p494 C McAdam, I think the passage should be borne in mind, "What God has joined together let not man put asunder." A suggestion was made to me which I think well worthy of consideration, that where there exists on the consciences of brethren a doubt as to the present fact of their being man and wife before God, but have been married and such in their own thought, they should come before the assembly and declare that they hold themselves such before God, and have ever done so, and beg the assembly to take knowledge of and recognise their declaration. They would thereafter be married before God at any rate; supposing, of course, that there is nothing wrong in it before Him - that it is not a divinely forbidden case. This would make the consciences of all clear. The law, of course, leaves them necessarily where they were.

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