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Full text of "Life, religious opinions, and experience of Madame Guyon : including an account of the personal history and religious opinions of Fénelon, Archibishop of Cambray"

LIFE 



Of 



MADAME DE LA MOTHE GUYON 



RE-ISSUE OF A MOST VALUABLE BOOK ON 
CHRISTIAN MYSTICISM 

UNIFORM WITH TU1S VOLUME 
New Edition, La. Cr. 8vo, 426 pages. Cloth, 7/6 net. 



THE HISTORY AND LIFE OF 

DOCTOR JOHN TAULER 

OP STRASBOURG 

With Twenty-five of his Sermons 

Translated from the German, with Additional Notices of 
Tauler s Life and Times 

BY 

SUSANNA WINKWORTH 

With Preface by 

CHARLES KINGSLEY 

And an Introductory Letter by 

DR ALEXANDER WHYTE, OP EDINBURGH 



Dr Robertson Nicoll, in The British Weekly, says: 
"Mr ALLBNSON reprints in a very handsome and convenient form 
Miss WINKWORTH S Translation. The reprint is moat welcome. 
Mr Allenson has done a great service in publishing this book." 

Dr Marcus Dods, Edinburgh, writes: 

" Knowing how much valuable matter there is in the sermons, 
I think you have done a public service in re-issuing them in a 
much handier form. I hope they will have a renewed and 
increased circulation." 

Martin Luther says of Tauler: 

"If you have a mind to read a book of pure, thorough, Divine 
learning, get for yourself the sermons of John Tauler the 
Dominican. For nowhere, in Latin or in German, have I seen 
a more wholesome theology or one which accords more with the 
Gospel. This is a book wherein may be seen how the best 
learning of our times is not even brans, but is mere iron compared 
with this learning of true blessedness " 

LONDON: H. R. ALLENSON, LIMITED 
RACQUET COURT, FLEET STREET, B.C. 



LIFE 

RELIGIOUS OPINIONS AND EXPERIENCE 

OF 

MADAME GTJYON 



INCLUDING AN ACCOUNT OF THE PERSONAL HISTORY 
AND RELIGIOUS OPINIONS OF 

, ARCHBISHOP OF CAMBRAY 



BY THOMAS C. UPHAM 



EDITED AND REVISED BY 

AN ENGLISH CLERGYMAN 

With New Introduction by Prof. W. R. Inge, 
Author of "Christian Mysticism," <tc. 



NEW EDITION, WITH "CONTENTS" ADDED 



LONDON: H. R. ALLENSON, LIMITED 
7 RACQUET COURT, FLEET STREET, E.O 



<NOX 

TOnOMTO 




Previous Editions published by Sampson Low <$ Co. 

Trans] erred, to H. R. Allenson, 1905, reprinted 1908, 

1914 and 1920. 



EDITOR S PREFACE. 



IF few readers will agree with every sentiment recorded in 
these pages, yet it will not be too much to expect that every one 
should admire the fervent zeal, marked and steady consistency, 
as well as leading and striking ability of the subject of them. 
Madame Guyon must claim our sympathy in her sufferings, and 
if in any age it could be said that the world was not worthy of 
her, especially it would be so in that of Louis XIV. The few 
dazzling lights in that dark age serve to exhibit its dense dark 
ness. A depraved Court, with intense profession of religion ; a 
dissolute and extravagant nobility, with a beguiled and besotted 
populace ; military glory sought abroad, while at home La Belle 
France saw the same soldiery striking their swords into the hearts 
of the freest and most faithful citizens, and thus staining every 
honour in the detestable butchery of the Dragonnades ; dishonour 
at last drooping its withering blight over every promising field ; 
every energy and every sin ; every profession and every vice ; 
such preachers as have perhaps since the apostles days never 
been surpassed for impassioned vehemence and power of oratory, 
and yet crowds unrepentant, as if to show that man s heart can 
not be softened but by the Holy Spirit s influences ; narrowness 
and profusion ; little-mindedness and vaulting ambition, all 
these, amongst many others, were traits that marked the age in 
which lived, and preached, and suffered, and died Madame 
Guyon. To have done what she did, against all hindrances of 
malice, disappointment, and power, is enough to prove her to 



vi EDITOR S PREFACE. 

have possessed ability of the highest order ; and to have done 
these deeds as she did them, shows that the root of the matter 
was in her. The friend of Fenelon, like him she was persecuted 
for the truth s sake. Having really too much light for a dis 
ciple in the Roman Church, yet she had not strength to escape 
from it, and found her tomb in it. That Church can fairly claim 
no glory from Fenelon and Pascal, and Arnauld and Madame 
Guyon. These are enough to show us that great light may exist 
in great darkness, and great love in an atmosphere of internal 
chilliness. Louis XIV. and his abettors, Popes and Bishops, 
were more right in discerning the tendency of such views than 
those who held them. They were essentially antagonistic to 
Romanism, and must have developed more and more into divi 
sion. So far as Fenelon and Madame Guyon diverged from re 
ceived Romanism, they were Protestants, and as such, Louis XIV. 
and Bossuet condemned them. The only credit which the Church 
of Rome can claim from her Jansenist members, is that of having 
persecuted them. Madame Guyon was a martyr to their clear 
and quick-sighted hatred of the truth. And, if we mistake not, 
from the life before us, among many fruitful lessons, this may be 
learned, that while it is no slight toil to attain truth in such a 
system, yet it is possible ; and therefore while the sound Protestant 
rejoices in his own privileges and clearer light, he will pray for 
such as are feeling after the truth, shackled by the trammels of 
corrupt authority. As God had a people in the dark days before 
our Reformation, for we are not severed from the early Church 
by an abyss of centuries, but are connected with them by the 
lines of essential truth, so now He may have and has a people 
working in chains and thraldom of mind, while the soul enlight 
ened is free. With these remarks the Life of Madame Guyon, 
revised so as to leave its entirety uninjured, and may-be, more 
acceptably useful, is commended to the Christian reader. What 
she was in spite of great impediments, let every Christian strive 
to be with his great advantages. 



PREFACE. 



I HAD read the life and writings of Madame Guyon with 
interest, and I think with profit. The impression was similar 
to that made upon the minds of others, that her history and her 
opinions are too valuable to be lost. They make a portion, not 
only of ecclesiastical history, bat of the history of the human 
mind. Under these circumstances, and in the hope of contri 
buting something to the cause of truth and of vital religion, I 
have undertaken the present work. 

In giving some account of Madame Guyon s life, I have made 
great use of her Autobiography. The origin of this remarkable 
work, entitled in French, in which language alone it has been 
printed in full, La Vie de Madame de la Mothe Quyon, e crite 
par elle-meme, was this. After her return from Italy in 1686, 
La Cornbe, her spiritual Director, in accordance with the autho 
rity allowed him by his Church, an authority to which she 
readily submitted, required her to make a written record of her 
past life. This she did for the most part, when she was shut 
up, a year or two afterwards, in the Convent of St. Marie in 
Paris. She proposed to make a selection of incidents ; but 
La Combe, fearful that the delicacy of her feelings might prompt 
ner to multiply omissions, required her to write everything. 

To this she at last consented, especially as she did not, and 
could not well suppose, that a Biography, written under such 
circumstances, would ever be given to the public. 



Vlll PREFACE. 

To the information derived from her Autobiography, I have 
added numerous facts, derived from her other writings, and other 
sources. So that I speak with considerable confidence when I 
say, that the reader will find, in the following pages, a full 
account of the life and labours of this remarkable woman. 

The latter portion of the work is occupied, in a considerable 
degree, with the acquaintance which was formed in the latter 
part of her life between Madame Guyon and Fenelon, Arch 
bishop of Cambray ; with the influence which was exerted by 
her over that truly distinguished man ; with the religious opi 
nions which were formed and promulgated under that influence, 
and with the painful results which he experienced in conse 
quence. The discussions in this part of the work turn chiefly 
upon the doctrine of pure or unselfish love, in the experience of 
which Fenelon thought, in accordance with the views of Madame 
Guyon, and it seems to me with a good deal of reason, that the 
sanctification of the heart essentially consists. It is true, that 
they insist strongly upon the subjection of the will ; but they 
maintain, as they very well may maintain, that such a love will 
certainly carry the will with it. 

The work is committed to the reader, not without a sense of 
its imperfections, but still in the hopes that something has been 
done to illustrate character, and to confirm the truth. 

THOMAS C. UPHAM. 



NEW INTRODUCTION. 

BY PROF. W. R. INGE, M.A. 



THE Autobiography of Madame Guyon is a document of great 
psychological interest. She exhibits the peculiar temperament 
of the mystic in a very pure form. Endowed by nature with 
beauty, wit, and practical ability, she had also, from early 
childhood, an ambition to be a saint, and wavered for some 
years between the rival attractions of the world and the 
cloister. An unhappy, loveless marriage, and a heartless, 
jealous mother-in-law, at last drove her to seek within the con 
solations which she could not find without, and she threw 
herself with characteristic energy into the course of self- 
mortification which, she believed, was the first stage on the 
road to the beatific vision. There is much in this part of her 
narrative which shows that she was not wholly sane. For 
example, her habit of eating disgusting substances is a well- 
known symptom of partial derangement. The later part of her 
life, when she had won recognition as a spiritual guide, was 
more wholesome, if not happier. Her favourite doctrine of 
disinterested love, though overstrained in the reaction against 
the crude religion of rewards and punishments which was 
preached around her, was a beautiful and noble doctrine, and 
her "Quietism" taught her only resignation, not inactivity. 
The story of her slowly ripening friendship with Fenelon, and 
her progressive alienation from Bossuet, whose instincts as an 



X INTRODUCTION. 

ecclesiastic soon led him to hate arid persecute the woman 
whom he had first admired and patronised, is very instructive. 

Besides the personal interest which is awakened by the 
story of Madame Guyon s life and sufferings, and her relations 
with some of the leading men in France at that time, the 
Autobiography has an importance to all who are interested in 
religious Mysticism. Quietism is a type of religious experience 
which appears in every age and country, though not with equal 
frequency. Even in our busy and bustling time, there are 
many who are content to sit at Jesus feet like Mary of 
Bethany, and to " Hearken what the Lord God will say 
concerning " them. It is one type of Christian saintliness, and 
it has often moulded very beautiful characters. As for " disin 
terested love," it might almost be said that love which is not 
disinterested is unworthy of the name. Mercenary religion is 
not explicitly rejected in the Gospels, but surely the question, 
" What shall we have therefore ? " belongs to a crude and early 
stage in discipleship. The apostle who asked that question did 
not wince when, a little later, he was told that his reward was 
to be crucifixion, and not a seat at the Messiah s right hand. 
Until we have advanced far enough to say with Job, " Though 
He slay me, yet will I trust in Him," or with John Bunyan, 
when he was expecting to be hanged, " If God doth not come 
in, I will leap off the ladder even blindfold into eternity, come 
heaven, come hell," we are strangers to the heroism of faith. 
Madame Guyon had some amiable weaknesses, but she under 
stood what Christianity means much better than her persecutors. 



W. R. INGE. 



34 RUTLAND GATE, W. t 
17th April 1905. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

PAOB 

Birth 1648 Parentage Sickness in infancy Ursuline Seminary at Montargis 
Duchess Montbason Benedictine Seminary Early religious impressions 
Cruel experiment upon her Unfavourable results Return home, . . 1 

CHAPTER II. 

Second time at Ursuline Seminary Her paternal half-sister Meets Henrietta 
Maria, Queen of England Moral and religious feelings Transferred from 
Ursulines to Dominicans Finds a Bible Proposes to partake of the 
Eucharist, ......... 5 

CHAPTER III. 

Visit from De Toissi, Missionary to Cochin China Results of visit Renewed 
religious efforts Works v. Faith Return of spiritual declension Account of 
her feelings and conduct, . . . . . . .11 

CHAPTER IV. 

1663 Leaves Montargis for Paris Louis XIV. Characteristics of the age- 
Effect of Paris upon her character Personal appearance Offers of marriage 
Is married at sixteen to M. Guyon, 1664 M. Guyon s family, . . 16 

CHAPTER V. 

Remarks on her marriage Treatment experienced at her husband s house 
Unkind mother-in-law Want of harmony Her situation considered in 
relation to designs of Providence Trials endured, . . . .19 

CHAPTER VI. 

Trials result in renewed disposition to seek God Of the connexion of Providential 
events with renewal of the heart Birth of her first child, its effect upon her 
mind Losses of property Severe sickness Death of her paternal half-sister 
and of her mother Result of these afflictions upon her mind Renewed 
efforts of a religious nature Reads a Kempis and De Sales Meets an exiled 
lady of great piety Meets her cousin M. de Toissi again Conversation with 
a Franciscan Her conversion, ....... 26 

CHAPTER VII. 

Intellectual experience, in distinction from that of the heart Joy in the new 
life Subjection of the will Some of her views Remarks on faith 
Contemplation, ......... 39 

CHAPTER VIII. 

1668 Marked nature of her conversion Withdraws from worldly pleasures 
Birth of her second son Her great kindness and charity to the poor Her 
labours for the conversion of souls Domestic trials Unkindness of her step 
mother and maid-servant Conduct of her eldest son Sorrow and silence, . 44 

CHAPTER IX. 

Desires to be wholly the Lord s Efforts to keep the outward appetites in sub 
jection Austerities may be practised without the idea of expiation --The 
monks of La Trappe Temptations to go back to the world Visit to Paris 
The errors committed there Grief Journey to Orleans and Touraine 
Temptations and religious infidelities and falls repeated Incident on the 
banks of the Loire Remarks upon her sins Visit to St. Cloud Sorrow 
Inquiries on holy living, ........ 56 



x CONTENTS. 

ries 
CHAPTER X. 

Early views of her Christian state Seeks assistance from others The religious 
character of that age Consults Genevieve Granger Attends religious services 
at Notre Dame Extraordinary interview with a person unknown His advice 
Renewed consecration Attacked by small-pox Death of her youngest 
son Feelings Poetical writings Justice Divine Amiable, . . .71 

CHAPTER XI. 

Faithfulness in trial Spiritual consolations Experience during 1671 Domestic 
and other duties Trials in relation to seasons of prayer Regard for God s 

Erovidences First acquaintance, July 1671, with Francis La Combe 
mpression made on him by her conversations Growth in grace, . . 83 

CHAPTER XII. 

Incidents of 1672 Her father s death Remarks Affectionate eulogium on her 
daughter Her sickness and death The renewed and entire consecration of 
herself in 1670 This act reduced to writing, and signed for the first time, 
July 22, 1672 Instrumentality of Genevieve Granger Form of this con 
secrating act Dangers connected with a journey Reflections, . . 91 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Birth of a son Her religious state Death of Genevieve Granger Remarks on 
affliction Second visit to Orleans Interview with a Jesuit Writes to a 
person of distinction and merit for advice Lawsuit Conduct in connexion 
with it, .......... 96 

CHAPTER XIV. 

1674 Commencement of her state of privation Analysis and explanation Joy 
not religion, but merely an incident Advice of Monsieur Bertot Other 
advice Correspondence with a Jesuit, . . . . . .103 

CHAPTER XV. 

Events of the year 1676 Sickness of her husband His character Their recon 
ciliation His death Settlement of her estate Chosen as arbiter in a 
lawsuit Inward dispositions Separation from her mother-in-law, . . 112 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Her charities Education of her children Study of Latin Continuance of 
inward desolation Temptations Writes to La Combe July 22, 1680, the 
day of her deliverance after nearly seven years of inward privation Reference 
to her work, The Torrents Poem. "The Dealings of^od," . . .120 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Sanctification compared with justification Her work, The Torrents Some 
sentiments from it descriptive of her own experience Depth of experience- 
Poem, "The Joy of the Cross," . . . . . . .128 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Thoughts of a Nunnery decided against Proposals of marriage refused Short 
season of comparative retirement and peace Poem, .... 137 

CHAPTER XIX. 

1680 Remarkable incident in a church Effect on her mind Consulted by a 
person on a mission to Siam Asks his opinion on her plan of going on a 
mission to Geneva Consults Bishop D Aranthon at Paris Decides to leave 
for Gex Charities during the winter of 1680 Preparations for departure 
Trials of mind, ......... 140 

CHAPTER XX. 

July 1681, leaves Paris Her companions Her child makes crosses, and then 
weaves a crown for her Stops at Corbeil Meets the Franciscan, formerly 



CONTENTS. Xlii 

FAOB 

instrumental in her conversion Sails for Melun Meditations References to 

her poetry Poem, "God Everywhere," . . ..., ,, . 147 

CHAPTER XXI. 

Lyons Anneci Remarks on this journey The tomb of St. Francis de Sales- 
Arrives at Gex, 23d of July 1681 Death of M. Bertot Appointment of La 
Combe New views Sanctification by faith Personal labours with La 
Combe, . . . . . . , , . . 150 

CHAPTER XXII. 

Anselm, hermit of Thonon Return to Gex Thrown from a horse La Combe on 
Holiness Called to account Views of Bishop D Aranthon Proposal to give 
up her property and become prioress of a Religious House at Gex Her 
refusal Remarkable conversation between D Aranthon and La Combe 
Opposition to Madame Guy on, ....... 160 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

Approaching trials Consolations from Scripture- -A dream Frustrates the 
designs of an ecclesiastic upon an unprotected girl Opposition and ill treat 
ment from this source Leaves Gex Crosses the Genevan Lake to Thonon 
Poem, "The Christian s Hopes," . . . . . .170 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

Arrives at Thonon Interview with Father La Combe He leaves Thonon for 
Aost and Rome Confidence that God would justify her Cases of religious 
inquiry Endeavours to teach those who came to her References to her 
daughter Visited at Thonon by Bishop D Aranthon Her position in the 
Roman Catholic Church References to persons who have attempted a reform 
in that Church Attacks upon the character of La Combe Views of sanctifi- 
cation Pious laundress Opposition by priests and others Public burning 
of her books, . . . . . . . .175 

CHAPTER XXV. 

Conversion of a physician Further persecution Some opposers become subjects 
of the work of God Three striking instances of the care of Providence Visit 
to Lausanne Establishment of a hospital at Thonon Removal to a small 
cottage a few miles distant Return of La Combe Her opposers appeal to 
Bishop D Aranthon He requires Madame Guyon and La Combe to leave his 
diocese Rude and fierce attacks upon her Decides to leave Thonon Her 
feelings La Combe His letter to D Aranthon Remarks of Madame Guyon 
on some forms of religious experience On living by the moment, . . 191 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

Season of retirement Commences writing her larger treatises Spiritual 
Torrents Feelings with which she commenced this work Its name 
The progress of the sdul compared to torrents descending from the mountains 
Abstract of it .202 

CHAPTER XXVIL 

Leaves Thonon Mount Cenis Persons that accompanied her Turin 
Marchioness of Prunai Her journey through the Pass of Mount Cenis, and 
reception and labours at Turin Literary activity Correspondence Advice 
to a young preacher The Dream of the sacred island, .... 208 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Return to France State of things in Italy Some account of Michael de Molinos 
Opposition to his views 111 treatment of his followers The Count and 
Countess Vespiniani Imprisonment of Molinos, and death Return from 
Turin to Grenoble Domestic arrangements Remarkable revival Dealings 
of God Conversion of a Knight of Malta Work in a Convent Establish 
ment oi a hospital, ........ 216 



XIV CONTENTS. 

PAG 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

The Monastery of the Grande Chartreuse Visited by Madame Guyon Conver 
sation between Father Innocentius and Madame Guyon Opposition at 
Grenoble Her method of prayer in religious conferences Commences Com 
mentaries on the Bible The Short Method of Prayer Its origin and success, 226 

CHAPTER XXX. 

Analysis of the Method of Prayer The term Prayer Those without the spirit of 
prayer invited to seek it Directions to aid persons Higher religious experi 
ence Entire consecration to God The test of consecration Inward holiness 
the true regulator of the outward life Of gradual growth The knowledge of 
our inward sins The manner of meeting temptations The soul in the state 
of pure love The prayer of silence The true relation of human and Divine 
activity The nature and conditions of the state of Divine union Appeal to 
pastors and teachers, ........ 234 

CHAPTER XXXI. 

Opposition and argument Effect of the publication of the Short Method of 
Prayer Conversation with a poor girl Violent opposition, 1686 Advised 
to go to Marseilles Descends the Rhone Incidents in the voyage Arrives 
at Marseilles Excitement occasioned Kind treatment of the Bishop of 
Marseilles Opposition from others Conversion of a priest Acquaintance 
with a Knight of the Order of Malta Her interviews with M. Francois Malaval 
Leaves for Nice Disappointed in going from Nice to Turin Sails for Genoa 
Reflections on her exposure on the ocean Troubles at Genoa Departs for 
Verceil Met by robbers Other trying incidents, .... 245 

CHAPTER XXXII. 

Arrives at Verceil Interviews with La Combe With the Bishop of Verceil 
Sickness Correspondence commenced with the Duchess de Chevreuse 
Decides to return to Paris La Combe selected to attend her Departure 
Visit to the Marchioness of Pruuai Crosses the Alps for the third time 
Meets her half-brother, La Mothe, at Chamberri Reception at Grenoble 
Arrives at Paris, after a five years absence, July 1686, . . . 258 

CHAPTER XXXIII. 

Domestic arrangements New associations Character of them Duchess de 
Beauvilliers- Duchess de Chevreuse Character of the Duke de Chevreuse 
Begins to labour in this higher class of society Labours of La Combe His 
doctrines --Opposition against him by La Mothe The doctrines of Michael 
de Molinos The case of La Combe brought before M. de Harlai, Archbishop 
of Paris, and Louis XIV. La Coinbe writes to Madame Guyon Is sent to 
the Bastile Sympathy for him by Madame Guyon Their correspondence, . 264 

CHAPTER XXXIV. 

Designs upon Madame Guyon She refuses to reside at Montargis Desire of La 
Mothe to become her" spiritual Director Her opposition Tranquillity 
Remarkable inward experience Her labours for souls, and success Conver 
sation with La Mothe His efforts to compel her to leave the city Her reply 
Her case before Louis XIV. Her imprisonment, January 1688, in the 
Convent of St. Marie Treatment experienced Separation from her daughter 
Poem, "A little Bird am I," ....... 272 

CHAPTER XXXV. 

Occupations in prison The history of her life Labours and usefulness there 
Letter to a religious friend Visited by an ecclesiastical Judge and a Doctor of 
the Sorbonne Examined Her feelings Poem, " Love constitutes my Crime," 279 

CHAPTER XXXVI. 

