ited. But this is the fault
of the State, not of the Church. It is a case in which a junior
partner has acted without the consent of, or rather in direct
opposition to, the senior partner. Historically and chronologically
speaking, the Church (the senior partner) took the State (the junior
partner) into partnership, and the State, in spite of all the benefits
it has received from the Church, has taken all it could get, and has
thrown the Church over to legalize sin. It has ignored its senior
partner, and loosened the old historical bond between the two. This
the Church cannot help, and this the State fully admits, legally
absolving the Church from taking any part in its mock re-marriages.

{110}

(II) WHAT IS ITS ESSENCE?

The essence of matrimony is "mutual consent". The essential part of
the Sacrament consists in the words: "I, M., take thee, N.," etc.
Nothing else is essential, though much else is desirable. Thus,
marriage in a church, however historical and desirable, is not
_essential_ to the validity of a marriage. Marriage at a Registry
Office (i.e. mutual consent in the presence of the Registrar) is every
bit as legally indissoluble as marriage in a church. The not uncommon
argument: "I was only married in a Registry Office, and can therefore
take advantage of the Divorce Act," is fallacious _ab initio_.[4]

Why, then, be married in, and by the Church? Apart from the history
and sentiment, for this reason. The Church is the ordained channel
through which grace to keep the marriage vow is bestowed. A special
and _guaranteed_ grace is {111} attached to a marriage sanctioned and
blest by the Church. The Church, in the name of God, "consecrates
matrimony," and from the earliest times has given its sanction and
blessing to the mutual consent. We are reminded of this in the
question: "Who _giveth_ this woman to be married to this man?" In
answer to the question, the Parent, or Guardian, presents the Bride to
the Priest (the Church's representative), who, in turn, presents her to
the Bridegroom, and blesses their union. In the Primitive Church,
notice of marriage had to be given to the Bishop of the Diocese, or his
representative,[5] in order that due inquiries might be made as to the
fitness of the persons, and the Church's sanction given or withheld.
After this notice, a special service of _Betrothal_ (as well as the
actual marriage service) was solemnized.

These two separate services are s