DIVORCE AND AFTER
SIR,—Mr. Grant Fleming's remarks on marriage and divorce are entirely misconceived, but this is par- donable as he appears to be a Presbyterian. The attitude of the Church and of Presbyterians towards sacraments—marriage is one of the Church sacra- ments—is quite different. The Church holds— following the Book of Common Prayer, the contents of which are founded on the Gospels—that if a marriage is celebrated with the proper rite the grace of God is immediately bestowed irrespective of the worldly state and condition of the parties. Ex opere operato. Mr. Grant Fleming, however, seems to sug- gest that persons such as harlots, roues and others cannot contract a Christian marriage—which must be indissoluble—as their vices are an impediment. But harlots, roués, drunkards and others are not usually married as such. If the validity of a Christian marriage were to depend on factors outside the marriage rite there could never be any certainty as to whether or not a Christian marriage existed. Further, if—as Mr. Grant Fleming seems to sup- pose—sin is an impediment to the administration of a sacrament, not a single person could ever be baptised, as every person is in a state of total and original sin before baptism.—Yours faithfully,
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