Views in relation to the continuance of imprisonment Inward peace and triumph 
Inward trials Forgiveness towards her enemies Attempts to involve her 
daughter in a marriage arrangement The King favourable, but requires 



CONTENTS. XV 

PAGE 

Madame Guyon s consent The subject proposed to her by M. Charon 
Writes to Pere La Chaise Sickness Renewed trials Remarks on the dis 
pensation of the Holy Ghost Poem, "God s Glory and Goodness," . . 286 

CHAPTER XXXVII. 

Efforts of her friends unavailing Madame de Miramion Visits the Convent 
Becomes acquainted with Madame Guyon Makes known her case to Madame 
de Maintenon, who intercedes with Louis XIV. Madame Guyon released by 
the King s order, in October 1688 Resides with Madame de Miramion 
Marriage of her daughter with the Count de Vaux Notice of his family 
Resides with her daughter Letters Poem, " God the Fountain of Love," . 298 

CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

Fenelon Character Early designs Interesting letter Sent by Louis XIV. as 
a missionary to Poitou Hears of the religious labours of Madame Guyon 
On his return in 1688, passes through Montargis, and makes inquiries 
Meets her for the first time at the country residence of the Duchess of Charost, 
at Beine They return to Paris together Letters, .... 306 

CHAPTER XXXIX. 

Religious state of Fenelon Correspondence with Madame Guyon Concise View 
of the Soul s return to God Letter from Fenelon, . . . .316 

CHAPTER XL. 

Remarks on F6nelon Letter from Madame Guyon Her remarks on faith On 
the entire consecration of the will Incident in her past experience illustrative 
of the doctrine of faith F6nelon appointed, August 1689, preceptor to the 
Duke of Burgundy Character of the Duke Labours of Fenelon The 
writings of Fenelon The influence of Madame Guyon upon him Revival of 
religion at Dijon The Method of Prayer publicly burned, . . .321 

CHAPTER XLI. 

1692 Labours of Madame Guyon Interviews with Madame de Maintenon 
Unhappiness of the latter Institution of St. Cyr Interviews between 
Madame de Maintenon and Madame Guyon Labours of Madame Guyon with 
the young ladies Madame Guyon visited by Sister Malin, resident at Ham 
Public attention directed to her again Interview with Peter Nicole Inter 
view with Monsieur Boileau, brother of the poet Writes at his suggestion 
A Concise Apology for the Short Method of Prayer Poisoned by one of 
her servants Temporary concealment Friendship of M. Fouquet His sick 
ness and death, ......... 330 

CHAPTER XLII. 

1693-1694 Bossuet His character and position Interviews Madame Guyon 
The conversation Effect upon Madame Guyon Correspondence between them 
Attacked with a fever, ........ 341 

CHAPTER XLIII. 

1694 Opposition continues Louis XIV. appoints three commissioners, Bossuet, 
De Noailles, and Tronson, to examine her doctrines Their character She 
lays before them the work entitled Justifications The first meeting of the 
commissioners, August 1694 Exclusion of the Duke of Chevreuse Course 
taken by Bossuet Interviews subsequently with the Bishop of Chalons and 
Tronson No condemnation passed at this time Articles of Issy Retires to 
the Convent of St. Mary in Meaux In a snowdrift Her remarks on a charge 
of hypocrisy made against her Poem, "Acquiescence of Pure Love," . 365 

CHAPTER XLIV. 

1695 Sickness Visited by Bossuet Singular conversation Reference to a 
sermon of Bossuet Receives recommendations from him and the prioress and 
nuns Leaves Meaux for Paris -Excitement occasioned Conceals herself 



XVi CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

five months Seized by order of the King, and imprisoned in the Castle of 
Vincennes State of her mind Poems, written in prison, . . .374 

CHAPTER XLV. 

1696 Bossuet writes on the inward life His book, entitled Instructions on 
Prayer F4nelon refuses his approbation Writes to Madame de Maintenon, 
giving his reasons Origin of The Maxims of the Saints Abstract of it, . 384 

CHAPTER XLVI. 

1697 The appointment of Feiielon as Archbishop of Cambray Importance 
attached to his opinions Opinions on The Maxim of the Saints Decided 
course of Bossuet Feelings of Louis XIV. towards F6nelon Bossuet and 
F6nelon compared The true question between them Notices of some of 
the more important publications of Bossuet Remarks on his History of 
Quietism " Correspondence with the Abbd de Ranee, . . . 417 

CHAPTER XL VII. 

1697-1699 The controversy brought before the Pope He appoints commissioners 
Divisions in regard to it The decision delayed Dissatisfaction of the King 
He writes to the Pope Banishes Fenelon Letter of Fenelon to Madame 
de Maintenon Interest in behalf of Fenelon by the Duke of Burgundy 
Conversation of the King with the Duke of Beauvilliers His treatment of 
the Abb6 Beaumont and others Letter of Fenelon to the Duke of Beauvilliers 
Second letter to the King Condemnation of Fenelon, . . . 434 

CHAPTER XL VIII. 

Character of Fenelon Labours Method of preaching The peasant who lost 
his cow The feelings of Fenelon, when his palace was burnt Noble conduct 
during war Hospitality Chevalier Ramsay Quietism Meditations on 
the infant Jesus Religious toleration Correspondence with the Duke of 
Burgundy Death of Fenelon, 1715, ...... 446 

CHAPTER XLIX. 

Of the influence of Madame Guyon on Fenelon Woman s influence Madame 
Guy on transferred from Vincennes to Vaugirard Religious efforts there Inter 
ference of the Archbishop of Paris Feelings of the King towards Madame 
Guyon His treatment of some members of the Seminary of St. Cyr Removes 
a son of Madame Guyon from his office Proceedings of Bishop of Chartres 
Feelings of Madame Guyon in relation to Fenelon Visited by the Archbishop 
of Paris, who reads to her a letter from La Combe Her feelings Poem, 
"The Light above Us," ........ 458 

CHAPTER L. 

1698 Transferred to the Bastile Some account of it Extract from a letter 
Man of the iron mask Madame Guyon s maid-servant imprisoned in the 
Bastile Her personal history Religious character Letters Death 
Situation of Madame Guyon The religious support she experienced, . 465 

CHAPTER LI. 

Advocates of pure love called Quietists Traits of religious character connected 
with the origin of the name Meekness and simplicity, which characterise the 
true Quietist The Quietist in aflliction In action When suffering injury 
In prayer Other religious traits Two poems of Madame Guyon, . . 478 

CHAPTER LII. 

On the religion of prisous Madame Guyon released in 1702 after four years 
imprisonment Banished during her life to Blois State of health Visited 
by many persons, foreigners as well as others Publication of her Auto 
biography arranged Feelings towards her enemies Extracts Religious 
state Letters near the close Her character Address to her spiritual 
children Sickness, and death 9th June 1717, . . . . .487 



LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

OP 

MADAME GUYON. 



CHAPTER I. 

% 

r&ne and place of her birth Her parentage Sickness in her infancy Her residence ai 
the Ursuline Seminary at Montargis Duchess Montbason Residence at the Benedictine 
Seminary A dream Early religious impressions Singular experiment on the strength 
of her faith Unfavourable results Taken home Treatment received there. 

THE subject of this Memoir was born the 13th of April 1648, 
and baptized on the 24th of May. Her father s name was 
Claude Bouvieres de la Mothe. The place of her birth was 
Montargis, a French town of some note, situated about fifty 
miles to the south of Paris, in the part of France known previ 
ously to the French Revolution as the province of Orleanois. 

Of her parents we know but little. They were very worthy 
people, holding a highly honourable position among the leading 
families of Montargis, and both of them, especially the father, 
were deeply impressed with religious sentiments. Her father 
bore the title of Seigneur or Lord de la Mothe Vergonville. 
Her father and mother had both been previously married ; and 
both had children previous to their second marriage. The father 
had a son and daughter ; the mother had a daughter. The sub- 
iect of this Memoir, whose remarkable personal and religious 
history has made her an object of interest to succeeding ages, 
was the offspring of this second marriage. Her maiden name 
was Jeanne Marie Bouvieres de la Mothe. 

In very early infancy she was so afflicted, that her life was foi 



2 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

some time despaired of. To this period she refers in after life, 
with feelings which her religious experience was naturally cal 
culated to inspire. Her life had its vicissitudes, its trials, its 
deep sorrows ; but in view of the sanctification which had at 
tended them, she was deeply thankful that God had been pleased 
to spare her. " It is owing," she says, " to thy goodness, God, 
that there now remains to me the consolation of having sought 
and followed thee ; of having laid myself upon the altar of 
sacrifice in the strength of pure love ; of having laboured for 
thine interests and glory. In the commencement of my earthly 
existence, death and life seemed to combat together; but life 
proved victorious over death. Oh, might I but hope, that, in 
the conclusion of my being here on earth, life will be for ever 
victorious over death ! Doubtless it will be so, if thou alone 
dost live in me, my God, who art at present my only life, my 
only love." 

In the city of Montargis, where her father resided, was a 
seminary for the instruction of young girls, under the care of 
the Ursuline Nuns, a sisterhood of religious persons, who bind 
themselves, in addition to other vows, to occupy themselves in 
the education of children of their own sex. At the age of two 
years and a half, she was placed at the Ursuline Seminary, but 
remained there only lor a short time. When she was taken 
from it she remained for a time at the residence of her parents ; 
but for some reason not clearly understood, but probably in part 
from an imperfect view of the value of parental influence, was 
left by her mother chiefly in the care of the domestics of the 
family. In after life she refers to this period as one in which 
her mental and moral culture, such as she was even then capa 
ble of receiving, was not properly attended to. She speaks of 
it also as a period in which she incurred, in repeated instances, 
those dangers, from which she sometimes narrowly escaped, 
which are incidental to the sports and to the thoughtless and 
venturesome spirit of childhood. But God, who had designs 
of mercy for her soul, and through her instrumentality for the 
eouls of others, protected her. 



OP MADAME GUYON. 3 

In the year 1652, a lady of distinguished rank, the Duchesr 
of Montbason, came to reside with the Benedictines, anothei 
religious body established at Montargis. The daughter of M. 
De la Mothe was then four years of age. At the solicitation of 
the Duchess, an intimate friend of her father, who said it would 
be a source of great satisfaction to her to have the company of 
his little daughter, she was placed with the Benedictines. 
" Here I saw," she says, in the account of her life which she 
afterwards wrote, " none but good examples ; and as I was 
naturally disposed to yield to the influence of such examples, I 
followed them when I found nobody to turn me in another direc 
tion. Young as I was, I loved to hear of God, to be at church, 
and to be dressed in the habit of a little nun." 

While resident here, though early in life, she appears to have 
been the subject of some religious impressions. She speaks in 
particular of a dream, in which she seemed to have a very dis 
tinct conception of the ultimate misery of impenitent sinners, as 
making a deep impression on her mind. Aroused by the images 
of terror, and operated upon by other circumstances calculated 
to awaken her religious sensibilities, she became very thought 
ful, and exhibited a considerable interest in religious thingg. 
She was too young to appreciate fully the relation existing be 
tween herself and the Deity ; but the idea of God was so far 
developed to her opening but vigorous conceptions, that she in 
wardly and deeply recognised His claims to her homage and her 
love. She endeavoured to conform to these convictions, not 
only by doing whatever seemed to be the will of God, but by 
openly and frankly expressing her determination to lead a reli 
gious life. Happy in these solemn views and determinations, 
she one day, with a frankness perhaps greater than her prudence, 
remarked in the presence of her associates, that she was ready to 
become a martyr for God. The girls who resided with her at 
the Benedictines, not altogether pleased that one so young should 
go so far before them in a course so honourable, and supposing 
perhaps that they discovered some ingredients of human pride 
mingling with religious sincerity, came to the conclusion to test 



4 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

such enlarged pretensions. They persuaded her that God in His 
providences had suddenly but really called her to the endurance 
of that martyrdom for which she had exhibited and professed a 
mind so fully prepared. They found her true to what she had 
previously professed. And having permitted her to offer up her 
private supplications, they conducted her to a room selected for 
the purpose, with all those circumstances of deliberateness and 
solemnity, which were appropriate to so marked an occasion. 
They spread a cloth upon the floor, upon which she was required 
to kneel, and which was destined to receive her blood. One of 
the older girls then appeared in the character of an executioner, 
and lifted a large cutlass, with the apparent intention of separating 
her head from her body. At this critical moment, overcome by 
her fears, which were stronger than her young faith, she cried 
out, that she was not at liberty to die without the consent of her 
father. The girls, in the spirit of triumph, declared that it was 
a mere excuse to escape what was prepared for her. And assur 
ing her that God would not accept as a martyr one who had not 
a martyr s spirit, they insultingly let her go. 

This transaction, so cruel in its application, although it pro 
bably originated in thoughtlessness more than unkindness, had 
a marked effect upon her mind. Young as she was, she was old 
enough to perceive, that she had not only been open but volun 
tary in her professions ; that she had been tried, and been found 
wanting. Those religious consolations, which she had previously 
experienced, departed. Something in her conscience reproached 
her, that she either wanted courage or faith, to act and to suffer, 
under all circumstances and without any reserve, in the cause 
of her heavenly Father. It seemed to her, in the agitation of 
her spirit, that she had offended Him, and that there was now 
but little hope of His support and favour. Thus, as in many 
other similar cases, the religious tendency, unkindly crushed in 
the very bud of its promise, withered and died. 

During her residence at the House of the Benedictines, she 
was treated with great kindness. In one instance only was she 
the subject of punishment, and this in consequence of the mis- 



OF MADAME GUYON. O 

apprehension, or the designed misstatement of her young asso 
ciates. Her health, however, was exceedingly delicate; and 
soon after she was taken home in consequence. She complains 
that she was again left almost exclusively in the care of domes 
tics ; and consequently did not meet with that attention to her 
morals and manners, which was desirable. Certain it is, as a 
general statement, that domestics cannot discharge, in behalf of 
young children, all those duties which may reasonably and justly 
be expected of parents. It might be unjust, however, even where 
appearances are unfavourable, to ascribe to parents intentional 
neglect, without a full knowledge of all the circumstances. 



CHAPTER II. 

flaced a second time at the Ursuline Seminary Character and kindness of her paternal 
half-sister Interview with Henrietta Maria, the Queen of England, at her father s hovuw 
Explanations of this interview References to her moral and religions feelings Trans 
ferred from the care of the Ursulines to that of the Dominicans A Bible left in her 
room Her study of it Proposes to partake of the Eucharist Remarks. 

EACH of her parents had a daughter in their first marriage. 
These, acting on the principles of personal consecration recog 
nised in the Roman Catholic Church, had devoted themselves to 
a religious life in the Ursuline Convent, and thus became asso 
ciated in its system of instruction. After spending some time 
at home in a manner not very profitable, Mademoiselle Jeanne 
Marie was once more placed at the Ursulines with them. She 
was now in the seventh year of her age. The father, sensible 
that her education had hitherto failed to receive sufficient atten 
tion, commended her to the especial care of his own daughter, 
as the best qualified of the two half-sisters, by kindness of dispo 
sition as well as in other respects, to aid in the development of 
her mind and formation of her manners. As she recalled with 
gratitude the dealings of God with her in her younger years, 
she spoke in affectionate terms of this sister, as a person cha- 



f> LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

racterized alike by good judgment and religious sentiments, and 
especially fitted to train up young girls. 

" This good sister," she says, " employed her time in instruct 
ing me in piety, and in such branches of learning as were suit 
able to my age and capacity. She was possessed of good talents, 
which she improved well. She spent much time in prayer, and 
her faith seemed strong and pure. She denied herself every 
other satisfaction, in order that she might be with me and give 
me instruction. So great was her affection for me, that she ex 
perienced, as she told me herself, more pleasure with me, than 
anywhere else. Certain it is, that she thought herself well paid 
for her efforts, whenever I made suitable answers. Under her 
care I soon became mistress of most of those things which were 
suitable for me." 

At this period an incident occurred, which requires some ex 
planation. The period of which we are now speaking was sub 
sequent to the great Civil War in England, which resulted in 
the death of Charles I., the establishment of a new government, 
and the expulsion of the royal family. Charles had married 
Henrietta Maria, the daughter of Henry IV., and sister of Louis 
XIII. of France. She fled from England to her own country in 
1644 ; residing for the most part, in sorrow and poverty, in the 
Convent of Chaillot, at that time a village in the neighbourhood 
of Paris, but now a part of the city itself. She died in 1669 ; 
and her death furnished occasion for one of the most celebrated 
of the funeral orations of Bossuet. 

Some years after her flight she visited Moritargis ; and as the 
family of M. De la Mothe held a high rank in that city, and 
especially as there were probably some common grounds of reli 
gious sympathy, it will not be surprising that Henrietta Maria 
should have honoured them with a visit. While she was at the 
Seminary of the Ursulines, she was frequently sent for by her 
father. On one of these occasions she found at her father s 
house the Queen of England. She was then near eight years of 
age. " My father told the Queen s Confessor, that, if he wanted 
i little amusement, he might entertain himself with me, and 



OF MADAME GUYON. 7 

propound some questions to me. He tried me with several very 
difficult ones, to which I returned such correct answers, that he 
carried me to the Queen, and said to her, i Your Majesty must 
have some diversion with this child. She also tried me, and 
was so well satisfied and pleased with my lively answers and 
my manners, that she not only requested my father to place me 
with her, but urged her proposition with no small importunity, 
assuring him that she would take particular care of me, and 
going so far as to intimate, that she would make me Maid of 
Honour to the princess, her daughter. Her desire for me was 
so great, that the refusal of my father evidently disobliged her. 
Doubtless it was God who caused this refusal, and in doing so 
turned off the stroke which might have probably intercepted my 
salvation. Weak as I then was, how could I have withstood 
the temptations and distractions incidental to a connexion with 
persons so high in rank ?" 

Her paternal half-sister continued her affectionate care, but 
her authority was limited ; she could not control, in all respects, 
the other girls who boarded there, with whom the younger 
sister, Jeanne Marie, was sometimes obliged to associate, and 
from whom she acknowledges that she contracted some bad 
habits. She ceased to be entirely strict and scrupulous as to 
the truth ; she became in some degree peevish in her temper, 
and careless and undevout in her religious feelings, passing 
whole days without thinking of God. But happily she did not 
remain long under the power of such vicious tendencies and 
habits. Her sister s unwearied watchfulness and assiduity were 
the means, with the Divine blessing, of recovering her from this 
temporary declension. And she remained at the Seminary some 
time longer, always making rapid improvement when in the 
enjoyment of good health, and conciliating the esteem of her 
associates and instructors, by her regular and virtuous deport 
ment, and by proficiency in knowledge. 

At ten years of age she was taken home again ; she was 
placed at the Dominican convent, probably the same of which 
De la Force gives so particular an account in his work, entitled 



8 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

Nouvelle Description de la France. It was founded in 1242, 
" I stayed," she says, " only a little while at home. The reason 
was this : A nun of the Dominican Order, who belonged to a 
distinguished family, and an intimate friend of my father, soli 
cited him to place me in her convent, of which she was Prioress. 
This lady had conceived a great affection for me ; and promised 
my father that she would take care of me herself, and make rae 
lodge in her own chamber. But various troubles arose in the 
religious community which necessarily occupied her attention, 
BO that she was not in a situation to take much care of me." 

Her opportunities for intellectual improvement, during her 
residence in the Dominican convent, were interrupted in some 
degree by sickness ; but with a mind of naturally enlarged 
capacity, which seemed to have an instinct for knowledge, she 
could hardly fail to improve. At this place she was left more 
by herself than had been customary with her. But her soli 
tary hours were not unprofitable ones. One circumstance is 
worthy of particular notice. The pupils of the convent, al 
though they received religious instruction in other ways, do not 
appear to have been in possession of the Bible, and to have 
had the use of it in private. A Bible, however, had been pro 
videntially left, by whose instrumentality, or from what motive, 
is unknown, in the chamber which was assigned to Mademoiselle 
De la Mothe. Young as she was, she seems to have had a 
heart to appreciate, in some degree, the value of this heaven-sent 
gift. " / spent whole days," she says, " in reading it, giving no 
attention to other books or other subjects from morning to night , 
and having great powers of recollection, I committed to memory 
the historical parts entirety" It is highly probable that these 
solitary perusals of the Bible had an influence on her mind 
through life, not only in enlarging its sphere of thought and 
activity, but by teaching her to look to God alone for direction, 
and by laying deep and broad the foundations of that piety 
which she subsequently experienced. 

She remained at this convent eight months. When she 
entered upon the twelfth year of her age, she proposed to partake 



OF MADAME GUYON. 9 

of the sacrament of the Eucharist. For some time previous she 
had been remiss in religious duties. Some jealousies and dis- 
affections, as is not unfrequently the case, had sprung up among 
the younger members of her father s family. A feeling of dis 
satisfaction and melancholy seems to have entered her mind ; 
and, as if weary of God, she gave up what little religious in 
clination and feeling she had, saying, " she was none the better 
for it," and wickedly implying in the remark, that the troubles 
connected with religion exceeded the benefits resulting from it. 
It would not be correct to say that she had given up religion, 
but rather many favourable feelings and outward practices 
connected with religion. Although she had been interested in 
religion, it does not appear that she possessed those qualities 
which really constitute it. Prompted, partly by example, and 
partly by serious impressions, she had sought it, but had not 
found it. Her religious interest varied at different times. At 
one time, in particular, it seems to have been very great. She 
seems to have had convictions of sin, some desires to live in 
God s guidance and favour ; she formed good resolutions ; she 
had a degree of inward consolation. But when we examine 
these experiences closely, we shall find that such desires, con 
victions, and resolutions, which often lay near the surface of the 
mind without stirring very much its inward depths, were, in her 
case at least, the incidents and preparatives of religion, rather 
than religion itself. The great inward Teacher, the Holy Ghost, 
had not as yet subdued the natural life, and given a new life in 
Christ. She herself intimates, that her religion was chiefly 
in appearance, and that self, and not the love of God, was at 
the bottom. 

The suggestion to partake of the sacrament of the Supper, 
and thus by an outward act at least, to array herself more dis 
tinctly on the Lord s side, seems to have originated with her 
father. In order to bring about what he had near at heart, he 
placed her again at the Ursuline Seminaiy. Her paternal half- 
sister, who appears to have had some increased and leading 
responsibility as an instructress, pleased with the suggestion, 



10 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

but at the same time aware of her unfortunate state of mind, 
laboured assiduously to give rise to better inward dispositions. 
The labours of this patient and affectionate sister, who knew 
what it was both to believe and to pray, and for whom religion 
seems to have had a charm above everything else, were so 
effectual, that Jeanne Marie now thought, as she expresses it, 
" of giving herself to God in good earnest." The day at length 
arrived ; she felt that the occasion was too important to be 
trifled with ; she made an outward confession of her sins, with 
apparent sincerity and devoutness, and partook of the sacra 
mental element for the first time with a considerable degree of 
satisfaction. But the result showed that the heart was not 
reached. The season and its solemnity passed away, without 
leaving an effectual impression. The sleeping passions were 
again awaked. " My faults and failings," she says, " were soon 
repeated, and drew me off from the care and the duties of reli 
gion." She grew tall ; her features began to develop themselves 
into that beauty which afterwards distinguished her. Her 
mother, pleased with her appearance, indulged her in dress. 
The combined power of her personal and mental attractions 
were felt in the young and unreflecting attachments of persons 
of the other sex. The world resumed its influence, and Christ 
was in a great degree forgotten. 

