethesentenceofexcommunicationimportethanadvicenottokeepcompanynorsomuchastoeatwithhimthatisexcommunicate，ifasovereignprinceorassemblybeexcommunicate，thesentenceisofnoeffect。Forallsubjectsareboundtobeinthecompanyandpresenceoftheirownsovereign，whenherequirethit，bythelawofnature；norcantheylawfullyeitherexpelhimfromanyplaceofhisowndominion，whetherprofaneorholy；norgooutofhisdominionwithouthisleave；muchless，ifhecallthemtothathonour，refusetoeatwithhim。Andastootherprincesandstates，becausetheyarenotpartsofoneandthesamecongregation，theyneednotanyothersentencetokeepthemfromkeepingcompanywiththestateexcommunicate：fortheveryinstitution，asitunitethmanymenintoonecommunity，soitdissociatethonecommunityfromanother：sothatexcommunicationisnotneedfulforkeepingkingsandstatesasunder；norhasanyfurthereffectthanisinthenatureofpolicyitself，unlessitbetoinstigateprincestowarupononeanother。