ust; . . . over them the _devil
hath power."_

Q. What is the doctrine of St Basil on this subject?

A. St. Basil says: "What means 'to marry in the Lord' except to
embrace that holy state _only in accordance with the will of God,_
consulting only reason and faith, to learn whether you follow the
course to which _God calls you?"_

Q. What is the proverb, or "saying," among the old folks about
marriage?

A. There is a "saying" among the old folks that "happy marriages are
made in heaven" (made by Almighty God). This "saying" is in fact the
summing up of experience, of the teaching of the Fathers, of the
Sacred Scriptures, and of the Church on this subject.

If Jesus and Mary do not preside at marriages, the devil will surely
usurp their place. "He that is not with Me is against Me; and he that
gathereth not with Me, scattereth."

Q. What does the venerable Louis de Ponte teach on the subject of
matrimony?

A. The venerable Louis de Ponte says: "God is not only the author of
matrimony, but He brings to that state, by a _special providence,_
those whom _He wishes_ to be in it. He acts thus both for the good of
society and for the happiness of individuals; and, although according
to the teaching of the Church, 'it is better and more perfect to
observe virginity than to engage in matrimony,' yet Divine Providence
is not less admirable in the matter of vocations to the marriage state
than in vocations to perpetual continence.

"It is, then, very important to weigh these matters carefully, and to
examine well whether a person is called to a more perfect state before
deciding to enter the marriage state."

CHAPTER IV.

MIXED MARRIAGES.

Q. Are mixed marriages vocations?

A. Not from God. Mixed marriages are suggested by "the world, the
flesh, and the devil," the three great enemies of man's salvation.

Who ever heard of a person entering mixed marriage because his
conscience told him that God gave him a vocation to that state, or
because he was convinced that God chose for him that state in order
that he might sanctify himself therein and avoid damnation?

Read again the story of Tobias, and the seven husbands of Sara, who
were strangled to death by the devil because of the unworthiness of
their motives. Those who enter mixed marriages evidently "shut out God
from themselves and from their mind;" they do not follow a vocation
from God; they exclude the will of God. How, then, can they be
except