Such are the changes which often take place in the early his 
tory of religious experience. To-day there are serious thoughts, 
awakened and quickened feelings, and good resolutions ; every 
thing wears a propitious aspect. To-morrow, purposes are 
abandoned, feelings vanish ; and the reality of the world takes 
the place of the anticipations of religion. To-day the hearts 
of mothers and sisters, and of other friends, who have laboured 
long and prayed earnestly for the salvation of those who are 
dear to them, are cheered and gladdened. To-morrow they 
find the solicitations to pleasure prevailing over the exhortations 
to virtue ; and those who had been serious arid humble for a 
time, returning again to the world. But often these alterna 
tions of feeling, which it is not easy always to explain, have an 



OP MADAME GUYON. 11 

important connexion, under the administration of a higher and 
Divine providence, with the most favourable results. 

They may, in many cases, be regarded as constituting a 
necessary part of that inward training, which the soul must pass 
through, before it reaches the position of true submission and 
of permanent love. They show us the great strength of that 
attachment which binds us to attractions which perish, the 
things of time and sense. They leave a deep impression of the 
forbearance and long-suffering of God. They teach the neces 
sity of the special and powerful operations of Divine grace, 
without which the heart, naturally alienated from all attach 
ment to the true object of its love, would perish in its worldly 
idolatry. 



CHAPTER III. 

Ttsit from her cousin De Toissi, Missionary to Cochin China Results of this visit Re 
newed religious efforts Endeavours to obtain salvation by works rather than by faith- 
Return of spiritual declension Account which she gives of her own feelings and conduct 
at this time Remarks. 

ABOUT this time the Roman Catholic Church of France, de 
sirous to spread abroad the Christian religion, was enlarging its 
missions in the East. Among the individuals who engaged in 
this benevolent work, was a nephew of M. De la Mothe. His 
name was De Toissi, of whom some account is given in the 
History of Foreign Missions, Relation des Missions Etrangeres, 
under the name of De Chamesson. This young man, with one 
of the French bishops, the titular bishop of Heliopolis, had com 
menced his journey to the place of his labours in Cochin China ; 
and in passing through Montargis, had called at the residence 
of his uncle. His visit was short ; but as he was about to leave 
his native land perhaps for ever, and on business too that was 
infinitely dear to humanity and religion, it was full of interest. 
He was one of those who could say in the sweet language of 



12 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

the subject of this Memoir, when in after life she suffered in 
prison and in exile, 

" My country, Lord, art thou alone ; 
No other can I claim or own ; 
The point, where all my wishes meet, 
My Law, my Love, life s only sweet." 

" I happened," she says, " at that time to be gone walking 
with my companions, which I seldom did. At my return he 
was gone. They gave me an account of his sanctity, and of the 
things he had said. I was so touched with it, that I was over 
come with sorrow. I cried all the rest of the day and of the 
night." 

This was one of those incidents in the Providence of God, 
which come home to the heart. How often has the mere sight 
of a truly pious man brought the hardened sinner under convic 
tion ! How often have those who have been unmoved by the 
most eloquent religious appeals, been deeply affected by the 
most simple and unpretending words, when uttered under cir 
cumstances favourable to such a result. When she heard the 
statement of the deep and devoted piety of her cousin De Toissi, 
her thoughts, from contrast rather than resemblance, naturally 
reverted to herself. She remembered how often God had called 
her ; and how often she had listened without obeying, or had 
obeyed without persevering. "What! "she exclaimed to her 
confessor and religious teacher, " am I the only person in our 
family to be lost ! Alas ! help me in my salvation." Her 
whole soul was roused to a sense of her situation. She recalled 
with deep compunction her repeated seasons of seriousness and 
religious inquiry, and of subsequent declension. "Alas I" she 
exclaimed, " what grief I now sustained for having displeased 
God I What regrets ! What exclamations I What tears of 
sorrow I" Once more she applied herself to her soul s salvation, 
apparently with great sincerity and earnestness ; but without 
being able to find the simple way of acceptance Toy faith. She 
resisted her passions, which were liable to be strongly moved, 
with considerable success. She asked the forgiveness of those 



OF MADAME GUYON. 13 

whom she had displeased. Appreciating, in some degree, the 
relation between religion and practical benevolence, she visited 
the poor, gave them food and clothing, and taught them the 
catechism. She spent much time in private reading and pray 
ing. She purchased and read some ol the practical and devo 
tional books which were most highly valued among her people, 
such as the Life of Madame de Chantal and the works of St. 
Francis de Sales. She inscribed the name of the Saviour in 
large characters upon a piece of paper ; and so attached it to 
her person as to be continually reminded of Him. With an 
erroneous notion of expiating sin by her own suffering, she sub 
jected herself to various bodily austerities. Determining to 
leave nothing undone, she made a vow, in imitation of Madame 
de Chantal, of ever aiming at the highest perfection, and of 
doing the will of God in everything. This was an important 
resolution, which would have been followed by the happiest 
consequences, if it had not been made in her own strength, and 
in ignorance of the great renovating principle, that all true 
strength is derived from God through Christ by faith. Among 
other things, she came to the resolution, if Providence should 
permit, to enter a convent, and in the apparent hopelessness of 
aid from any other source, to secure her spiritual interests and 
her salvation by becoming a nun. This part of her plan, which 
showed the depth of her feeling, was frustrated by her father, 
who was tenderly attached to her, and, while he was earnestly 
desirous that his daughter might become truly religious, be 
lieved that she might possess religion without separating from 
her family, and without an entire seclusion from the world. 

The Lord of Life, no doubt, beheld and sympathized in the 
anxiety which she felt, and in the efforts she made. God is not 
indifferent to those who strive to enter in. He numbers all their 
tears ; He registers all their resolves. How can it be otherwise ? 
If the state of mind be that of true striving after God, He him 
self has inspired it. He sometimes permits those whom He 
determines eventually to bless, to strive long, and perhaps to 
wander in erroneous ways. But they will ultimately understand 



14 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

much better than they otherwise would have done, the direction 
and the issue of the true path. They have a lesson to learn 
which cannot well be dispensed with ; and God therefore is 
willing that they should learn it. What that lesson is, it is not 
always easy to say, in individual cases. Perhaps the remains of 
self-confidence exist within them, which can be removed only by 
the experience of the sorrows which are attendant upon the 
errors it invariably commits. And accordingly God leaves them 
to test the value of human wisdom. They try it ; they fall into 
mistakes ; they are overwhelmed with confusion ; and then, and 
not till then, they see the necessity of reposing all their confi 
dence in Him who alone can guide them in safety. 

Mademoiselle De la Mothe continued in this state of mind 
about a year. What led to the termination of religious prospects 
so flattering, it is difficult to state. There is some reason for 
thinking, however, that the love of God, not far from this time, 
began to be disturbed by the accession and influence of a love 
which was more mixed and earthly in its origin. She relates 
that her father with his family left the city of Montargis, in 
order to spend some days in the country ; and that he took with 
him a very accomplished young gentleman a near relation. 
This young man, of whom she speaks in high terms for his re 
ligious sentiments, as well as his intellectual and other accom 
plishments, became much attached to her. She was still only 
in her fourteenth year. This individual, notwithstanding her 
immature age, made propositions of marriage. And this, after 
a suitable time, would probably have been the result, with the 
cordial consent of all parties, but their relationship was so near 
as to bring them within the degrees of consanguinity prohibited 
in the Eoman Catholic Church. This obstacle could have been 
removed by a dispensation from the Papal See ; but still it was 
so serious that her father did not think it proper to give his con 
sent. Still they were mutually pleased, and spent much time 
in each other s company. At this time she says, significantly 
and penitently, that she " began to seek in the creature what 
he had previously found in God." 



OF MADAME GUYON. 15 

She says, " I left off prayer. I became as a vineyard exposed 
to pillage, whose hedges, torn down, gave liberty to all the crea 
tures to ravage it. / began to seek in the creature what I had 
found in God. And thoti, my God ! didst leave me to my 
self, because I left thee first, and wast pleased, in permitting me 
to sink into the horrible pit, to make me see and feel the neces 
sity of maintaining a state of continual watchfulness and com 
munion with thyself. Thou hast taught thy people, that thou 
wilt destroy those who, by indulging wrongly-placed affections, 
depart from thee. (Ps. Ixxiii. 27.) Alas ! their departure alone 
causes their destruction ; since in departing from thee, the Sun 
of Righteousness, they enter into the region of darkness and the 
shadow of death. And there, bereft of all true strength, they 
will remain. It is not possible that they should ever rise again, 
unless thou shalt revisit them ; unless thou shalt restore them 
to light and life, by illuminating their darkness, and by melting 
their icy hearts. Thou didst leave me to myself, because I left 
thee first. But such was thy goodness, that it seemed to me, 
that thou didst leave me with regret." 

" I readily gave way," she says, " to sallies of passion. I 
failed in being strictly conscientious and careful in the utterance 
of the truth. I became not only vain, but corrupt in heart. 
Although I kept up some outward religious appearances, reli 
gion itself, as a matter of inward experience, had become to me 
a matter of indifference. I spent much time, both day and night, 
in reading romances, those strange inventions to destroy youth. 
I was proud of my personal appearance, so much so, that, con 
trary to my former practices, I began to pass a good deal of my 
time before the mirror. I found so much pleasure in viewing 
myself in it, that I thought others were in the right, who prac 
tised the same. Instead of making use of this exterior, which 
God gave me as a means of loving Him more, it became to me 
the unhappy source of a vain and sinful self-complacency. All 
seemed to me to look beautiful in my person ; but, in my declen 
sion and darkness, I did not then perceive that the outward 
beauty covered a sinful and fallen soul." 



16 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

But this was not the judgment then passed upon her by the 
vorld, so severe in the exaction of its own claims, but so indul 
gent in mitigating the claims of God. Under a form outwardly 
beautiful, and veiled by manners that had received the most cor 
rect and advantageous culture, it was not easy for man to per 
ceive the elements and workings of a heart which harboured 
moral and religious rebellion. In the eye of the world, incapable 
of penetrating beyond the exterior, which delights in elegance 
of form and perfection of manners, there was but little to blame, 
and much to praise ; but in the eye of God it was not possible 
for outward beauty to furnish a compensation for inward defor 
mity. And in using the phrase inward deformity, we do not 
mean that she was worse than many others who have a reputa 
tion for good morals. Estimating her by the world s standard, 
she had her good qualities as well as those of an opposite charac 
ter her excellences as well as her defects. Nevertheless, there 
was that wanting which constitutes the soul s true light without 
which all other beauty fades, and all other excellence is but 
excellence in name the love of God in the heart. 



CHAPTEK IV. 

Removal from Montargia to Paris Louis XIV. Characteristics of the age Effect of her 
removal to Paris upon her character Her personal appearance at this period Offers of 
marriage Is married to M. Quyon in March 1664 Notices of the family of M. Guyon. 

IN the year 1663, M. De la Mothe removed his family to 
Paris, a step obviously not calculated to benefit his daughter 
in a religious sense. Paris was at that time, as now, the centre 
of scientific culture and the arts, of refinement of manners and 
of fashionable gaiety. Louis XIV. was then the reigning sove 
reign of France a man of considerable powers of intellect, and 
of great energy of will in whom two leading desires predomin 
ated the one to make France great, the other to make himself 
thp source and centre of her greatness. The greatness of France.. 



OF MAD AMP: GUYON. 17 

sustained and illustrated in the wisdom and splendour of her 
great monarch, was the central and powerful element of his sys 
tem of action. Hence the expense and labour bestowed upon 
the royal palaces, and all the great public works of a national 
character ; hence his vast efforts to enrich and beautify Versailles, 
his principal residence ; hence his desire to attach to his person 
and court the most distinguished of his nobles. His munificence 
to men of literature, his patronage of the arts, the pomp and 
ceremony which characterized all great public occasions, all 
sprung from the same source.* 

All France, and particularly Paris, felt an influence so well 
adapted to harmonize with the tendencies of the human heart. 
It was an age characteri/sd by many noble efforts in literature 
and the arts, and equally by unfounded pretensions, vanity, antf 
voluptuousness. Almost everything, especially in the capital, 
was calculated to dispossess humility, and to impart an exagge 
rated turn of mind. The sights and sounds, the displays of 
wealth, in every street ; the crowded populace, intoxicated with 
the celebrity of their sovereign and of their nation ; the vulgar 
and the fashionable amusements without end ; all were calculated 
to divert the mind from serious reflection to lead it to sym 
pathize with the senses, and to dissociate it from its own inward 
centre ; a state of things which would have been a severe trial 
even to established piety. 

This state of things had an unfavourable effect upon Made 
moiselle De la Mothe ; and she intimates, in the record of her 
feelings, that she began to entertain exaggerated ideas of herself, 
and that her vanity increased. Her parents, as well as herself, 
led astray by the new state of society in which they found them 
selves, spared no cost in obtaining whatever might make her 
appear to advantage. The world, illuminated with false lights 
to her young vision, seemed to be in reality what it was chiefly 
in appearance, and consequently presented itself as an object 
worth conquering and possessing. At this period she gave to it, 
more warmly and unreservedly than at any other, that kindling 

Thirty-six thousand labourers were employed at Versailles at one time. 
B 



18 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

heart and expanded intellect, which she afterwards gave to reli 
gion. She was tall and well-made in her person; refined and 
prepossessing in her manners, and possessed of remarkable 
powers of conversation. Her countenance, formed upon the 
Grecian model, and characterized by a brilliant eye and expan 
sive forehead, had in it a natural majesty, which impressed the 
beholder with a sentiment of deep respect, while it attracted by 
its sweetness. Her great powers of mind (a mind which in the 
language of one of the writers of the French Encyclopedic was 
fomed for the world, "fait pour le monde") added to the im 
pression which she made on her entrance into Parisian society. 

Under these circumstances her future husband, M. Jacques 
Guyon, a man of great wealth, sought her in marriage. He 
was not the only person whose attention was directed to her. 
" Several apparently advantageous offers of marriage," she says, 
" were made for me ; but God, unwilling to have me lost, did 
not permit them to succeed." In accordance with the custom 
of the time and country, (a custom oftentimes but little pro 
pitious to those who are most deeply concerned,) the arrange 
ments in this important business were made by her father and 
her suitor with but little regard to her opinions and feelings 
She did not see her designated husband till a few days before 
her marriage ; and then she did not find her affections united to 
him. She gives us distinctly to understand in her Autobio 
graphy, that there were other individuals who sought her, with 
whom she could have more fully sympathized, and could have 
been more happy. But a regard for the opinions of her father, 
in whom she had the greatest confidence, (although in this case 
he seems to have been influenced too much by the great wealth 
of M. Guyon,) overruled every other consideration. She signed 
the articles of marriage, without being permitted to know what 
they were, on the 28th of January 1664, but was not married 
till the 21st of March. She had then nearly completed for six 
teenth year. Her husband was thirty-eight. 

Of the family of her husband we know but little. His father, 
a man of activity and talent, acquired considerable celebrity by 



OF MADAME GUYON. 19 

completing the Canal of Briare, which connects the Loire with 
the Seine. This great work (the more remarkable for being the 
first important one of the kind undertaken in France) was com 
menced in the reign of Henry IV., under the auspices of his 
distinguished minister, the Duke of Sully. After the death of 
Henry, and the retirement of Sully from the administration of 
affairs, the work was suspended till 1638, when Louis XIII. 
made arrangements, on liberal terms, with two individuals, 
Messrs. Jacques Guyon and another individual named Bouteroue, 
to complete it. Guyon, entirely successful in an undertaking 
beset with difficulties, was not only brought into public notice, 
but became very wealthy. He was also rewarded with a patent 
of nobility at the hands of Cardinal Richelieu, the then leading 
minister. His wealth, as well as an honourable and noble 
position in society, seems to have been inherited by his only 
eon, to whom Mademoiselle De la Mothe was thus united in 
marriage. 



CHAPTER V. 

Remarks on her marriage Treatment she experienced at her husband s house Unkindnese 
of her mother-in-law The great incompatibleness of her situation and her character 
Her situation considered in its relation to the designs of Providence Her account of the 
trials she endured. 

IN this union, great wealth and noble rank did not compen 
sate for diversity of disposition and great disparity of age. It 
could hardly be expected that Madame Guyon, with all her ad 
vantages of beauty, talent, and honourable position in society, 
could be entirely satisfied, at sixteen years of age, with a hus 
band twenty-two years older than herself, whom she had seen 
but three days before her marriage, who had obtained her 
through the principle of filial obedience, rather than through 
warm and voluntary affection. 

" No sooner," she says, " was I at the house of my husband 
than I perceived it would be for me a house of mourning. ID 



20 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

my father s house every attention had been paid to my manners. 
In order to cultivate propriety of speech and command of lan 
guage, I had been encouraged to speak freely on the various 
questions which were started in our family circle. There every 
thing was characterized by elegance. But in the house of my 
husband, his mother, who had long been a widow, regarded no 
thing else but saving. The elegance of my father s house, which 
I regarded as the result of polite dispositions, they sneered at as 
pride. In my father s house whatever I said was listened to 
with attention, and often with applause ; but here, if I had occa 
sion to speak, I was listened to only to be contradicted and 
reproved. If I spoke well, they said I was endeavouring to give 
them a lesson in good speaking. If I uttered my opinions on 
any subject of discussion, I was charged with desiring to enter 
into a dispute ; and instead of being applauded, I was simply 
told to hold my tongue, and scolded from morning till night. 
I was very much surprised at this change, and the more so as 
the vain dreams of my youth anticipated an increase, rather 
than a diminution of the happiness and consideration which I 
had enjoyed." 

She was placed by her marriage in a wrong position a posi 
tion untrue to the structure of her mind and unfavourable to her 
happiness. Nothing else could have been expected from an 
arrangement in which so little regard had been paid to the 
mutual relations of the parties, in respect to years, early habits, 
and mental qualities. When considerable unhappiness is ex 
perienced in married life, it naturally implies a very considerable 
diversity in the relative situation and in the character of the 
parties. But this is not always the case. Sometimes a little 
diversity in views and a little want of correspondence and sym 
pathy in feelings, furnishing occasion for an irritation which is 
not great but constant, may be the means of very seriously im- 
bittering life. The mind of Madame Guyon was not in harmony 
with her situation. Other persons, it is true, with less experi 
ence of past domestic happiness, and with less talent and refine 
ment, might, perhaps, have reconciled themselves to the situation, 



OP MADAME GUYON. 21 

and have regarded it as in many respects a desirable one. Her 
husband was not without some good qualities. What his per 
sonal appearance was, we have no record. But it is obvious, 
that he secured a degree of respect in the circle in which he 
moved ; and he had a degree of affection for his wife, which, 
under favourable circumstances, might have increased, and have 
rendered their union happy. But his good feelings were per 
verted by his physical infirmities and sufferings, and by the 
influence of his mother, a woman without education, and ap 
parently possessed of but little liberality of natural feeling, 
who retained in old age, and in the season of her wealth, the 
habits of labour and of penurious prudence formed in her youth. 
His ill health rendered it necessary for him to keep a woman as 
a nurse, who, by her assiduity and skill in seasons of sickness 
and suffering, had gained a considerable control over his mind. 
This woman sympathized with the mother-in-law, and contri 
buted all in her power to render the situation of the young wife, 
now in the bloom of youth and in the fulness of her fresh and 
warm affections, as unpleasant as possible. 

Madame Guyon was both mentally and morally out of her 
true position. The individuals into whose immediate society 
she was introduced were characterized by a want of intellect 
and scientific and literary culture, which was not compensated 
either by moral and religious excellencies, or by the virtues of 
the heart. They not only did not appreciate her, but practi 
cally, if not always intentionally, set themselves against her. 
They were not only blind to her merits, but rude to her sympa 
thies and hopes, and negligent of her happiness. Certainly this 
was not the situation for a woman of great intellect and great 
sensibility ; a woman who was subsequently admitted into the 
most distinguished circles in France ; a woman who honourably 
sustained a controversy with the learning and genius of Bossuet, 
and gave a strong and controlling impulse to the mind of 
Fenelon ; a woman, whose moral and religious influence was 
such, that Louis XIV., in his solicitude for the extirpation of 
what he deemed heresy, thought it necessary to imprison her for 



22 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

years in the Bastile and the prison of Vincennes; who wrote 
poems in her imprisonment, which Cowper thought it no dishon 
our to translate ; and one who has exerted an influence which 
has never ceased to be felt, either in Europe or in America. 

But there she was, and she felt and knew that her earthly 
hopes were blasted. But she did not then perceive, what she 
afterwards knew, that God placed her there in His providence, 
as He made Joseph a slave in Egypt, "for her good" God had 
formed her for Himself. He loved her too much to permit her 
to remain long in harmony with a world which, in its vanity 
and its corruption, He could not love. He knew what was re 
quisite in order to accomplish His own work ; He knew under 
what providences the natural life would retain its ascendency, 
and the soul would be lost ; and under what providences grace 
would be rendered effectual, and the soul would be saved. Such 
are the relations between mind and place, that no man ever is 
what he is, independently of his situation. The mind has no 
power of acting in entire separation from the relations it sus 
tains; it knows nothing where there are no objects to be 
known ; loves nothing where there are no objects to be loved ; 
does nothing where there is nothing to be done. Its powers of 
perception, its capabilities of affectionate or malevolent feeling, 
its resources of " volitional " or voluntary determination, develop 
their strength and moral character in connexion with the occasions 
which call them forth. Let any man read the Life of St. Augus 
tine, particularly in connexion with what he has himself said in 
his Confessions, or the Life of Francis Xavier, of Archbishop 
Leighton, of George Fox, of Baxter, of Wesley, of Brainerd, of 
Henry Martyn and then say, if different circumstances (a situa 
tion, for instance, comparatively exempt from temptation and 
toil) would have developed the same men, the same strength of 
purpose, the same faith in God, the same purity of life. In the 
religious life we are the creatures, not only of grace, but of 
position, or more strictly and truly, of grace acting by position. 
This doctrine throws light and beauty over the broad field of 
God s providences, and shows us why many have passed to glory 



OF MADAME GUYON. 23 

through great tribulation. Tribulation was necessary to bring 
them, if not to the tine life of God in the first instance, to that 
fulness and brightness of the inward life which they have expe 
rienced. So that those, who grow in grace by suffering, may do 
well to remember, that probably nothing but seasons of trial 
would have fitted them for the reception and effectual action of 
that grace which is their consolation and their hope. 

This view Madame Guyon subsequently took of the subject 
she saw that everything had been ordered in mercy. In her 
Life she says, " I should have some difficulty in writing these 
things to you, which cannot be done without apparently giving 
offence to charity, if you had not required me to give a full 
account, without omitting anything. But there is one thing 
which I feel it a duty to request ; and that is, that in these 
things we must endeavour to behold the hand of God, and not 
look at them merely on the side of the creature. I would not 
give any exaggerated idea of the defects of those persons by 
whom God had permitted me to be afflicted. My mother-in-law 
was not destitute of moral principles ; my husband appeared to 
have some religious sentiments, and certainly was not addicted 
to open vices. It is necessary to look at everything on the side 
of God, who permitted these things only because they were con 
nected with my salvation, and because He would not have me 
perish. Such was the strength of my natural pride, that nothing 
but some dispensation of sorrow would have broken down my 
spirit, and turned me to God." And again, " Thou hast 
ordered these things, my God, for my salvation ! In good 
ness thou hast afflicted me. Enlightened by the result, I have 
since clearly seen that these dealings of thy providence were ne 
cessary, in order to make me die to my vain and haughty nature. 
I had not power in myself to extirpate the evils within me. It 
was thy providence that subdued them."* 

Her statement of some of her trials I shall endeavour to give 
in a very abridged form, adjusting anew in some cases the ar 
rangement of the facts. ** The great fault of my mother-in-law, 

* La Via de Madame Guy on, Part I . ch 6. 



24 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

who was not without sense and merit, was, that she possessed an 
ungovernable self-will. This trait was extraordinary in her ; it 
had never been surmounted in her youth, and had become so 
much a fixed, inflexible trait of her character, that she could 
scarcely live with anybody. From the beginning she had con 
ceived a strong aversion to me, so much so, that she compelled 
me to do the most humiliating things. I was made the constant 
victim of her humours. Her great occupation was to thwart me 
continually ; arid she had the art and the cruelty to inspire my 
husband with the like unfavourable sentiments. 

" For instance, in situations where it was proper to have some 
regard to rank or station in life, they would make persons who 
were far below me in that respect take precedence of me, a 
thing which was often very trying to my feelings, and especially 
so on account of my mother, who was very tenacious of what was 
due to honourable station in life, and who, when she heard of it 
from other persons (for I was careful not to say anything about 
it myself), rebuked me for want of spirit in not being able to 
maintain my rank. Another source of unhappiness was the dis 
position to prevent my visiting my father s family. My parents 
complained that I came to see them so seldom, little knowing 
the obstacles I had to encounter. I never went to see them 
without having some bitter speeches at my return. My mother- 
in-law, knowing how tenderly I felt on that point, found means 
to upbraid me in regard to my family, and spoke to me in 
cessantly to the disadvantage of my father and mother. 

"The place assigned for my residence in my husband s house, 
was the room which properly belonged to my mother-in-law. I had 
no place into which I could retire as my own ; and if it had been 
otherwise, I could not have remained alone in it for any length 
of time without offence. Kept thus continually in her presence, 
she took the opportunity to cast unkind reflections upon me be 
fore many persons who came to see us ; and to complete my 
affliction, the person chosen to act as nurse to my husband 
entered into all the plans of those who persecuted me. She kept 
me in sight like a governess, and treated me in a very singular 



OP MADAME GUYON. 25 

manner, considering the relations actually existing between us. 
For the most part I bore with patience these evils, which I had 
no way to avoid ; but sometimes I let some hasty answer escape 
me, which was to me a source of grievous crosses and violent 
reproaches for a long time together ; and when I was permitted 
to go out of doors, my absence added but little to my liberty. 
The footman had orders to give an acconnt of everything I did ; 
and what contributed to aggravate my afflictions, was the re 
membrance of my former situation, and of what I might have 
enjoyed under other circumstances. I could not easily forget the 
persons who had sought my affections, dwelling by contrast on 
their agreeable manners, on the love they had for me, and on 
the dispositions they manifested. All this made my situation 
very gloomy, and my burden intolerable. 

" It was then I began to eat the bread of sorrow, and mingle 
my drink with tears. But my tears, which I could not forbear 
shedding, only furnished new occasion for attack and reproach. 
In regard to my husband, I ought perhaps to say, that it was 
not from any natural cruelty that he treated me as he did. He 
seems to have had a real affection for me, but being naturally 
hasty in his temper, his mother found the art of continually 
irritating him against me. Certain it is, that when I was sick, 
he was very much afflicted. Had it not been for his mother and 
the waiting-maid, we might have lived happily together. 

" As it was, my condition was every way deplorable. My 
mother-in-law secured her object. My proud spirit broke under 
her system of coercion. Married to a person of rank and wealth, 
I found myself a slave in my own dwelling, rather than a free 
person. This treatment so impaired the vivacity of my nature, 
that I became dumb like the lamb that is shearing. The ex 
pression of thought and feeling, which was natural to me, faded 
from my countenance. Terror took possession of my mind. I 
lost all power of resistance. Under the rod of my despotic mis 
tress, I sat dumb and almost idiotic. Those who had heard of 
me, but had never seen me before, said one to another, * Is this 
the person who sits thus silent like a piece of statuary, that was 



26 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

famed for such an abundance of wit ? I looked in various 
directions for help, but I found no one with whom I could com 
municate my unhappiness, no one who might share my grief, 
and help me to bear it. To have made known my feelings and 
trials to my parents, would only have occasioned new crosses. 
I was alone and helpless in my grief. " 



CHAPTER VI. 

Her trials result in a renewed disposition to seek God Of the connexion of Providential 
events with the renewal of the heart The birth of her first child, and its effect upon her 
mind Losses of property Experience of severe sickness Death of her paternal half- 
sister at Montargis, and of her mother at Paris Result of these afflictions upon her mind 
Renewed efforts of a religious nature Her reading Her interviews at her father s 
house with an exiled lady of great piety Remarks Her interviews with her cousin, 
M. De Toissi, Missionary to Cochin China Her conversation with a Religioua of the 
Order of St. Francis Her conversion. 

SUCH are the expressions which convey to us her sense of her 
trials. In this extremity, it occurred to her (alas ! that we learn 
this lesson so often from sorrows alone) that, in the deficiency of 
all hope in creatures, there might be hope and help in God. It 
is true that she had turned away from Him ; and having sought 
for solace where she had not found it, and where she ought not 
to have sought it, she felt ashamed to go back. But borne down 
by the burdens of a hidden Providence (a Providence which she 
did not then love because she did not then understand it), she 
yielded to the pressure upon her, and began to look to Him in 
whom alone there is true assistance. 

She had now been married about a year. A number of things 
occurred about this time worthy of notice, and tend to illustrate 
the operations of grace in connexion with the position in which 
we are placed in Providence. If it is not strictly true that God 
saves us by His providences a remark which is sometimes 
made I think we may regard it as essentially true that He 
saves us by His grace, dispensed and operating in connexion 



OF MADAME GUYON. 27 

with His providences. Providences test the disposition of the 
mind ; they not only test it, but alter it and control it to some 
extent, and may be the means of placing it in a position the 
most favourable for the reception of inward Divine teaching. 

One circumstance, which was calculated to have a favourable 
effect upon the mind of Madame Guyon, was the birth of her 
first child. God was pleased to give her a son, to whom she 
gave the name of Armand Jacques Guyon. This event, appeal 
ing so strongly to family sympathies, was naturally calculated to 
interest and soften the feelings of those who had afflicted her. 
And this was the case. But this was not all. It brought with 
it such new relations ; it opened such new views of employment 
and happiness, and imposed such increased responsibilities, that 
it could hardly fail to strengthen the renewed religious tendency 
which had already begun to develop itself. Under the responsi 
bility of a new life added to her own, she began to realize that, 
if it were possible for her not to need God for herself, she must 
need Him for her child. 

God, in His dispensations, mingled judgments and mercies. 
Another circumstance, was the loss of a part of the property of 
the family. The revenues, accruing to the family from the 
Canal of Briare, completed by her husband s father, were very 
great. Louis XIV., whose wars and domestic expenditures re 
quired large sums of money, took from them a part of this in 
come. The family, besides their usual place of residence in the 
country, had a valuable house in Paris, in connexion with which 
also a considerable sum of money was lost at this time. If the 
birth of a son tended to conciliate and to make things easy, the 
loss of property had a contrary effect. Her mother-in-law, who 
seems to have been an avaricious woman, was inconsolable at 
these losses ; which, in the perversity of her mind, she made the 
occasion of new injuries and insults to her daughter-in-law, say 
ing with great bitterness, that the family had been free from 
afflictions till she came among them, and that all their troubles 
and losses came with her. 

Another circumstance, was a severe sickness in the second 



28 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

year of her marriage. The situation of her husband s affairs 
was such as to require his constant presence in Paris. After 
much opposition of her mother-in-law, she obtained her consent 
for a time to reside there with him, but not until she had called 
in the aid of her father, who insisted upon it. She went to the 
H6tel de Longueville, where her husband stayed. She was re 
ceived with every demonstration of kindness from Madame De 
Longueville, and from the inmates of the house ; and there were 
many things, notwithstanding the generally unpleasant position 
of her domestic relations, which tended to render her residence 
in the city agreeable. Here she fell sick, and the prospect was 
that she would soon die. So far as the world was concerned, 
she felt that it had lost, in a great degree, its attractions, and 
she was willing to go. The priest who attended her, mistaking 
a spirit of deadness to the world, originating in part from her 
inability to enjoy it, for a true spirit of acquiescence in God s 
dispensations, thought well of her state. She seemed to him to 
be truly religious. But this was not her own opinion. She 
had merely begun to turn her eye, as it were, in the right direc 
tion. " My sins were too present to my mind," she says, " and 
too painful to my heart, to permit me to indulge in a favourable 
opinion as to my acceptance with God. This sickness was of 
great benefit to me. Besides teaching me patience under violent 
pains, it served to give newer and more correct views of the 
emptiness of worldly things. It had the tendency to detach me 
in some degree from self, and gave me new courage to suffer 
with more resignation than I had ever done." 

But this was not all. Death had begun to make inroads in 
her family circle. Her paternal half-sister, at the Ursuline 
Convent, died two months before her marriage. She seems to 
have been a woman gentle in spirit and strong in faith, who 
lived in the world as not of the world ; and died in the beauty 
and simplicity of Christian peace. The loss of a sister, so de 
servedly esteemed and loved by Madame Guyon, could not pos 
sibly be experienced without making the earth less dear, and 
heaven more precious. In the second year of her marriage, she 



OP MADAME GUYON. 29 

experienced the separation of another strong tie to earth, oy the 
loss of her mother. " My mother departed this life," she re 
marks, " in great tranquillity of spirit, having, besides other 
virtues, been in particular very charitable to the poor. God, 
who seems to have regarded with favour her benevolent disposi 
tion, was pleased to reward her, even in this life, with such a 
spirit of resignation, that, though she was but twenty-four hours 
sick, she was made perfectly easy about everything that was 
near and dear to her in this world." 

It is easy to see, in the light of these various dispensations, 
that God, who builds His bow of promise in the cloud, had 
marked her for His own. He had followed her long, and warned 
her often. He stopped her pathway to the world ; but He left 
it open to heaven. He drew around her the cords of His pro 
vidence closely, that she might be separated, in heart and in 
life, from those unsatisfying objects which, in her early days, 
presented to her so many attractions. It was God who was 
present in all these events ; and, through an instrumentality ot 
His own selection, was laying His hand painfully but effectually 
upon the idols which she had inwardly cherished, sometimes 
trying her by mercies, where mercy might affect her heart, but 
still more frequently and effectually by the sterner discipline of 
outward disappointment and inward anguish. 

Not in vain, He who understands the nature of the human 
heart, and the difficulty of subjecting it, thus adjusted every 
thing in great wisdom, as well as in real kindness. The trials 
which He had sent were among those which work out " the 
peaceable fruits of righteousness." By these various provi 
dences, afflicting as they were, she was led to the determination 
(a determination from this time never abandoned), once more to 
seek God. She had sought Him before, but she had not found 
Him. But, in turning from God to the world, she had found 
that which gave no satisfaction. Bitterly had she learned, that 
if there is not rest in God, there is rest nowhere. Again, there 
fore, she formed the religious resolve a resolve which God 
enabled her not only to form, but to keep. Her feelings at this 



3d LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

time are well expressed in a well-known hymn, which is de 
signed to describe the state of a sinner who has seen the fallacy 
and the unsatisfying nature of all situations and hopes out of 
Christ. 

" Perhaps He will admit my plea ; " I can but perish if I go ; 

Perhaps will hear my prayer; I am resolved to try ; 

But if I perish, I will pray, For if I stay away, I know 

And perish only there. I must for ever die." 

Fully determined to seek God, in all time to come, she 
adopted those measures which seemed to her best. They show 
her sense of need and her deep sincerity ; but they indicate also 
now difficult it is for the natural heart, especially under certain 
systems of religious belief and practice, to detach itself from its 
own methods and supposed merits, and in true simplicity of 
spirit to follow Him who is " the way, the truth, and the life." 
Although they were in some sense only preparatory, they had a 
connexion with the great lesson which she was destined ulti 
mately to learn. Among other things which seemed to be 
necessary in her present state, she ceased to give that attention 
to her outward appearance which she had done formerly. Fear 
ful that she might either excite or increase emotions of vanity, 
she diminished very much the time occupied at the mirror. In 
addition, she commenced doing something for the religious 
benefit of the servants of the family. She likewise began a 
process of inward examination, often performing it very strictly, 
writing down her faults from week to week, and comparing the 
record at different periods, to see whether she had corrected 
them, and to what extent. The Sabbath was a day strictly 
observed, and the place of worship was not only regularly visited, 
but was attended with some beneficial results. She made such 
progress in certain respects, that she began to see and appreciate, 
much more correctly than at any former period, the defects of 
her character and life, and to feel sentiments of sincere compunc 
tion. She laid aside all reading incompatible with her present 
position, and confined her attention chiefly to the most devout 
works. One of these books, which, notwithstanding its Roman 



OF MADAME GUYON. flj 

Catholic origin, is much esteemed among Protestants, was the 
celebrated Imitation of Christ, by Thomas-a-Kempis a work 
widely read among devout people of all denominations of Chris 
tians. Under a simple and unpretending exterior, corresponding 
n this respect with the humble spirit of its author, whoever he 
may have been, it contains the highest principles of Christian 
experience. Some of the works of Francis de Sales also, which 
she had read at an early period of her life, were consulted by 
her at this time with great interest. 

God, in His benevolence, was pleased to add other instru 
mentalities. During her visit to Paris, and at other times, she 
had opportunities of being at her father s house. After the death 
of her mother, her respect and affection for her father seemed 
especially to require it. She there became acquainted with a 
lady, whom she speaks of as being an exile very possibly some 
person driven from England by the civil wars. This exiled 
lady came to her father s house in a state of destitution ; and 
ne offered her an apartment, which she accepted for a long time. 
Instructed in the vanities of the world by the trials she had 
experienced, she had sought and had found the consolations of 
religion, and loving God, " worshipped Him in spirit and in 
truth." Her gratitude to M. De la Mothe was naturally shown 
in acts of kindness to his daughter, Madame Guyon. And these 
favourable dispositions were increased by her talents, her beauty, 
and sorrows ; and still more by what she noticed of her sincere 
and earnest desire to know more, and experience more, of the 
things of religion. 

Madame Guyon eagerly embraced this opportunity of reli 
gious conversation ; and from this pious friend thus raised up 
by Providence to instruct her, s ie seems to have received the 
first distinct intimations, that she was erroneously seeking reli 
gion by a system of works without faith. This devout lady 
remarked, on her various exterior works of charity, that she had 
the virtues of " an active life" that is to say, the virtues of 
outward activity, of outward doing, but that she had not the 
" truth and simplicity of the life within." In other words, that 



32 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

her trust was in herself rather than in God, although she might 
not be fully aware of it. But Madame Guyon says significantly, 
" My time had not yet come ; I did not understand her. Living 
in the Christian spirit, she served me more by her example than 
by her words. God was in her life. I could not help observ 
ing on her countenance something which indicated a great enjoy 
ment of God s presence. I thought it an object to try to be like 
her outwardly to exhibit that exterior aspect of Divine resigna 
tion and peace, which is characteristic of true inward piety. I 
made much effort, but it was all to little purpose. I wanted to 
obtain, by efforts made in my own strength, that which could 
be obtained only by ceasing from all such efforts, and trusting 
wholly in God." 

In narrating these various providential dispensations and 
instrumentalities, we cannot avoid noticing how much it costs 
to bring a soul to the knowledge of God. This recital does not 
present anything peculiarly new ; anything which does not 
occur in many other cases. The human mind is so wedded to 
its natural perverseness, that it is not brought into harmony 
with God at once. Even those conversions, which appear to be 
especially prompt and sudden, have in many cases been preceded 
by a long preparatory training, which is not the less real, be 
cause it has been unseen and unknown. Generally speaking, 
we see efforts frequently renewed, resolves made and broken, 
alternations of penitential tears and of worldly joys, advice and 
warning received to-day and rejected to-morrow, and very fre 
quently a long series of disappointments and sorrows, before the 
mind is so humbled as to renounce its earthly hopes, and to 
possess all things in God by becoming nothing in itself. But 
this state of things, which so frequently happens, and is really 
so afflicting, teaches us the lesson of patience and of hope. Tears 
may have been wiped away, and resolutions broken ; yet those 
tears, which seemed in vain, and those resolutions which seemed 
worse than in vain, may have been important and even indis 
pensable links in the chain of providential occurrences. We 
repeat, therefore, that conversions long delayed, although cal- 



OP MADAME GUYON. 33 

ciliated to try and to purify our patience, ought not to ex 
tinguish our hope. " In due season we shall reap, if we faint 
not." 

Another individual had a share in that series of providences 
which God saw to be necessary. This was M. De Toissi, the 
nephew of M. De la Mothe. He had been to Cochin China, 
and after an absence of about four years, had returned on busi 
ness connected with the mission. He visited the house of M. De 
la Mothe, where his cousin, Madame Guyori, was exceedingly 
glad to see him. She knew his character. She remembered 
what was said of his conversation and appearance when he 
visited her father s house. In her state of mind, groping about 
in solitude and desolation of spirit, she eagerly sought conver 
sations with pious persons. This pious cousin, impelled by 
natural affection as well as by a regard for the interests of reli 
gion, did all that he could to encourage her in her search after 
God. Other things gave him an increased interest in the case, 
such as her personal accomplishments, her great talents, the 
wealth of her family, her position in society, and her compara 
tive youth circumstances particularly adverse to the humble 
and pure spirit of religion. And it was not easy for one to see 
the possessor of them seeking religion, with a full determination 
to be satisfied with nothing else, without feeling a deep interest 
in the result. Madame Guyon very freely and ingenuously 
stated her views of her inward state to her cousin the faults of 
her character, her inward sense of her alienation from God, her 
efforts and discouragements. He expressed the deepest interest 
in her case. He prayed for her, and gave such advice as he 
was able. With earnest exhortations he cheered her onward, 
not doubting that God s wisdom and goodness would bring all 
well in the end. 

These interviews had an encouraging effect. He was in a 
state of inward and continual communion with God ; that state 
of mind, probably, which, in accordance with the nomenclature 
of the higher experimental writers, she variously denominates, 
in her religious works, as the state of "Recollection," or of 

c 



34 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

" Recollection in God." This state of continual prayer affected 
her much, although unable at that time to understand its nature. 
She also noticed, with interest and profit, the conversation be 
tween him and the exiled lady resident at her father s house. 
As is the case with all truly pious persons, they seemed to under 
stand each other s hearts. "They conversed together," she 
says, "in a spiritual language." They had that to speak of, 
which souls unconverted can never know, a Saviour, sins for 
given, and joy and peace in believing. 

The example and the exhortations of De Toissi could not 
fail to make a deep impression. Many were the tears she shed 
when he departed. She renewed her solemn resolutions. She 
endeavoured to imitate him in his state of continual prayer, by 
offering up to God ejaculations, either silent or spoken, moment 
by moment. On the system of mere human effort, she seems to 
have done all that she could do. But still she did not under 
stand; a cloud hung over one of the brightest intellects when 
left to itself so perplexing to human wisdom, and so adverse to 
the natural heart is the way of forgiveness and justification by 
faith alone. Those know it who experience it, and those only ; 
but her hour had not yet come. More than a year had passed 
in this state of mind, and with such efforts but apparently in 
vain. With all the appliances mentioned, with afflictions on the 
one hand to separate her from earthly objects, and encourage 
ments on the other to allure her to heaven, she still seems to 
have remained without God and without hope in the world. So 
much does it cost, in a fallen world like this, to detach a soul 
from its bondage and to bring it to God ! God has not only 
spread the feast, in the salvation which He has offered through 
His Son, but, by means of ministers, both providential and 
personal, He goes out into the highways, and compels them to 
come in. 

God was pleased to send one more messenger. " Oh, my 
Father I" says Madame Guyon, in connexion with the incidents 
we are about to relate, " it seems to me sometimes, as if thou 
didst forget every other being, in order to think only of my 



OF MADAME GUYON. 35 

faithless and ungrateful heart." There was a devout man of the 
Religious Order of St. Francis his name is not given who spent 
five years in solitude, for spiritual renovation and communion 
with God. With a heart subdued to the world s attractions, and 
yet inflamed for the world s good, he went out into the field 
of labour. He thought that God called him to labour for the 
conversion of a person of some distinction, in the vicinity of M. 
De la Mothe. But his labours there proved fruitless or rather, 
resulted only in the trial of his own faith and patience. The 
humble Franciscan, revolving in his mind where he should next 
go and announce the Divine message, was led by the inward 
monitor, in connexion with the indications of Providence, to go 
to the house of M. De la Mothe, with whom he seems to have 
had some acquaintance in former times. M. De la Mothe, a man 
in whom the religious tendency was strong, was exceedingly 
glad to see him, and to receive his instructions, especially as he 
was then out of health, and had not much expectation of living 
long. His daughter, Madame Guyon, desirous of rendering him 
every assistance in his increasing infirmities, was then at her 
father s house, although her own health was very infirm. Her 
father was not ignorant either of her outward or inward trials. 
She had conversed with him with entire frankness on her reli 
gious state and the exercises of her mind, her dissatisfaction with 
her present spiritual condition, and her earnest desire to avail 
herself of every favourable opportunity to receive religious in 
struction. Her father, influenced by the representations she 
made, as well as by his high sense of the piety and religious 
wisdom of the Franciscan, not only advised but strongly urged 
her to consult with him. 

Attended by a kinswoman, as seemed to be proper, she visited 
the Franciscan, and stated her conviction of her need of religion, 
and her often-repeated and long-continued efforts made without 
effect. When she had done speaking, the Franciscan remained 
silent for some time, in inward meditation and prayer. He at 
length said : " Your efforts have been unsuccessful, Madame, be 
cause you have sought without, what you can only find within. 



86 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

Accustom yourself to seek God in your heartj and you will not 
fail to find Him." 

It is very probable that she had heard a similar sentiment be 
fore ; but if so, it came to her as religious truth always does 
come to those in their natural state, who are permitted to hear, 
before grace has enabled them to understand. But now the 
hour of God s providence and of special mercy had arrived. 
Clearly and strongly did the Divine Spirit apply a truth which 
otherwise would have fallen useless to the ground. These few 
words, somewhat singular in expression, obviously convey the 
great principle, that religion does not and cannot consist in out 
ward working in a mere round of ceremonial duties in any 
thing which comes exclusively under the denomination of an 
external action. But, on the contrary, it is inward in the sense 
of having its seat in the heart s affections, and in accordance 
with the great scriptural doctrine, that the "just shall live by 
faith." From the moment that Madame Guyon heard these 
words, she was enabled to see the error she had committed, 
that of endeavouring to obtain God by a system of outward 
operations, by the mercenary purchase of formal services, 
rather than by the natural and Divine attraction of accordant 
sympathies. Speculatively, there may be a God objective, a 
God outward, a God recognised by the intellect as a great and 
majestic Being living in the distance. And in certain respects 
this is a view of God which is not at variance with the truth. 
But still God can never be known to us as our God, He can 
never be brought into harmony with our nature, except as a 
God inward, a God received by faith and made one with us by 
love, and having His home in the sanctified temple of the heart. 
" Believe in the Lord your God ; so shall ye be established. 
Believe his prophets ; so shall ye prosper " (2 Chron. xx. 20). 

" Having said these words," she says, " the Franciscan left 
me. They were to me like the stroke of a dart which pierced 
my heart asunder. I felt at this instant deeply wounded with 
the love of God ; a wound so delightful, that I desired it 
never might be healed. These words brought into my heart 



OP MADAME GUYON. 37 

what I had been seeking so many years ; or rather they made 
me discover what was there, which I did not enjoy for want of 
knowing it. Oh, my Lord ! thou wast in my heart, and de 
manded only the turning of my mind inward, to make me feel 
thy presence. Oh, infinite Goodness ! thou wast so near, and 
I ran hither and thither seeking thee, and yet found thee not. 
My life was a burden to me, and my happiness was within my 
self. I was poor in the midst of riches, and ready to perish with 
hunger near a table plentifully spread and a continual feast. Oh 
Beauty, ancient and new ! Why have I known thee so late ? 
Alas, I sought thee where thou wast not, and did not seek thee 
where thou wast ! It was for want of understanding these 
words of thy Gospel : l The kingdom of God cometh not with 
observation, neither shall they say, Lo, here I or fo, there 1 for 
behold, the kingdom of God is within you. This I now experi 
enced, since thou didst become my King, and my heart thy king 
dom, where thou dost reign a Sovereign, and dost all thy will. 

" I told this good man, that I did not know what he had done 
to me ; that my heart was quite changed ; that God was there ; 
for from that moment He had given me an experience of His 
presence in my soul, not merely as an object intellectually 
perceived, but as a thing really possessed after the sweetest 
manner. I experienced those words in the Canticles : l Thy 
name is as precious ointment poured forth ; therefore do the 
virgins love thee. For I felt in my soul an unction, which 
healed in a moment all my wounds. I slept not all that night, 
because thy love, my God ! flowed in me like delicious oil, 
and burned as a fire which was going to destroy all that was 
left of self in an instant. I was all on a sudden so altered, that 
I was hardly to be known either by myself or others. I found 
no more those troublesome faults, or that reluctance to duty, 
which formerly characterized me. They all disappeared, as 
being consumed like chaff in a great fire. 

" I now became desirous that the instrument hereof might 
become my Director,* in preference to any other. This good 

* DIRICTOR.- The office of Director and the office of Confessor, sometimes exist in the 



38 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

father, however, could not readily resolve to charge himself with 
my conduct, though he saw so surprising a change effected by 
the hand of God. Several reasons induced him to excuse him 
self: first, my person, then my youth, for I was only twenty 
years of age ; and lastly, a promise he had made to God, from 
a distrust of himself, never to take upon himself the direction 
of any of our sex, unless God, by some particular providence, 
should charge him therewith. Upon my earnest arid repeated 
request to him to become my Director, he said he would pray 
to God thereupon, and bade me do so too. As h^ was at prayer, 
it was said to him, Fear not that charge ; she is my spouse. 
This, when I heard it, affected me greatly. What I (said I 
to myself,) * a frightful monster of iniquity, who have done so 
much to offend my God, in abusing His favours, and requiting 
them with ingratitude, and now, thus to be declared His 
spouse ! After this he consented to my request. 

" Nothing was more easy to me now than to practise prayer. 
Hours passed away like moments, while I could hardly do any 
thing else but pray. The fervency of my love allowed me no 
intermission. It was a prayer of rejoicing and of possession, 
wherein the taste of God was so great, so pure, unblended and 
uninterrupted, that it drew and absorbed the powers of the soul 
into a profound recollection, a state of confiding and affectionate 
rest in God, existing without intellectual effort. For I had now 
no sight but of Jesus Christ alone. All else was excluded, in 
order to love with greater purity and energy, without any mo 
tives or reasons for loving which were of a selfish nature." 

Such are the expressions in which she speaks of the remark 
able change which thus passed upon her spirit, an event which 
opened new views, originated new feelings, instituted new rela 
tions, and gave new strength. Too important in itself and its 
relations to be forgotten under any circumstances, we find her 
often recurring to it with those confiding, affectionate, and 

same person, and the terms appear in some instances to be used as synonymous with each 
other. Strictly speaking, however, it is not the business of the Director to bear confessions, 
but simply to give religious counsel, in those various circumstances in which Christiana, 
especially in the beginning of the religious life, are found to need it. 



OF MADAME GUYON. 39 

grateful sentiments, which it was naturally calculated to inspire. 
One of her poems, which Cowper has translated, expresses well 
the feelings which we may suppose to have existed in her at this 
time. 

LOVE AND GRATITUDE. 

" All are indebted much to tbee, " Spirit of Charity ! Dispense 
But I far more than all ; Thy grace to every heart : 

From many a deadly snare set free, Expel all other spirits thence ; 

And raised from many a fall. Drive self from every part. 

Overwhelm me from above, Charity divine ! Draw nigh ; 

Daily with thy boundless love. Break the chains in which we lie 

" What bonds of gratitude I feel, " All selfish souls, whate er they feign. 

No language can declare ; Have still a slavish lot; 

Beneath the oppressive weight I reel, They boast of liberty in vain, 

Tis more than I can bear ; Of love, and feel it not. 

When shall I that blessing prove, He, whose bosom glows with tha. 

To return thee love for love ? He, and he alone, is free. 

" blessedness all bliss above, 

When thy pure fires prevail ! 
LOVB* only teaches what is love ; 

All other lessons fail ; 
We learn its name, but not its powers, 
Experience only makes it ours." 



CHAPTER VII. 

Remarks on intellectual experience, in distinction from that of the heart Of that form of 
experience which is characterized by joy Her experience characterized especially by the 
subjection of the will Of the course to be pursued in translating from the writings of 
Madame Guyon Her remarks on the union of the human with the Divine will Her 
remarks on faith Conversation with a Franciscan Immersion of her soul in God, and 
her contemplation of all things in Him. 

MADAME GUYON, recognising an important distinction, re 
garded the change at this period as not merely an intellectual 
illumination, but as truly a change of the heart. Undoubtedly 
she had received new light. She had been led to see the ex 
treme perversity and blindness of the natural mind. She had 
now a clearer perception both of what God is, and of what He 
requires ; and especially of the way of forgiveness and salvation 

* God is Love, 1 John IT. 8. 



40 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

by faith in Christ alone. But perception is not love. The 
righting of the understanding is not necessarily identical with 
the rectification of the sensibilities. The understanding, en 
lightened of God, will sometimes dictate what the heart, in its 
opposition to God, will be slow to follow. This was not her 
case. Her understanding was not only enlightened, but her 
heart was renewed. 

No sound was heard but that of the " still small voice," 
which speaks inwardly and effectually. There was no dream, 
no vision, no audible message. Her change was characterized, 
not by things seen, but by operations experienced ; not by re 
velations imparted from without, and known only as existing 
without, but by affections inspired by the Holy Ghost from 
within, and constituting, from the time of their origin, a part of 
the inward consciousness. 

Joy was a marked characteristic of her first experience of the 
new life. But, taught by the great inward Teacher, she was 
enabled to perceive from the first, that it would not be safe to 
estimate either the reality or the degree of her religion by the 
amount of her happiness. There is not only such a thing as joy, 
but such a thing as religious joy in the language of the Scrip 
tures, "joy in the Holy Ghost." But this is a very different 
thing from saying, that joy and religion are the same thing. 
Joy is not only not religion, but it does not always arise from 
religious causes. The grounds of its origin are numerous, and 
sometimes very diverse. A new speculative truth, new views 
at variance with the truth, or even the pleasant intimations of a 
dream or vision, whether more or less remarkable, (to say no 
thing of physical and providential causes, causes connected 
with the state of our health and situation in life,) may be fol 
lowed by a pleasurable excitement which may be mistaken for 
true religion. Certain it is, however, that no joys can be re 
garded as really of a religious nature and as involving the fact 
of religion, which are not attended with repentance for sin and 
faith in Jesus Christ, with the renovation of the desires and the 
subjection of the will. The views of Madame Guyon on this 



OF MADAME GUYON. 41 

subject were distinct and decided. She took the Saviour for her 
example. She did not seek joy, but God, God first, and what 
God sees fit to give afterwards. She believed and knew, if she 
gave herself to God wholly, without reserve, God would take 
care of her happiness. 

The leading and decisive characteristic of her religious ex 
perience was the subjection and loss of her own will in its union 
with the Divine will. It may be expressed in a single term, 
union. " As thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they 
also may be ONE in us." On this subject, a number of her re 
marks may properly be introduced here, with a few preliminary 
statements. Madame Guyon s literary education, although it 
compared well with that of other French ladies at that time, 
was, in some respects, defective. The institutions for young 
ladies, not excluding the celebrated Seminary of St. Cyr, esta 
blished a few years after, did not profess, and were not able to 
give, that thorough mental training which was had in the French 
colleges and universities. And the greatest natural ability will 
not necessarily compensate for defects in education. Her style 
of writing is eloquent and impressive in a high degree, but a 
critical eye will discover in it deficiencies, which are to be as 
cribed, in part, to the cause just intimated. The theological and 
experimental terms which she uses, sometimes have a specific 
meaning, not unknown perhaps in some of the mystic writers, but 
which can certainly be ascertained only by an intimate know 
ledge of her own experience, character, and writings. Take, as 
an illustration of this remark, the word "puissances," which is 
literally rendered by the English word, powers ; but the latter 
term gives only an indefinite idea of the sense which she attaches 
to the original term. She uses it in its mental application, 
meaning the mental powers, but not all of them. She distin 
guishes between the will (volonte}, the understanding (entende- 
ment], and the puissances ; meaning generally by the latter term, 
the propensive and affectional part of our nature, not excluding 
the appetites ; what we sometimes denominate by the single 
expression, the natural sensibilities. It would not be sufficient, 



42 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

therefore, merely to translate her words by rendering them with 
the words and methods of expression that formally correspond to 
them. A translation of words is not necessarily a translation of 
ideas. It is necessary first to ascertain what she meant, and 
then to embody her ideas in such a mode of expression as will 
convey to the English reader just that meaning which she her 
self would have conveyed if she had used the English language 
with the Anglo-Saxon mind. Her statements on the same sub 
ject are often fragmentary ; broken in parts, uttered in various 
and remote places of her works, and accompanied more or less 
with digressions and repetitions. What I give as a translation 
is, in some cases, of the nature of an interpreted translation, a 
translation of the spirit rather than of the letter. A true trans 
lation of what she was and of what she meant can be made in 
no other way. 

With these remarks, we give some of her views. " The union 
oetween the soul and God may exist in various respects. There 
may be a union of the human and the Divine perceptions. 
There may be a union of the desires and affections to some ex 
tent and in various particulars. But the most perfect union, 
that which includes whatever is most important in the others, 
is the union of the human and the Divine will. A union of the 
affections, independently of that of the will, if we can suppose 
such a thing, must necessarily be imperfect. When the will, 
which sustains a pre-eminent and controlling relation, is in the 
state of entire union with God, it necessarily brings the whole 
soul into subjection ; it implies necessarily the extinction of any 
selfish action, and brings the mind into harmony with itself, and 
into harmony with everything else. From that moment our 
powers cease to act from any private or selfish regards. They 
are annihilated to self, and act only in reference to God. Nor 
do they act in reference to God in their own way and from their 
own impulse ; but move as they are moved upon, being gradu 
ally detached from every motion of their own. 

" In the presence of the light of faith, every other light neces 
sarily grows dim and passes away, as the light of the moon and 



OF MADAME GUYON. 43 

stars gradually passes away, and is extinguished in the broader 
and purer illumination of the rising sun. This light now arose 
in my heart. Believing with this faith, the fountains of the 
heart were opened, and I loved God with a strength of love 
corresponding to the strength of faith. Love existed in the soul ; 
and, throwing its influence around every other principle of ac 
tion, constituted, as it were, the soul s dwelling-place. God was 
there. According to the words of St. John, He that dwelleth 
in love, dwelleth in God. God is love. " 

When the pious Franciscan, her spiritual Director, questioned 
her in relation to her feelings towards God, she answered, " I 
love God far more than the most affectionate lover among men 
loves the object of his earthly attachment. I make this state 
ment as an illustration, because it is not easy to convey my 
meaning in any other way. But this comparison, if it furnishes 
an approximation to the truth, fails to discover the truth itself." 

" This love of God," she adds, " occupied my heart so con 
stantly and strongly, that it was very difficult for me to think of 
anything else. Nothing else seemed worthy of my attention. 
So much was my soul absorbed in God, that my eyes and ears 
seemed to close of themselves to outward objects, and to leave 
the soul 4 under the exclusive influence of the inward attraction. 
My lips also were closed. Not unfrequently vocal prayer, that 
form of it which deals in particulars, ceased to utter itself, be 
cause my mind could not so far detach itself from this one great 
object as to consider anything else. When the good Father, the 
Franciscan, preached at the Magdalen Church, at which I 
attended, notwithstanding the importance and interest which 
attached to his religious addresses, I found it difficult, and almost 
impossible, to retain any definite idea of what he said. He 
preached there on three successive occasions about this time ; 
and the result was always the same. I found that thy truth, 
my God, springing from the original source, as if thy Divine 
and eternal voice were speaking truly, yet inaudibly in the soul, 
made its impression on my heart, and there had its effect, with 
out the mediation of words. 



44 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

" This immersion in God absorbed all things ; that is to say, 
seemed to place all things in a new position relatively to God. 
Formerly I had contemplated things as dissociated from God ; 
but now I beheld all things in the Divine union. I could no 
more separate holy creatures from God, regarded as the source 
of their holiness, than I could consider the sun s rays as existing 
distinct from the sun itself, and living and shining by virtue of 
their own power of life. This was true of the greatest saints. 
I could not see the saints, Peter, and Paul, and the Virgin Mary, 
and others, as separate from God, but as being all that they are, 
from Him and in Him, in oneness. I could not behold them 
out of God ; but I beheld them all in Him." 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Of the very marked and decisive nature of her conversion Ceases to conform to the world 
in her diversions and modes of dress Birth of her second son Her views of providence 
in connexion with her position in life Of the discharge of her duty to her family and to 
others Her great kindness and charity to the poor Her efforts for the preservation of 
persons of her own sex Her labours for the conversion of souls Conversation with a 
lady of rank Happy results Domestic trials Unkindness of her stepmother and of her 
maid-servant Partial alienation of her husband s affections Conduct of her eldest son 
Her solitary state. 

MADAME GUYON dates this great change as taking place on 
Magdalen s day, the 22d of July 1668.* She was then a little 
more than twenty years of age. 

The change experienced in the transition from the life of 
nature to the life of God in the soul, is very different in different 
persons. In the case of Madame Guyon, slowly progressive in 
its preparatory steps, it was very decisive and marked at the 
time of its actually taking place. It was obviously a great crisis 
in her moral and religious being one in which the pride and 
obstinacy of the natural heart were broken down, and in which, 
for the first time, she became truly willing to receive Christ 
alone as her hope of salvation. 

* La Vie de Madame Guyon, Part I. chap. x. 5 



OF MADAME GUYON. 45 

A gospel change implies the existence of a new nature, a 
nature which has life in it ; and which, having the principle of 
life in itself, puts forth the acts of life. And thus the fact, both 
of its existence and of its character, is verified. The true life 
always shows itself outwardly, in its appropriate time and way. 
" By their fruits" says the Saviour, " ye shall know them." No 
other evidence will or ought to compensate for the absence of 
this. This evidence Madame Guyon gave. From the moment 
that she gave herself to the Lord to be His, in the inner spirit as 
well as the outward action, the language of her heart, like that 
of the apostle Paul, was, " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ?" 

" I bade farewell for ever," she says, " to assemblies which I 
had visited, to plays and diversions, dancing, unprofitable walks, 
and parties of pleasure. The amusements and pleasures so 
much prized and esteemed by the world, now appeared to me 
dull and insipid so much so, that I wondered how I ever could 
have enjoyed them." For two years previously she had left off 
the curling of her hair a very general and favourite practice at 
that time. From this time it became her object, in her dress, 
modes of living, and personal habits generally, as well as interior 
dispositions, to conform to the requisitions of the Inward Monitor, 
the Comforter and Guide of holy souls. 

Sustaining the relations of a wife, a mother, and a daughter, 
and seeing now more clearly into the ways and requisitions of 
Providence, she endeavoured, from higher motives and in a 
better manner than ever before, to discharge the duties which 
she owed to her father, husband, and children. God had been 
pleased to give her another son. Her first son she frequently 
names as being made, through the perverting influence of her 
stepmother, a son of trial and sorrow. The second son, who 
gave better promise both for himself and others, was born in 
1667. We have scarcely anything recorded of him, except the 
few painful incidents of his early death. These new relations 
furnished opportunities of duty and occasions of trial, which 
ceased from this time, at least in a great degree, to be met in 
the strength of worldly motives, or by the acts of worldly wis- 



46 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

dom. God, in whom alone she felt she could trust, became her 
wisdom and strength, as well as her consolation. 

We may truly say, whatever allowance it may be necessary 
to make for human infirmity, that God was her portion. She 
could say with the Psalmist, "The Lord is my fortress and 
deliverer my strength, in whom I will trust." The views which 
she took of religious truth and duty, were of an elevated char 
acter, without being mixed, so far as we can perceive, with 
elements that are false and fanatical. Even at this early period 
of her experience, the religious impulse, as if it had an instinc 
tive conviction of the end to which it was tending, took a higher 
position than is ordinary, but without failing to be guided by 
the spirit of sound wisdom. If she was a woman who both by 
nature and grace felt deeply, she was also a woman who thought 
clearly and strongly. She distinctly recognised, not only in 
tellectually, but, what is far more important, practically, that 
God orders and pervades our allotment in life ; that God is in 
life, not in the mitigated and merely speculative sense of the 
term, but really and fully ; not merely as a passive spectator, 
but as the inspiring impulse and soul of all that is not sin ; tVi 
life, in all life, in all the situations and modifications of life, for 
joy or for sorrow, for good or for evil. The practical as well as 
speculative recognition of this principle may be regarded as a 
first step towards a thorough walking with God. A heart un 
subdued, in which worldly principles predominate, does not like 
to see God in all things, and tries unceasingly to shake off the 
yoke of Divine providence. To the subdued heart, on the con 
trary in which Christian principles predominate that yoke 
always is, and of necessity always must be, just in proportion 
as such principles predominate, " the yoke which is easy and the 
burden which is light." Early did this heaven-taught woman 
learn this ; and she was willing to apply to her own situation, 
and responsible relations, what she had thus learned. It is one 
thing to have the charge of a family, and another to know and 
to feel that this responsible position is the arrangement and 
the gift of Providence. Providence, whose eye is unerring, had 



OF MADAME GUYON. 47 

placed her in that relation ; and whatever cares or sorrows might 
attend her position, she felt that, as a woman, and emphatically 
as a Christian woman, she must recognise it as the place which 
God had appointed, and as involving the sphere of duty which 
God had imposed. 

But her care was not limited to her family, to the exclusion 
of other appropriate objects of Christian benevolence. She had 
means of doing good, which she did not fail to employ. The 
income of her husband s property, or rather the property of 
which he had the control at this time, stated in the French 
currency, was about forty thousand livres annually a very 
large income at that period. Of this amount, a certain portion 
was placed in her hands by her husband, to be expended by her 
as she might think proper ; and, accordingly, as God gave her 
opportunity, and in imitation of that Saviour whom she now 
followed, she did what she could for the poor and the sick, 
discharging, without any hesitation, duties which would be ex 
ceedingly unpleasant and irksome to a mind not supported by 
Christian principle. " I was very assiduous," she remarks in 
her life, " in performing deeds of charity. I had feelings of 
strong compassion for the poor, and it would have been pleasing 
to me to have supplied all their wants. God in His providence 
bad given me an abundance ; and, in the employment of what 
He had thus bestowed upon me, I wished to do all that I could 
to help them. I can truly say, that there were but few of the 
poor in the vicinity where I lived who did not partake of my 
alms. I did not hesitate to distribute among them the very 
best which could be furnished from my own table. It seemed 
as if God had made me the only almoner in this neighbourhood. 
Being refused by others, the poor and suffering came to me in 
great numbers. My benefactions were not all public. I em 
ployed a person to dispense alms privately, without letting it be 
known from whom they came. There were some families who 
needed and received assistance, without being willing to accept 
of it as a gratuity ; and I reconciled their feelings with their 
wants, by permitting them to incur the formality of a debt. I 



48 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

speak of giving, but, looking at the subject in the religious light, 
I had nothing to give. My language to God was OA, my 
Divine Love, it is thy substance / am only the steward of it / 
ought to distribute it according to thy will. 

Her efforts for the good of others were not limited to gifts of 
food and clothing. Ruinous vices prevailed in France during 
the reign of Louis XIV. The profligacy of the Court, though 
less intense than that which was exhibited subsequently in the 
Regency of the Duke of Orleans and the reign of Louis XV., 
could hardly fail to find imitators among the people. This will 
explain some further efforts to do good. In a number of in 
stances, with a forethought creditable to her sound judgment as 
well as her piety, she informs us that she caused poor young 
girls, especially such as were particularly characterized by beauty 
of person, to be taught some art or trade ; that, having em 
ployment and means of subsistence, they might not be under a 
temptation to adopt vicious courses, and thus throw themselves 
away. This was not all. Inspired with the sentiments which 
animate the hearts of some pious females of later times, she did 
not consider it inconsistent with religion to endeavour to reclaim 
those of her sex who had fallen into the grossest sins. God 
made use of her to reclaim several females, one of whom was 
distinguished by her family connexions as well as her beauty, 
who became not only reformed, but truly penitent and Christian, 
and died a happy death. " I went," she says, " to visit the 
sick, to comfort them, to make their beds. I made continents, 
aided in dressing wounds, and paid the funeral expenses incurred 
in the interment of those who died. I sometimes privately 
furnished tradesmen and mechanics, who stood in need of assist 
ance, with the means that were requisite to enable them to 
prosecute their business." It is very obvious, that in outward 
charity she did much perhaps all that could reasonably be 
expected. 

But further, under the influences of her new life, which re 
quired her to go about doing good, she laboured for the spiritual 
as well as the temporal benefit of others for the good of their 



OP MADA.ME GUYON. 49 

souls as well as for that of their bodies. Before the day dawned, 
prayers ascended from her new heart of love. "So strong, 
almost insatiable, was my desire for communion with God, that 
I arose at four o clock to pray." Her greatest pleasure, and, 
comparatively speaking, her only pleasure, was to be alone with 
God, to pray to Him, and to commune with Him. She prayed 
for others as well as herself. She says, " I could have wished 
to teach all the world to love God." Her feelings were not 
inoperative. Her efforts corresponded with her desires. She 
says that God made use of her as an instrument in gaining 
many souls to Himself. Her labours, however, were more suc 
cessful in some cases than in others. Speaking of one of the 
female relatives of her husband, who was very thoughtless on 
religious subjects, she remarks, " I wanted her to seek the reli 
gious state, and to practise prayer. Instead of complying, she 
said that I was entirely destitute of all sense and wisdom in 
thus depriving myself of all the amusements of the age ; but the 
Lord has since opened her eyes to make her despise them." 

11 A lady of rank," she writes, " took a particular liking to 
me, because my person and manners were agreeable. She said 
that she observed in me something extraordinary. My impres 
sion is, that my spiritual taste reacted upon my physical nature, 
and that the inward attraction of my soul appeared on my very 
countenance. A gentleman of fashion one day said to my hus 
band s aunt, * I saw your niece, and it is very visible that she 
lives in the presence of God ! I was surprised at hearing this, 
as I did not suppose that a person so much addicted to the world 
could have any very distinct idea of God s presence, even in the 
hearts of his own people. This lady proposed to me to go with 
her to the theatre. I refused, as, independently of my religious 
principles, I had never been in the habit of going to such places. 
The reason which I first gave was, that my husband s continual 
indisposition rendered it inconvenient and improper. Not satii 
fied with this, she continued to press me very earnestly. She 
said that I ought not to be prevented by my husband s indis 
positions from taking some amusement; that the business of 

D 



50 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

nursing the sick was more appropriate to older persons ; and 
that I was too young to be thus confined. This led to more 
particular conversation. I gave her my reasons for being par 
ticularly attentive to my husband in his ill health. I told her 
that I entirely disapproved of theatrical amusements, and re 
garded them as especially inconsistent with the duties of a 
Christian woman. The lady was far more advanced in years 
than I was ; but my remarks made such an impression on her, 
that she never visited such places afterwards. 

" I was once in company with her and another lady, who was 
fond of talking, and had read the Christian Fathers. They had 
much conversation in relation to God. The learned lady, as 
might be expected, talked very learnedly of Him. This sort of 
merely intellectual and speculative conversation, in relation to 
the Supreme Being, was not much to my taste. I scarcely said 
anything ; my mind being drawn inwardly to silent and inward 
communion with the great and good Being, about whom my 
friends were speculating. The next day the lady came to see 
me. The Lord had touched her heart ; she came as a penitent, 
as a seeker after religion ; she could hold out in her opposition 
no longer. But I at once attributed this remarkable and sudden 
change, as I did not converse with her the day previous, to the 
conversation of our learned and speculative acquaintance. But 
she assured me it was otherwise. She said, it was not the 
other s conversation which affected her, but my silence ; adding 
the remark, that my silence had something in it which pene 
trated to the bottom of her soul, and that she could not relish 
the other s discourse. After that time we spoke to each other 
with open hearts on the great subject. 

" It was then that God left indelible impressions of grace on 
her soul ; and she continued so athirst for Him, that she could 
scarcely endure to converse on any other subject. That she 
might be wholly His, God deprived her of a most affectionate 
husband : He also visited her with other severe crosses. At the 
same time He poured His grace so abundantly into her heart, 
that He soon conquered it, and became its sole master. After 



OP MADAME GUYON. 51 

the death of her husband and the loss of most of her fortune, she 
went to reside on a small estate which yet remained situated 
about twelve miles from our house. She obtained my husband s 
consent to my passing a week with her, to console her under her 
afflictions. I conversed much with her on religious subjects. 
She possessed knowledge, and was a woman of uncommon in 
tellectual power ; but being introduced into a world of new 
thought as well as new feeling, she was surprised at my express 
ing things so much above what is considered the ordinary range 
of woman s capacity. I should have been surprised at it myself, 
had I reflected on it. But it was God who gave me the gift of 
perception and utterance for her sake ; He made me the instru 
ment, diffusing a flood of grace into her soul, without regarding 
the unworthiness of the channel He was pleased to use. Since 
that time her soul has been the temple of the Holy Ghost, and 
our hearts have been indissolubly united." 

Eeligion, so far as it ts religion, is always the same ; the same 
in all lands and ages ; the same in its nature and results ; always 
allied to angels and God, and always meeting with the opposi 
tion of that which is not angelic and not of God. It is not sur 
prising, therefore, that Madame Guyon s new heart should meet 
with opposition from the world s old one. 

" When the world saw that I had quitted it, it persecuted me, 
and turned me into ridicule. I became the subject of its con 
versation, fabulous stories, and amusement. Given up to its 
irreligion and pleasures, it could not bear that a woman, little 
more than twenty years of age, should thus make war against it, 
and overcome it." That youth should quit the world was some 
thing ; but that r-ealth, intelligence, and beauty, combined with 
youth, should quit it, was much more. On merely human prin 
ciples it could not well be explained. Some were offended ; 
some spoke of her as a person under mental delusion ; some 
attributed her conduct to stupidity, inquiring very significantly, 
" What can all this mean ? This lady has the reputation of 
knowledge and talent. But we see nothing of it." 

But God was with her. About this time she and her bus- 



52 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

band went into the country on some business. She did not leave 
her religion on leaving her home. The river Seine flowed neat 
the place where they stayed. " On the banks of the river" she 
says, "finding a dry and solitary place, I sought intercourse with 
my God." Her husband did not accompany her there. She 
went alone to the banks of the Seine, to the waters of the 
beautiful river. It was indeed a solitary place ; but can we say 
that she who went there went alone ? God was with her God, 
who made the woods and the waters, and in the beginning 
walked with His holy ones amid the trees of the garden. " The 
communications of Divine love," she adds, " were unutterably 
sweet to my soul in that retirement." And thus, with God for 
her portion, she was happy in the loss of that portion which was 
taken away from her. 

Let the world despise and leave me, " Man may trouble and distress me, 

They have left my Saviour too ; Twill but drive me to thy breast ; 

Human hearts and looks deceive me ; Life with trials bard may press me . 

Thou art not, like them, untrue. Heaven will bring me sweeter rest." 



Happy would it have been, if she had been exposed only to 
the ridicule and the opposition of those who were without. 
Among the members of her own family still less than ever, with 
the exception of her father, did she find any heart that corre 
sponded fully to her own. It seems to have been the great ob 
ject of her mother-in-law, who was exceedingly desirous to retain 
the influence over her son which she had exercised previous to 
his marriage, to weaken and destroy his affection for his wife. 
Her object was cruel as it was wicked, although she probably 
justified herself in it, from the fear that the benevolent disposi 
tion of Madame Guyon, both before and after experiencing reli 
gion, might result in a waste of the property of the family, if 
she should possess all that influence with her husband, to which 
such a wife was entitled. " My mother-in-law," she says, 
" persuaded my husband that I let everything go to wreck, 
and that, if she did not take care, he would be ruined." The 
mother-in-law was seconded by the maidservant, and he became 



OP MADAME GUYON. 53 

unsettled and vacillating in his affections not constant in his 
love ; sometimes, and perhaps always, when separated from their 
influence, truly and even passionately affectionate ; at other 
times, and more frequently, distrustful and cruel. 

In this perplexed and conflicting state of mind, we find his 
language and his conduct equally conflicting. Sometimes he 
speaks to her in the language of violence and abuse, sometimes 
in a relenting spirit and with affection. He was not pleased with 
the religious change in his wife. " My husband," she says, 
" was out of humour with my devotion ; it became insupport 
able to him. What! says he, l you love God so much that you 
love me no longer. So little did he comprehend that the true 
conjugal love is that which is regulated by religious sentiment, 
and which God himself forms in the heart that loves Him." At 
other times, when left to his better nature, he insisted much on 
her being present with him ; and frankly recognising what he 
saw was very evident, he said to her, " One sees plainly that you 
never lose the presence of God." 

The sorrow, therefore, which pained her life before her con 
version, remained afterwards. It was a wound of the heart, 
deep and terrible, which cannot well be appreciated or ex 
pressed. To a woman who possesses those confiding and affec 
tionate inclinations which characterize and adorn the sex, there 
can be no compensation for an absence of love, least of all, in 
that sacred and ennobling relation, in which she gives up her 
heart, in the fond expectation of a heart s return. It is true, 
that it was a marriage, in the first instance, without much ac 
quaintance ; but still it was not without some degree of confi 
dence, and still less without hope. Madame Guyon always 
refers to this painful subject with dignity and candour, not 
condemning others with severity, and willing to take a full share 
of blame to herself. These trials would never have been known 
from her pen, had they not been written at the express command 
of her spiritual Director ; and she had no expectation that her 
statements would be made public. 

The waiting-maid " became," she says, " every day more 



54 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

haughty. It seemed as if Satan incited her to torment me. 
And what enraged her most was, that her vexatious treatment, 
fretfulness, impertinent complaints and rebukes, had ceased to 
trouble me. Inwardly supported, I remained silent. It was 
then that she thought that if she could hinder me from going to 
partake of the holy Sacrament, she would give me the greatest 
of all vexations. She was not mistaken, divine Spouse of 
holy souls ! since the only satisfaction of my life was to receive 
and honour thee. The church at which I worshipped was called 
the Magdalen Church. I loved to visit it. I had done some 
thing to ornament it, and to furnish it with the silver plates and 
chalices of the Communion service. It was there, when things 
were in such a situation at my house as to allow me to do it, 
that I retired and spent hours in prayer. It was there, with a 
heart filled with love, that I partook of the holy Sacrament. 
This girl, who knew where my affections were, and how to 
wound them, took it into her head to watch me daily. Some 
times I evaded her, and had my seasons of retirement and prayer. 
Whenever she discovered my going thither, she immediately ran 
to tell my mother-in-law arid my husband. 

" One ground of complaint was the length of time which I 
spent in religious services. Accordingly, when the maid-ser 
vant informed them that I had gone to the church, it was 
enough to excite their angry feelings. I had no rest from their 
reproofs and invectives that day. If I said anything in my own 
justification, it was enough to make them speak against me as 
guilty and sacrilegious, and to cry out against all devotion. If 
I remained silent, the result was merely to heighten their in 
dignation, and to make them say the most unpleasant things 
they could devise. If I were out of health, which was not un- 
frequently the case, they took occasion to come and quarrel with 
me at my bedside, saying, that my prayers and my sacramental 
communions were the occasions of my sickness. As if there 
were nothing else which could make me ill, but my devotions to 
thee, my Lord!" 

The mother-in-law endeavoured also to alienate the respect and 



OP MADAME GUYON. 55 

affections of her eldest son. And she too well succeeded ; 
although there is reason to think that he came to better disposi 
tions in after life. So deep and sacred is a mother s love, this 
seems to have affected the feelings of Madame Guyon more 
keenly than anything else in her domestic afflictions. " The 
heaviest cross," she says, " which I was called to bear, was the 
loss of my eldest son s affections and his open revolt against me. 
He exhibited so great disregard and contempt of me, that I 
could not see him without severe grief." One of her pious 
friends advised her, since she could not remedy it, that she must 
suffer it patiently, and leave everything to God. 

In general, she thought it best to bear her domestic trials in 
silence. As a woman of prayer and faith, she regarded them as 
sent of God for some gracious purpose, and was somewhat fear 
ful of seeking advice and consolation from any other than a 
Divine source. Indeed she could not well do otherwise, having 
but few friends whom it would have been prudent to have con 
sulted upon these things. Her own mother was dead. The 
half-sister, whom she loved so much, and with whom she had 
been accustomed in earlier life to take counsel, was no longer 
living. The two sisters of her husband, constituting with him 
all the children of their family, who seem to have had no un 
favourable dispositions, were almost constantly absent at the 
Benedictine Seminary. They were brought up under the care 
of the prioress, Genevieve Granger, whom we shall have occa 
sion to mention hereafter. " Sometimes," she remarks on one 
occasion, " I said to myself, Oh that I had but any one who 
would take notice of me, or to whom I might unbosom myself 1 
what a relief it would be 1 But it was not granted me." 

These domestic trials were alleviated, in some degree, by the 
satisfaction which she took in her two younger children. They 
were both lovely. The third child was a daughter, born in 
1669. Of her she speaks in the warm terms of admiration and 
love, dictated by the observation of her lovely traits of character, 
as well as by the natural strength of motherly affection. She 
represents her as budding and opening under her eye into an 



56 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

object of delightful beauty and attraction. Sbe loved her for 
her loveliness, and for the God who gave her. When she was 
deserted by the world, when her husband became estranged from 
her, she pressed this young daughter to her bosom, and felt that 
she was blessed. This too, this cherished and sacred pleasure, 
was soon destined to pass away. 



CHAPTER IX. 

We are to commit our own improvement and good, as well as of others Desires to be 
wholly the Lord s Efforts to keep the outward appetites in subjection Remark* The 
inordinate action of all parts of the mind to be subdued Austerities may be practised 
without the idea of expiation The monks of La Trappe Temptations to go back to the 
world Visit to Paris The errors committed there Grief Journey to Orleans and 
Touraine Temptations and religious infidelities and falls repeated Incident on the 
banks of the Loire Remarks upon her sina Visit to St. Cloud Sorrow Inquiries on 
holy living. 

" THOU shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 11 Our own vine 
yard is not to be neglected. True Christianity verifies its exist 
ence and its character, not merely in doing good to others, but 
partly, at least, in the regulation of our own inward nature. It 
is not enough to visit the sick and teach the ignorant, to feed the 
hungry and clothe the naked, while we leave our own appetites 
and passions unsubdued, unregulated. 

The subject of this Memoir, however warm-hearted and diffu 
sive may have been her charity to others, felt that there were 
duties to herself. Something within her, told her that God s 
providence, which searches through all space and reaches all 
hearts, had designated her, not merely as a subject of forgive 
ness, but as a subject of sanctifying grace ; not merely as a 
sinner to be saved, but as a living Temple in which His own 
Godhead should dwell. And He who, in dwelling in the soul, 
constitutes its true life, inspired desires within her, corresponding 
to these designs. 

Referring to the great change, which she dates specifically aa 



OF MADAME GUYON. 57 

having taken place on the 22d of July 1668, she says, " I had a 
secret desire given me from that time, to be wholly devoted to 
the disposal of my God. The language of my heart, addressing 
itself to my heavenly Father, was, What couldst thou demand of 
me, which I would not willingly sacrifice or offer thee ? Oh, 
spare me not I It seemed to me that I loved God too much, 
willingly or knowingly to offend Him. I could hardly hear God 
or our Lord Jesus Christ spoken of, without being almost trans 
ported out of myself." 

In accordance with these views, she endeavoured to recognise 
practically the Saviour s direction, " Whether ye eat or drink, 
sr whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." And also 
that other direction, " If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out 
and cast it from thee; for it is profitable for thee, that one of 
thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should 
be cast into hell." It is hardly necessary to say, that no man 
can properly be accounted as wholly the Lord s, whose appetites 
are not under control. It is possible that such a person may be 
a Christian in the ordinary and mitigated sense of the term. 
He may possess a soul to which the blood of the Atonement has 
been applied ; but still it is a soul which is neither fully nor 
adequately renovated. If it be true that the penalty of the 
Divine law, in its application to him as an individual, has been 
satisfied, it is equally true, I think, that the new creation of the 
gospel, the reign inwardly of the Holy Ghost, has not yet fully 
come. The great work of sanctification must be carried on and 
rendered complete. And the inward man cannot be sanctified 
without the sanctification, in some proper sense of the terms, of 
that which is outward. And accordingly she was enabled, with 
that assistance which God always gives to those who add faith 
to their efforts, to subdue and to regulate this important part of 
our nature. 

Some of the methods she took seem to imply an undue degree 
of violence to principles of our nature, which are given us for 
wise purposes, and in their appropriate action are entirely inno 
cent. But there is a principle involved in the practical subject 



58 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

tion of the appetites, which will in part justify her course. It 
is, that an inordinate exercise of the appetites is to be overcome 
by what may be termed an inordinate repression ; which, under 
other circumstances, would neither be necessary nor proper. 

She refused for a time to indulge them in anything, in order 
that she might regain her lost control, and be enabled after 
wards to employ them aright. She curbed them strongly and 
strictly, not only to break their present domination, but to annul 
the terrible influence of that law of habit which gave to their 
domination its permanency and power. " I kept my appetites," 
she says, " under great restraint ; subjecting them to a process 
of strict and unremitting mortification. It is impossible to sub 
due the inordinate action of this part of our nature, perverted as 
it is by long habits of vicious indulgence, unless we deny to it, 
for a time, the smallest relaxation. Deny it firmly that which 
gives it pleasure ; and if it be necessary, give to it that which 
disgusts ; and persevere in this course, until, in a certain sense, 
it has no choice in anything which is presented to it. If we, 
during this warfare with the sensual nature, grant any relaxa 
tion, giving a little here and a little there, not because it is 
right, but because it is little, we act like those persons who, 
under pretext of strengthening a man who is condemned to be 
starved to death, give him, from time to time, a little nourish 
ment, and thus prolong the man s torments, while they defeat 
their own object. 

" And these views will apply," she adds, " to the propensive 
and affectional part of our nature, as well as the appetites ; and 
also to the understanding and will. We must meet their in 
ordinate action promptly. The state in which we are dying to 
the world, and the state in which we are dead to the world, seem 
clearly set forth by the apostle Paul as distinct from each other. 
He speaks of bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord 
Jesus ; but lest we should rest here, he fully distinguishes this 
from the state of being dead, and having our life hid with Christ 
in God. It is only by a total death to self that we can expe 
rience the state of Divine union, and be lost in God. 



OP MADAME GUYON. 59 

" But when a person has once experienced this loss of self, and 
nas become dead to sin, he has no further need of that extreme 
system of repression and mortification which, with the Divine 
blessing, had given him the victory. The end for which morti 
fication was practised is accomplished, and all is become new. 
It is an unhappy error in those who have arrived at the conquest 
of the bodily senses, through a series of long and unremitted 
mortifications, that they should still continue attached to the 
exercise of them. From this time, when the senses have ceased 
from their inordinate action, we should permit them to accept, 
with indifference and equanimity of mind, whatever the Lord sees 
fit in His providence to give them the pleasant and the unplea 
sant, the sweet and the bitter. 

" And having obtained the victory over the appetites, he who 
seeks after entire holiness will pass on to other parts of our fallen 
nature, and endeavour to subject the wandering intellect, the 
misplaced affections, and the inordinate will. Severely repres 
sive acts, analogous to the cutting off the right hand, or the 
plucking out of the right eye, must be put forth here also. And 
success may be expected, if the efforts of the creature, which are 
always utter weakness without the inspiration of God and the 
Divine blessing, are attended with prayer, faith, and the spirit 
of serious and devout recollection." 

Her views of austerities or acts of mortification, in her Auto 
biography, as they are interpreted and perhaps somewhat modi 
fied in her Short Method of Prayer, and her other works, are 
less objectionable than some might suppose, who have not care 
fully examined them. It is very probable, that her earliest 
views on this subject were incorrect and dangerous. But after 
she had become emancipated (which was the case at an early 
period of her experience) from certain early impressions, it is 
obvious that she regarded acts of austerity and mortification as 
having relation to the laws of our nature, and not as furnishing 
an atoning element ; as disciplinary and not as expiatory a 
distinction which is radical and of great consequence. 

I doubt not that the distinction which separates the idea of 



60 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

expiation from austere and self- mortifying acts, and makes them 
merely disciplinary, would be found to hold good in many in 
stances ; but, without pretending to say how far this may be 
the case, I will relate here a single incident which will illustrate 
what I mean. The monks of the celebrated monastery of La 
Trappe, in France, after the reform effected there by M. De Ranee, 
were exceedingly strict in their mode of life. The deprivations 
they endured, and the austerities they imposed upon themselves, 
seemed to be as great as human nature is well capable of en 
during. A person visited the monastery, and witnessing the 
austerities practised, he expressed his admiration of their self- 
denial in rejecting those indulgences so common among other 
persons. The monks, laying their hands on their hearts, with 
a look of deep humiliation, replied in words to this effect : 
" We bless God that we find Him all-sufficient without the pos 
session of those things to which you have referred. We reject 
all such possessions and indulgences, but without claiming any 
merit for it. Our deepest penances are proper subjects of repent 
ance. We should have been here to little purpose, had we not 
learned that our penitential acts, performed with too little feeling, 
are not such as they should be ; and that our righteousness is 
not free from imperfection and pollution. Whatever we may 
endure, or for whatever reason it may be done, we ascribe all 
our hopes of mercy and acceptance to the blood of Christ 
alone."* 

The subjection of the appetites, which has a close connexion 
with mental purity, and is exceedingly important, constitutes 
but a small part of that physical and mental contest and victory 
to which the Christian is called. His whole nature, every 
thought and every feeling, every act of the desires and of the 
will, is to be brought into subjection to the law of Christ. 
Madame Guyon, with the great powers of analysis and reflection 
she possessed, fully understood this. It was her desire and 
purpose, both in body and in spirit, to be wholly the Lord s. 

Account of the Monastery of La Trappe, and of th Institution of Port Boyal, bf 
Mary Anae Schimmelpenninck, vol. i. p. 140. 



OF MADAME OUYON. 61 

But she found that the contest, which she was summoned to 
carry on with other and higher parts of her nature, was more 
trying and less successful. 

Under the influence of principles which are good when they 
are not inordinate, she found to her great grief that she still 
loved to hear and to know more than a sanctified Christianity 
would allow. Man, under the influence of the natural life, is 
disposed to diffuse himself to overleap the humbling barriers 
of God s providence, and to mingle in what is not his own. The 
principle of curiosity, always strong, but especially so in a mind 
like hers, was not only not dead, but what is still more im 
portant, it ceased to be properly regulated. It was still a matter 
of interest with her to see arid be seen, and to experience the 
pleasures of worldly intercourse and conversation. 

At one time the contest in this direction was very considerable. 
Satan knew how and where to aim his arrows. He had sagacity 
enough to perceive that she was not a woman that could easily 
be subduced by appeals and temptations applied to her physical 
nature, but that they must be made to her great powers of in 
tellect, her pride of character, and desire of personal admiration 
and personal influence. The suggestion came insidiously, but 
it entered deeply into the heart. For two years she had laboured 
faithfully in the cause of Christ. We do not mean to say that 
she had been without sin, but that she had struggled faithfully, 
though sometimes unsuccessfully against sin, and without ever 
thinking for a moment of yielding quietly to its solicitations and 
influences ; and it was not till after all this favourable probation 
that the secret whisper, breathed out gently and with great art, 
came to her soul. It came from the source of all evil, and was 
applied with Satanic skill. Is it possible that I must so far give 
up all to God, that I shall have nothing left for the world ? In 
this age of refinement and pleasure, when everything is awake 
to intelligence, and when there is apparently but one voice of 
joy, is it necessary, or even reasonable, that my eye should be 
shut and my ears closed, and my lips silent ? The assault was 
made with so much adroitness, that her religious resolution, 



62 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

after having been strenuously sustained for some time, began 
to waver. 

In connexion with this state of things, she speaks of a visit 
of some length in Paris her usual residence being a short dis 
tance out of the city. In expressions which convey an ominous 
import to the religious mind, she says, " I relaxed in my usual 
religious exercises, on account of the little time I had" Reli 
gious declensions generally begin in this way. When she went 
to Paris, she seems to have been comparatively in a good reli 
gious state. She speaks of God s grace to her of His continual 
presence and care. She had experienced some heavy tempta 
tions and trials before, but does not appear to have yielded to 
them in any great degree. But she felt here as she had not felt 
before, since she professed to walk in a new life the dangerous 
power of the heart, even of the Christian heart, whenever left 
to itself, and unrestrained by Divine grace. Speaking of her 
internal state, she says, " I seemed to myself to be like one of 
those young brides, who find a difficulty after their marriage, in 
laying aside their self-indulgence and self-love, and in faithfully 
following their husbands into the duties and cares of life." To 
a mind not fully established in the religious life, or temporarily 
shaken in its religious principles, Paris was a place fall of 
hazard. She found the temptation great ; and it is a sad com 
mentary on human weakness, that she in some degree yielded 
to it. 

She says, " / did many things which I ought not to have done." 
What these things were, we do not fully know. She mentions, 
however, as one thing which gave her trouble, that she felt an 
improper gratification in receiving the attention of others. In 
other words, her vanity still lived. There were a number of 
persons in the city, apparently persons without experimental re 
ligion, who were extremely fond of her ; and it was one of her 
faults that she allowed them to express their personal regard in 
too strong terms, without checking it as she ought. It appears 
also that she regarded herself as having conformed too much to 
the drees of the Parisian ladies. Among other things which 



OP MADAME GUYON. 63 

indicate her sense of her danger and actual unfaithfulness to 
God, she speaks of promenading in the public walks of the city 
a practice not necessarily improper or sinful. She did not do 
it merely out of complaisance to her friends, nor for the physical 
pleasure and benefit which might be expected from the practice ; 
but partly, at least, from the unsanctified feeling of personal 
display, the desire of seeing and of being seen. But deeply did 
she lament these falls. 

" As I saw that the purity of my state was likely to be sul 
lied by a too great intercourse with the world, I made haste to 
finish the business which detained me at Paris, in order to re 
turn to the country. It is true, God, I felt that thou hadst 
given me strength enough, in connexion with thy promised 
assistance, to avoid the occasions of evil. But I found myself 
in a situation of peculiar temptation. And I had so far yielded 
to the evil influences to which I had been exposed, that I found 
it difficult to resist the vain ceremonies and complaisances which 
characterize fashionable life. Invited to join in the pleasures 
to which the world was so generally and strongly devoted, I 
was very far from tasting the satisfaction which they seemed to 
give to others. * Alas ! said I, this is not my God, and nothing 
beside Him can give solid pleasure. 1 

" I was not only disappointed, but I felt the deep sorrow 
which always afflicts unfaithful souls. I cannot well describe 
the anguish of which I was the subject. It was like a consum 
ing fire. Banished from the presence of my Beloved, my bride 
groom, how could I be happy ! I could not find access to Him, 
and I certainly could not find rest out of Him. I knew not 
what to do. I was like the dove out of the Ark ; which, find 
ing no rest for the sole of its foot, was constrained to return 
again ; but finding the window shut, could only fly about with 
out being able to enter." 

Her husband, with a keen eye, saw her position, and we may 
well suppose secretly rejoiced at it. It was no disquiet to him, 
looking at the matter in the worldly light, that she had made 
her appearance in the fashionable companies of the most gay 



64 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

and fashionable city in world. And still he could not but see 
that the snare, which was thus laid for the faith and piety of 
his wife, in the attractions and assemblies of Paris, had in some 
degree failed. He was not ignorant that she had seen her 
danger, and exhibited the wisdom and the decision to flee from 
it. But certainly, if her religious principle was thus severely 
tested at Paris, there could be no hazard to it, in her making 
an excursion into the country, among mountains and rivers, 
and others of God s great works. This, obviously, was a very 
natural suggestion. It was proposed, therefore, that she should 
take a distant journey. Her husband could go with her, and 
was ready to do it. His state of health was such, that it could 
hardly fail to be beneficial. And if her own health should not 
be improved, as would be very likely, it would certainly contri 
bute to her happiness. And it was an incidental consideration 
which had its weight, that Montargis, the place of her early life, 
could be visited in the way. Orleans, too, which was in the 
tour, was a celebrated and beautiful city. Nor was it a small 
thing to an imaginative mind like hers, to tread the banks and 
to behold the scenery of the magnificent Loire. With that 
great river there were some interesting recollections connected. 
Not many years before, its waters had been wedded to those of 
the Seine by the Canal of Briare an astonishing work, a monu 
ment of the enterprise of her husband s father, and the principal 
source of the wealth of her family. Hence arose the journey 
to the distant province of Touraine, in the spring or summer 
of 1670. 

But this journey also was attended with temptation and sin. 
During the life of her husband, she generally journeyed in a 
carriage, and with such attendants and equipage as were thought 
suitable to her position in society, or as her husband s desires 
and tastes might dictate. As she travelled from town to town, 
in the Orleanois and down the Loire, known in history and 
song, her eye betrayed her heart, and she found the spirit of 
worldly interest again waking up within her. But the com 
pany of others, involving as it does the suggestions and solicita- 



OF MADAME GUYON. 65 

tions of unsanctified nature, is sometimes more dangerous than 
the sight of cities or of the works of nature and art. In that 
part of France her father s family and her husband s had been 
known, so that her movements were not likely to be kept secret. 
Her personal reputation had preceded her. Her powers of con 
versation were remarkable, and were always felt when she was 
disposed to exert them. Men were taken also with her beauty 
and wealth. " In this journey," she says, u abundance of visits 
and applauses were bestowed upon me ; and I, who had already 
experienced the pangs of being unfaithful to God, found emo 
tions of vanity once more springing to life within me. Strange 
as it may appear, and after all the bitterness I had experienced, 
I loved human applause, while I clearly perceived its folly. 
And I loved that in myself which caused this applause, while in 
the conflict of my mind s feelings, I desired to be delivered from 
it. The life of nature was pleased with public favour ; but the 
life of grace made me see the danger of it, and dread it. Oh, 
what pangs the heart feels in this situation I Deep was the 
affliction which this combat of grace and nature cost me ! What 
rendered my position the more dangerous was, that they not 
only praised my youth and beauty, but passed compliments upon 
my virtue. But this I could not receive. I had been too 
deeply taught that there is nothing but unworthiriess and weak 
ness in myself, and that all goodness is from God." 

" We met with some accidents," she says, " in this journey, 
which were sufficient to have impressed and terrified any one. 
And it is proper for me to say, with gratitude, that though the 
corruptions of my nature prevailed against me, my heavenly 
Father did not desert me. He kept me submissive and resigned 
in dangers, where there seemed to be no possibility of escape. 
At one time, on the banks of the Loire, we got into a narrow 
path, from which we could not well retreat. The waves of the 
river washed the base of the narrow road before us, and partly 
undermined it, so that it was necessary for our footman to sup 
port one side of the carriage. All around me were terrified ; 
but God kept me in tranquillity. Indeed, sensible of my weak- 



flfl LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

ness, and fearful that I might still more dishonour Him, 1 
seemed to have a secret desire, that He would take me out oi 
the temptations of the world, by some sudden stroke of His pro 
vidence." 

In the sorrow and depression of her spirit, she went in search 
of religious friends and teachers, to confess and lament her back- 
slidings. But they did not, or perhaps could not, enter into her 
feelings. " They did not condemn," she says, " what God con 
demned ; and treated those things as excusable and proper, 
which seemed to me to be disapproved and even detestable in 
His sight. But in saying that they wholly extenuated my faults, 
or did not consider them very great, I ought to add, that they 
did not understand (nobody but myself could understand) how 
much God had done for me. Instead of measuring my faults 
by the mercies and graces which God had conferred upon me, 
they only considered what I was, in comparison with what I might 
have been. Hence their remarks tended to flatter my pride, and 
to justify me in things which incurred the Divine displeasure. 

" It is an important remark, that a sin is not to be measured 
merely by its nature, in itself considered ; but also by the state 
of the person who commits it ; as the least unfaithfulness in a 
wife is more injurious to a husband, and affects him more deeply, 
than far greater acts of unkindness and neglect in his domestics. 
I had given myself to God in a bond of union more sacred than 
any human tie. Was it possible, then, to bestow my thoughts 
and affections on another, without offending Him to whom my 
soul had already betrothed itself? My trials were connected, in 
part, with the fashions of those gay times, the modes of dress, 
and methods of personal intercourse. It seemed to me that the 
dress of the ladies, with whom, in my journey to Orleans and 
Touraine, I was led almost necessarily to associate, was hardly 
consistent with Christian, or even natural modesty and decorum. 
I did not wholly conform to the prevalent modes, but I went too 
far in that direction. 

" My associates, seeing that I covered my neck much more 
than was common for females at that time, assured me that I 



OF MADAME GUYON. 67 

was quite modest and Christian-like in my attire ; and as my 
husband liked my dress, there could be nothing amiss in it. 
But something within me told me that it was not so. The 
Christian knows what it is to hear the voice of God in his soul. 
This inward voice troubled me. It seemed to say, Whither art 
thou going, thou * whom my soul loveth? Divine love drew 
me gently and sweetly in one direction ; while natural vanity 
violently dragged me in another. I was undecided ; loving 
God, but not wholly willing to give up the world. My heart 
was rent asunder by the contest." 

This was indeed a sad state. But there was another marked 
difference between the present and her former state. In the 
days of her life of nature, she not only sinned, but had in 
reality no disposition to do otherwise. She loved to sin. Reno 
vated now, though imperfect sincerely desirous to do right, 
though often failing to do so she could not fall into transgres 
sion without the deepest sorrow and torment of mind. Sin had 
lost the sweetness which once characterized it. She began to 
perceive, that even the smallest transgression cannot fail to 
separate from God. 

If, under the impulse of an unsanctified curiosity, she gave an 
unguarded look if in a moment of temptation she uttered a 
hasty reply to the rebukes and accusations of others (moral 
delinquencies which some might not regard as very great) it 
cost her bitter tears. Even when she dispensed her munificent 
charity, which brought consolation to the poor and suffering, she 
sometimes found, with sorrow of heart, that the donation which 
ought to have been made with " a single eye" was corrupted by 
a glance at the rewards of self-complacency and of worldly 
applause. 

" The God of love," she says, " so enlightened my heart, and 
so scrutinized its secret springs, that the smallest defects became 
exposed. In my conversation I could often discover some secret 
motive which was evil, and was in consequence compelled to 
keep silence. And even my silence, when examined by the aid 
of the Divine light, was not exempt from imperfection. If I 



68 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

was led to converse about myself, and said anything in my own 
favour, I discovered pride. And I could not even walk the 
streets, without sometimes noticing in my movements the impulse 
of the life of self." She seemed to be in the condition described 
in the seventh chapter of Komans a description which will 
apply both to the struggles of the enlightened sinner when 
deeply convicted of his transgressions, and to the inward con 
flicts of the partially sanctified Christian. " I delight in the 
law of God after the inward man ; but I see another law in my 
members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me 
into captivity to the law of sin." 

" It must not be supposed, however," she adds, " that God 
suffered my faults to go unpunished. my God ! with what 
rigour dost thou punish the most faithful, the most loving and 
beloved of thy children 1 The anguish which the truly devout 
soul experiences, when it sees sin in itself, is inexpressible. 
The method which God takes inwardly to correct those whom 
He designs to purify radically and completely, must be felt, in 
order to be understood. This anguish of the soul can perhaps 
best be expressed by calling it a secret burning an internal 
fire ; or perhaps it may be compared to a dislocated joint, which 
is in incessant torment, until the bone is replaced. Sometimes 
such a soul is tempted to look to men and to seek consolation in 
the creature ; but this is in violation of God s designs upon it, 
and it cannot in that way find any true rest. It is best to endure 
patiently, till God sees fit, in His own time and way, to remove 
the agony. 

In this divided state of mind, continually striving for a better 
religious state, and yet continually faltering and failing in her 
resolutions, she received an invitation to make one in a fashion 
able party to visit St. Cloud. This beautiful village, situated 
on the banks of the Seine, at the distance of only six miles from 
Paris, was then, as it is now, the resort of fashionable society. 
Celebrated for its natural scenery, its park, and the magnificent 
palace and gardens of the Duke of Orleans, it was the chosen 
spot for the residences of many families of wealth and taste 



OF MADAME GUYON. 69 

Other ladies, with whom she was well acquainted, were invited 
to the festival ; and their solicitations were employed to induce 
her to go with them. She yielded, but not without condemning 
herself for doing it. 

"I went," she says, "through a spirit of weak compliance, 
and from the impulse of vanity. Everything connected with 
the entertainment was magnificent. It was an occasion espe 
cially adapted to meet the wants and views of the votaries of 
worldly pleasure. The ladies who attended me, wise in worldly 
wisdom, but not in the things of religion, relished it. But as 
for me, it filled me with bitterness. I pleased others ; but I 
offended Him whom I ought most to have pleased. Eich were 
the tables that were spread, but I could eat nothing. The 
sounds of festivity and joy arose on every side ; but it was not 
possible for me to enjoy anything. Pleasure shone in the looks 
of other visitants, but sorrow was written upon mine. what 
tears did this false step cost me ! My Beloved was offended. 
For above three long months, He withdrew entirely the fa 
vours of His presence. I could see nothing but an angry God 
before me." 

One important lesson which she learned from these tempta 
tions and follies a lesson as important as any which the nature 
of the Christian life renders indispensable was that of her en 
tire dependence on Divine grace. " I became," she says, " deeply 
assured of what the prophet hath said, Except the Lord keep 
the city, the watchman waketh but in vain! 1 When I looked to 
thee, my Lord ! thou wast my faithful keeper ; tbou didst 
continually defend my heart against all kinds of enemies. But, 
alas 1 when left to myself, I was all weakness. How easily did 
my enemies prevail over me I Let others ascribe their victories 
to their own fidelity : as for myself, I shall never attribute 
them to anything else than thy paternal care. I have too often 
experienced, to my cost, what I should be without thee, to pre 
sume in the least on any wisdom or efforts of my own. It is 
to thee, God, my Deliverer, that I owe everything ! And it is 
a source of infinite satisfaction, that I am thus indebted to thee. r 



70 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

From this time, she gave her mind to the great subject of 
holy living, with a deep and solemn earnestness, which she had 
never experienced before. She began to realize the tremendous 
import of those solemn words of the Saviour, " No man can 
serve two masters ; for either he will hate the one and love the 
other ; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye 
cannot serve God and mammon" 

There is but one way for the Christian to walk in. It is not 
possible that there should be any other. " A strait and narrow 
way" it is true ; but still, properly speaking, not a difficult way. 
Undoubtedly it is difficult to a heart naturally averse to it, to 
enter into it, and to become entirely naturalized to it. Some 
times the difficulty is very great ; but when once the process is 
fairly begun, and the influence of old habits is broken, the 
difficulty is, in a great degree, removed ; and it becomes true, 
as the Saviour has said, that His " yoke is easy, and His 
burden is light." 

But people do not understand this ; FIRST, because, in a mul 
titude of cases, they do not make the experiment at all they 
do not even enter into the way ; and SECONDLY, because they do 
not persevere in the experiment sufficiently long to render it a 
fair one. But whether difficult or not, whether the difficulty con 
tinues for a longer or shorter time, it is God s way, and there 
fore the only true and safe way. But why is it described as a 
strait and narrow way ? I answer, because it is a way in which 
every step is regulated by God s will. It is a way of one prin 
ciple, and cannot therefore be otherwise than both strait and 
narrow. Any deviation from that will, however slight it may 
be, is necessarily a step out of the way. It is not only the way 
which leads to life, as the Scriptures express it ; but it does of 
itself constitute a life, because he, who is in God s will, is in life, 
and life is in him. " This," says the apostle John, " is the 
record, That God hath given to us eternal life ; and this life 
is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life ; and he that hath 
not the Son of God hath not life." (1 John v. 11, 12.) 



OF MADAME GUYON. 71 



CHAPTER X. 

Early views of her Christian state Surprise at the discovery of the remains of sin in herseli 
Seeks assistance from others The religious character of that age Consults Genevieve 
Granger Attends religious services at Notre Dame Extraordinary interview with a 
person unknown His advice Renewed consecration Attacked by the small-pox 
Treatment from her mother-in-law Death of her youngest son Feelings Poetical writ 
ingsJustice of God amiable. 

IN this season of temptation and penitence, of trial and of 
comparative despondency, she looked around for advice and 
assistance. Not fully informed in respect to the nature of the 
inward life, she felt perplexed at her own situation. In the 
first joy of her spiritual espousals, she looked upon herself, as is 
frequently the case, not only as a sinner forgiven for the sins 
past, but what is a very different thing, as a sinner saved from 
the commission of sin for the present, and in all future time. 
Looking at the subject in the excited state of her young love, 
when the turbulent emotions perplex the calm exercises of 
the judgment, she appears to have regarded the victory which 
God had given her, as one which would stand against all 
possible assaults ; the greatness of her triumph for to-day 
scarcely exceeding the strength of her confidence for to-morrow. 
She felt no sting in her conscience ; she bore no cloud on her 
brow. 

How surprised, then, was she to find, after a short period, and 
a more close and thorough examination, that her best acts were 
mingled with imperfection and sin ; and that every day, as she 
was increasingly enlightened by the Holy Ghost, she seemed to 
discover more and more of motives to action, which might be 
described as sinful. After all her struggles and hopes, she 
found herself in the situation of being condemned to bear about 
a secret but terrible enemy in her own bosom. Under these 
circumstances, it was natural to look around for some religious 
person who might render her some assistance. Were others in 
the same situation ? Was it our destiny to be always sinning 
and always repenting ? Was there really no hope of deliverance 



72 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

from transgression till we might find it in the grave ? Such 
were some of the questions which arose in her mind. Who could 
tell her what to do, or how to do it ? 

This was not an age which was distinguished for piety, parti- 
cularly in France. Pious individuals undoubtedly there were, 
but piety was not its characteristic. We cannot well forget 
that it was in this age that the Port- Royalists acquired a name 
which will long be celebrated. From time to time some gay 
young people of Paris, or the provinces, sick of the vanities of 
the world, went into religious retirement, and were known no 
more, except by pious works and prayers. Others, like the 
celebrated M. Bouthillier de Ranee, possessed of talents that 
would have signalized almost any name, found their career of 
aspiring worldliness coming in conflict with the arrangements 
of Providence, and were ultimately led in the way, which at the 
time seemed full of sorrow and perplexity, to adore the hand 
which secretly smote them. We cannot well forget, that the 
daughters of the great Colbert, the Sully of the age of Louis 
XIV., ladies alike distinguished by character and by position, 
set an illustrious example, in a corrupt period of the world, of 
sincere, decided, and unaffected piety. This was the age and 
country of Nicole and Arnauld, of Pascal and Racine. In the 
retirement of La Trappe, as well as in the cells of Port-Royal, 
at St. Cyr, and, strange to say, within the terrible walls of the 
Bastille, prayers ascended from devout hearts.* And may we 
not say, that, in every age and every country, God has a people ; 
that in periods of religious declension, as well as at other times, 
He has His followers, few though they may be, who are known, 
appreciated, and beloved by Him whose favour alone is life ? 

But Madame Guyon did not find those helps from personal 
intercourse which would have been desirable. Christian friends 
of deep piety and of sound judgment were few in number. But 
there were some such to whom she had access ; one of whom, 

* I refer, among other instances, to Father Seguenot, a priest of the Congregation of tho 
Oratory, and to M. de St Claude, a distinguished Port-Royalist, and a man of great piety, 
both confined in the dungeons of the Bastille. 



OF MADAME GUYON. 73 

in particular, Genevieve Granger, the devout and judicious 
Prioress of a community of Benedictines established a short dis 
tance from the place of her residence, she often mentions. To 
her she had been introduced some years before by the Francis 
can, whom Providence had employed as the special means of her 
conversion. The acquaintance was rendered the more natural 
and easy, because her husband s sisters had been for some time 
under the care of the Prioress. To her, more freely and more 
fully than to any other, she made known the temptations she had 
experienced, and the falls of which she had been guilty. 

This pious woman understood Madame Guyon s religious posi 
tion, and encouraged her much in her hopes and purposes of a 
new and amended life. She probably had some foresight of the 
position which Providence might call her to occupy, and of the 
influence she might exert. She explained to her the great diffi 
culty of uniting a conformity with the world, even to a limited 
extent, with an entire fulfilment of Christian obligations. Her 
own personal experience was calculated to add weight to her 
suggestions. Adopting the principle, that it is possible for us, 
even amid the temptations of the present life, to live wholly to 
Qod, she was unwilling to see any one, especially such a person 
as Madame Guy on, adopting a standard of feeling and action 
below the mark of entire consecration and perfect faith and love. 

Madame Guyon, at this period, began to have a more distinct 
and realizing perception of what is implied in a sanctified life. 
Some portions of her reading, as well as her personal experience, 
had been favourable to this result. In the Life of Madame de 
Chantal, which she had read with great interest, she found the 
doctrine of holiness, so far as it may be supposed to consist in a 
will subjected to God, and in a heart filled with love, illustrated 
in daily living and practice, as well as asserted as a doctrine. 
The writings of Francis de Sales are characterized, in distinc 
tion from many other devout writings of the period in which he 
lived, by insisting on continual walking with God, on the entire 
surrender of the human will to the divine, and on the existence 
of pure love. The writings of this devout and learned man 



74 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

seem to have been her constant companions through life. The 
Imitation of Christ, generally ascribed to Thomas-a-Kempis, is 
animated by the same spirit of high Christian attainment. All 
these writers, under different forms of expression, agree in 
strenuously teaching that the whole heart, the whole life, should 
be given to God ; and that in some true sense this entire sur 
render, not excluding, however, a constant sense of demerit arid 
of dependence on God, and the constant need of the applica 
tion of Christ s blood, is in reality not less practicable than it is 
obligatory. 

Her mind, therefore, had been prepared to receive promptly, 
and to confide strongly in, the suggestions and admonitions of the 
Benedictine Prioress. The few facts which can be gathered from 
the writings of Madame Guyon, are enough to show that Gene- 
vieve Granger was a woman who combined strength of intellect 
with humble piety. The world did not know her, but she was 
not unknown to Him who made the world. She may be de 
scribed as one of those who live in the world without the de 
basements of a worldly spirit, and of whom it can be said, that 
" the secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him." And it is 
well for those who are seeking religion, or inquiring the me 
thods of progress in religion, to learn of those who have thus 
been taught. 

At this most interesting juncture an incident occurred, some 
what remarkable, which made a deep impression on her mind. 
She went to attend some religious services in the celebrated 
church of Notre Dame at Paris. As the weather was inviting, 
she did not take a carriage as usual, but decided to walk, al 
though her house was some miles distant. She was attended, 
however, by a footman, as she generally was at this period of 
her life. Just as they had passed one of the bridges over the 
Seine, a person appeared at her side and entered into conversa 
tion ; a man religiously solemn and instructive in his appear 
ance and intercourse, but so poor and almost repulsive in his 
attire, that, at their first meeting, thinking him an object of 
charity, she offered him alms. 



OP MADAME QOYON. 75 

" This man spoke to me," she says, u in a wonderful man 
ner, of God and Divine things. His remarks on the Holy 
Trinity were more instructive and sublime than I had heard on 
any other occasion, or from any other person. But his conver 
sation was chiefly personal. I know not how it was, but he 
seemed in some way to have acquired a remarkable knowledge 
of my character. He professed to regard me as a Christian, and 
spoke especially of my love to God, and my numerous charities ; 
and, while he recognised all that was good in me, he felt it his 
duty to speak to me plainly of my faults. He told me that I 
was too fond of my personal attractions ; and enumerated, one 
after another, the various faults and imperfections of my life, 
And then, assuming a higher tone, he gave me to understand 
that God required not merely a heart of which it could only be 
said, it is forgiven, but a heart which could properly, and in 
some real sense, be designated as holy ; that it was not sufficient 
to escape hell, but that he demanded also the subjection of our 
nature, and the utmost purity and height of Christian attainment. 
The circumstance of his wearing the dress of a mendicant, did 
not prevent his speaking like one having authority. There was 
something in him which commanded my silence and profound 
respect. The Spirit of God bore witness to what he said. The 
words of this remarkable man, whom I never saw before, and 
whom I have never seen since, penetrated my very soul. Deeply 
affected and overcome by what he said, I had no sooner reached 
the church than I fainted away." 

Previously, Madame Guyon had learned the great lesson of 
recognising God in His providences ; and, under the influence 
of this indispensable knowledge, she could not doubt who it was 
that was speaking to her in the voice of His servants. Aroused 
by what she had experienced of her own weakness, and startled 
into solemn thought by these repeated warnings, she gave her- 
self to the Lord anew. 

And here we may mark a distinct and very important crisis 
in the history of her spiritual being. Taught by sad experi 
ence, she saw the utter impossibility of combining the love of the 



76 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

world with the love of God. " From this day, this hour, if it 
be possible, I will be wholly the Lord s. The world shall have 
no portion in me." Such was the language of her heart, such 
her solemn determination. She formed her resolution after 
counting the cost, a resolution which was made in God s 
strength, and not in her own ; which, in after life, was often 
smitten by the storm and tried in the fire ; but, from this time 
onward, so far as we know anything of her history, was never 
consumed, was never broken. She gave herself to the Lord, 
not only to be His in the ordinary and mitigated sense of the 
terms, but to be His wholly, and to be His for ever to be His 
in body and in spirit to be His in personal efforts and influence 
to be His in all that she was, and in all that it was possible 
for her to be. There was no reserve. 

Her consecration, made in the spirit of entire self-renounce 
ment, was a consecration to God s will, and not to her own ; to 
be what God would have her to be, and not what her fallen nature 
would have her to be. Two years after this time, she placed her 
signature to a written Act of Covenant or Act of Consecration ; 
but the act itself she made previously, made it now, and made 
it irrevocable. In its substance it was written in the heart, and 
was witnessed by the Holy Ghost. God accepted the offering 
of herself, for He knew it to be sincere, because He himself, who 
is the Author of every good purpose, had inspired it. 

Desire, even religious desire, without a strong basis of sin 
cerity, often stops short of affecting the will ; but, in religion 
especially, desire without will is practically of no value. Madame 
Guyon not only desired to be, but resolved to be holy. Her will 
was in the thing the will, which constitutes in its action the 
unity of the whole mind s action, and which is the true and only 
certain exponent of the inward moral and religious condition. 

And here we find the great difficulty in the position of many 
religious men at the present time. They profess to desire to be 
holy, and perhaps they do desire it. They pray for it as well as 
desire it. But, after all, it is too often the case that they are not 
willing to be holy. They are not ready, by a consecrating act, 



OF MADAME GUYON. 77 

resting on a deliberate and solemn purpose, to place themselves 
in a position, which they have every reason to think will, by 
God s grace, result in holiness. This may be regarded, perhaps, 
as a nice distinction ; but when rightly understood, it seems to 
me to lie deep and unchangeable in the mind. In the cases to 
which we refer, the desire, whatever may be its strength, is not 
strong enough to control the volition. The will, therefore, is 
not brought into the true position. The will, considered in re 
lation to the other powers of the mind, constitutes the mind s 
unity. The will is wanting. The man, therefore, is wanting. 

Many already dead to all claims of personal merit in the 
matter of salvation, and thinking that they may now live on 
their own stock, and in the strength of their own vitality and 
power, do not understand (alas, how few do understand it!) that 
they must not only die to their own MERITS, but must die to their 
own LIFE ; that they must not only die to Christ on the cross 
that they may begin to have the true life, but that they must die 
to Christ on the cross that they may continue to have life. In 
other words, they must not only be so broken and humbled as to 
receive Christ as a Saviour from hell ; but must be willing also, 
renouncing all natural desire and all human strength, and all of 
man s wisdom and man s hope, and all self-will, to receive Him 
as a Saviour, moment by moment, from sin. 

And this they are not willing to do ; and therefore, although 
they have God s promise to help them, they will not purpose and 
resolve to do it. Their wills do not correspond with what must 
be, with what God requires to be, and cannot do otherwise than 
require to be, just so far as He carries on and completes the 
work of sanctification in the soul ; namely, that God s own hand 
must lay the axe of inward crucifixion unsparingly at the root 
of the natural life ; that God in Christ, operating in the person 
of the Holy Ghost, must be the principle of inward inspiration 
moment by moment, the crucifier of every wrong desire and pur 
pose, the Author of every right and holy purpose, the light and 
life of the soul. 

But upon this altar of sacrifice, terrible as it is to the natural 



78 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

mind, Madame Guyon did not hesitate to place herself, believing 
that God would accomplish His own work in His own time and 
way. She invited the hand of the destroyer, that she might live 
again from the ruins of that which should be slain. He who 
does not willingly afflict His children, but pities them as a 
Father, accepted the work thus committed to Him. It is some 
times the case that God subdues and exterminates that inordin 
ate action of the mind, which is conveniently denominated the 
life of nature, by the inward teaching and operation of the Holy 
Ghost, independently, in a considerable degree, of the agency of 
any marked providences. Such cases, however, are rare. Much 
more frequently it is done by the appropriate application of His 
providences, in connexion with the inward influence. 

It was this combined process, to which the subject of this 
Memoir, in the spirit of a heart that seeks its own destruction, 
submitted herself. She had given herself to God without reserve ; 
and He did not long withhold or conceal the evidence of her 
acceptance. The one followed the other without delay and with 
out misgiving. Knowing that her resolutions, and spirit of self- 
sacrifice, independently of His foresight and assistance, would be 
of no avail, He arranged a series of physical and moral adjust 
ments, which resulted in blow after blow, till the pride of 
nature, which sometimes stands like a wall of adamant, was 
thoroughly broken. It was then, and not till then, that her soul 
entered into that state of purity and rest, which she has signifi 
cantly denominated its state of " simplicity ; " a state in which 
the soul has but one motive, that of God s will, and but one 
source of happiness, that of God s glory. 

The first thing He did was to smite her beauty with that 
dreadful scourge, the small-pox. The summer was over; her 
ear no longer listened to the waters of the Loire ; the festivities 
of St. Cloud and Paris had passed away. On the 4th of October 
1670, the blow came upon her like lightning from heaven. 
This dreadful disease was not then shorn of its terrors by that 
merciful Providence which directed the philosophic mind of 
Jenner in the discovery of its wonderful preventive. And she 



OP MADAME GUYON. 79 

was thus smitten when she was a little more than twenty-two 
years of age. When it was discovered that the hand of the 
Lord was thus upon her, her friends exhibited great emotion. 
They came around her bedside, and almost forgetting that her 
life was in danger, deplored in feeling language the mysterious 
and fatal attack, which was thus made upon charms which had 
been so much celebrated. 

" Before I fell under this disease," she says, " I resembled 
those animals destined for slaughter, which on certain days 
they adorn with greens and flowers, and bring in pomp into 
the city, before they kill them. My whole body looked like 
that of a leper. All who saw me said they had never seen 
such a shocking spectacle. But the devastation without was 
counterbalanced by peace within. My soul was kept in a state 
of contentment, greater than can be expressed. Eeminded con 
tinually of one of the causes of my religious trials and falls, I 
indulged the hope of regaining my inward liberty by the loss of 
that outward beauty which had been my grief. This view of 
my condition rendered my soul so well satisfied, that it would 
not have exchanged its condition for that of the most happy 
prince in the world. 

" Every one thought I should be inconsolable. Several of my 
friends came around me, and gave utterance to their regret and 
sympathy in view of my sad condition. As I lay in my bed, 
suffering the total deprivation of that which had been a snare to 
my pride, I experienced a joy unspeakable. I praised God in 
profound silence. None ever heard any complaints from me, 
either of my pains or of the loss which I sustained. Thank- 
rally I received everything, as from God s hand ; and I did not 
hesitate to say to those who expressed their regret and sympathy, 
that I rejoiced at that in which they found so much cause of 
lamentation. 

" When I had so far recovered as to be able to sit up in my 
bed, I ordered a mirror to be brought, and indulged my curiosity 
so far as to view myself in it. I was no longer what I was once. 
It was then that I saw that my heavenly Father had not been 



80 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

unfaithful in His work, but had ordered the sacrifice in all its 
reality. Some persons sent me a sort of pomatum, which they said 
would have the effect of filling up the hollows of the small-pox, 
and restoring my complexion. I had myself seen wonderful effects 
from it upon others ; and the first impulse of my mind was to 
test its merits in my own case. But God, jealous of His work, 
would not suffer it. The inward voice spoke. There was 
something in my heart which said, t If I would have had thee 
fair, I would have left thee as thou wert. 1 

" Fearful of offending God by setting myself against the de 
signs of His providence, I was obliged to lay aside the remedies 
which were brought me. I was under the necessity of going 
into the open air, which made the hollows of my face worse. 
As soon as I was able, I did not hesitate to go into the streets 
and places where I had been accustomed to go previously, in 
order that my humiliation might triumph in the very places 
where my unholy pride had been exalted. 

u During these afflictions, the trials in connexion with my 
husband s family continued. At the commencement of my sick 
ness, I was so much neglected by my mother-in-law that I was 
on the point of dying for want of succour. Such was the state 
of my husband s health at this time, that I was necessarily left, 
in a great degree, to her care. She would not allow any physi 
cian but her own to prescribe for me ; and yet she did not send 
for him for some time, although he was within a day s journey 
of us. He came at last, when I had providentially received 
some assistance from another source, and when he could be of 
but little service to me. In this extremity I opened not my 
mouth to request any human succour. I looked for life or death 
from the hand of God, without testifying the least uneasiness at 
so strange a course of conduct. The peace I enjoyed within, on 
account of that perfect resignation in which God kept me by 
His grace, was so great, that it made me forget myself in the 
midst of such violent maladies and pressing dangers. 

" And if it was thus in my sickness, it could not well be ex 
pected that my mother-in-law would exhibit any more favourable 



OF MADAME GUYON. 81 

dispositions after my recovery. She did not cease at all in her 
unkind efforts to alienate my husband s affections from me. And 
now, as God had smitten and taken away whatever there was of 
beauty in my countenance, he seemed to be more susceptible 
tnan ever of any unfavourable impressions. In consequence, the 
persons who spoke to him to my disadvantage, finding them 
selves more listened to than formerly, repeated their attacks upon 
me more frequently and more boldly. Others changed, but God 
did not change. Thou only, my God ! didst remain the same. 
Thou didst smite me without, but didst not cease to bless me 
within. In augmenting my exterior crosses, thou didst not 
cease to increase my inward graces and happiness." 

But the work of God was not yet accomplished. If He had 
smitten and demolished one dear idol, there were others which 
remained. God had given her two sons. The eldest was in the 
sixth year, the youngest in the fourth year of his age. She loved 
them both ; but one was especially the son of her affections. 
The eldest she loved with some alternations of feeling, and in 
deep sorrow. The same causes which operated to disturb and 
alienate her husband s affections, had their influence here. The 
second son was not thus injured. In the favourable opening of his 
young affections and intellect, he filled the measure of a mother s 
fondness and hopes. Her heart was fixed upon him. But God, 
who knew on which side danger lay, took her Jacob, and left 
her Esau. 

He was seized with the same terrible disease. " This blow," 
she says, " struck me to the heart. I was overwhelmed ; but 
God gave me strength in my weakness. I loved my young boy 
tenderly ; but though I was greatly afflicted at his death, I saw 
the hand of the Lord so clearly that I shed no tears. I offered 
him up to God ; and said in the language of Job, The Lord 
gave, and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be his name. " 

During these successive trials, she recognised the hand that 
smote her, and blessed it. Her prayer was that God, in the 
work of destruction, would take from her entirely the power of 
displeasing Him. " Art thou not strong enough," she exclaimed, 



82 



LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 



" to take from me this unholy duplicity of mind, and to make 
me one with thyself?" She says that it was a consolation to 
her to experience the rigours of God. She loved God s justice, 
She rejoiced in His holy administration, however it might touch 
and wither all her worldly prospects. She felt that He was 
right as well as merciful, just as well as good ; and that both 
justice and mercy are to be praised. 

About this time we find the first mention of her attempts at 
poetry. Poetry is the natural expression of strong feeling. She 
felt, and she wrote. Voltaire, in discrediting her religious pre 
tensions, speaks lightly also of her effusions in verse. It would 
require a more intimate knowledge of French poetical diction 
than I profess to have, to give an opinion of her poetry, so far 
as the expression is concerned. But I do not hesitate to say, 
with great confidence, that this portion of her writings, with 
some variations, undoubtedly exhibits in a high degree the 
spirit of poetry. There is in it the highest kind of thought, the 
deepest feeling. The following poem, translated by Mr. Cowper, 
whom some critics, I think, would not place below Voltaire, 
either as a writer or judge of poetry, may be regarded as ex 
pressive, in some particulars, of her religious experience at this 
time : 

DIVINE JUSTICE AMIABLE. 



Thou haat no lightnings, O thou Just! 

Or I their force should know ; 
And, if thou strike, me, into dutt, 

My soul approves the blow. 

The heart that values less its ease, 

Than it adores thy ways, 
In thine avenging anger sees 

A subject of its praise. 

Pleased I could lie, conceal d and lost, 
In shades of central night ; 

Not to avoid thy wrath, thou know*st, 
But leat I grieve thy sight. 

Smite me, thou whom I provoke ! 

And I will lore thee still. 
The well-deserved and righteous stroke 

Shall please me, though it kill. 



Am I not worthy to custain 
The worst thou canst devise ? 

And dare I seek thy throne again, 
And meet thy sacred eyes ? 

Far from afflicting, thou art kind, 

And in my saddest hours, 
An unction of thy grace I find 

Pervading all my powers. 

Alas ! thou spar st me yet again, 
And when thy wrath should move, 

Too gentle to endure my pain, 
Thou sooth st me with thy love. 

I have no punishment to fear; 

But, ah ! that smile from the* 
Imparts a pang far more severe 

Than woe itself would be. 



OF MADAME OUTON. 83 



CHAPTEK XL 

Faithfulness in trial Spiritual consolations General remarks on her experience during 
1671 Domestic and other duties Trials in relation to seasons of prayer The faults of 
which she considered herself guilty at this period Remarks on a regard for God s provi 
dences First acquaintance, July 1671 , with Francis La Combe Some account of him 
Impression made on him by her conversations Growth in grace The account of her 
will subdued, but not wholly renovated. 

IN all the trials which she was thus called to endure, it may 
be said of her, as it was of Job, that she " sinned not, nor 
charged God foolishly" The sincerity of her consecration to 
God had been tried ; and, through the grace of God, it had not 
been found wanting. 

It is possible, that the suggestion may arise in the minds of 
some, that God compensated her outward trials by giving an 
increase of inward consolation. And such was the case, un 
doubtedlyfor He never fails " to temper the wind to the shorn 
lamb" The hand which afflicted did not allow her to sink 
under the blow. 

" I had a great desire," she says, " for the most intimate 
communion with God. For this object, my heart went forth in 
continual prayer. He answered my supplication richly and 
deeply. The sensible emotion and joy which I experienced, 
were sometimes overwhelming. My heart was filled with love 
as well as with joy ; with that love which seeks another s will, 
and which is ready to relinquish and sacrifice its own. 

" But this state of mind did not always continue. At other 
times my inind seemed to be dry, arid, 4 unemotional; and not 
fully understanding the nature of His dealings with men, it 
seemed to me at such times that God, being offended for some 
thing, had left me. The pain of His absence (for such I sup 
posed it to be) was very great. Thinking it to be for some fault 
of mine that He had thus left me, I mourned deeply, I was 
inconsolable. I did not then understand, that in the progress 
of the inward death, I must be crucified not only to the outward 



84 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

joys of sense, and to the pleasures of worldly vanity, but also, 
which is a more terrible and trying crucifixion, that I must die 
to the joys of God, in order that I might fully live to the will of 
God. If I had known that this was one of the states through 
which I must pass, in order to experience the full power of sanc 
tifying grace, I should not have been troubled." 

During the year 1671, the hand of the Lord, considered in com 
parison with its former dealings, seems to have been stayed. God 
had found her faithful ; and her soul, without having entered 
into the state of permanent rest and union, experienced, amid all 
her trials, a high degree of inward consolation and peace. She 
was patient and faithful in the discharge of domestic duties, 
regular and watchful in her seasons of private devotion, and 
prompt in performing the duties of kindness and benevolence to 
others. We do not mean to say that she was without trials ; 
but, whatever they were, she was greatly supported under them. 
And both by the griefs she suffered, and the duties she dischaiged, 
and the supports and consolations which were afforded her the 
process of inward crucifixion was continually going on. 

There were some things, however, even in her course at this 
time, which she was afterwards led to regard as faults. She 
was more attached to the retirement, the exercises, and the 
pleasures of devotion, than she was to the efforts, mingled as 
they oftentimes were with temptations and trials, of present and 
practical duty. As God had not fully taken up His abode in 
her heart, which is the only appropriate and adequate correc 
tive of dangers from this source, she found Him, in particular 
seasons and places. And the consequence was, that she not 
only loved such seasons and places, and sought them very much, 
but sometimes loved them, and sought them in such a way and 
to such a degree, as to interfere with the wants and happiness of 
others. It is thus that self-will, the last inward enemy which is 
subdued, may find a place even in our most sacred things, but 
never without injury. 

The principle which she adopted, at a subsequent and more 
enlightened period of her Christian experience, was, that the 



OP MADAME GUYON. 85 

true place of God, when we speak of God s place anywhere out 
of the heart, is in His providences. It is true, indeed, that 
God s kingdom is in the heart. " The kingdom of God," says 
the Saviour, " is within you." But it is true, also, that He 
holds His kingdom there, and reigns there, in connexion with 
His providences. 

And it may properly be added, that the providences of God 
include both time and place, in the widest sense. So far from 
excluding times and places, set apart for devotion or other pur 
poses, they recognise and establish them ; but they hold them 
also in strict subordination. These Divine providences are in 
themselves, and emphatically so, the time of times and the place 
of places. 

Undoubtedly, in an important sense of the terms, the religious 
man s place is his closet. " Enter into thy closet," says the 
Saviour, " and pray to thy Father, who seeth in secret." The 
closet is an indispensable place to him. But whenever he goes 
there in violation of God s providences, it ceases to be a place of 
God s appointment, and he goes there without God. It is God 
himself who consecrates the place, and makes it a profitable one. 
And accordingly, the times and places which are erected within 
the sphere of God s providences, and in harmony with them, are 
right and well ; and all other times and places are wrong. 

" All my crosses," she says, " would have seemed little, if I 
might have had liberty, in those seasons when I desired it, to be 
alone and to pray. But my mother-in-law and husband re 
stricted me much. The subjection under which I was thus 
brought, was exceedingly painful to me. Accordingly, when it 
was understood that I had retired for prayer, my husband would 
look on his watch, to see if I stayed above half an hour. If I 
exceeded that time, he grew very uneasy, and complained. 

" Sometimes I used a little artifice to effect my purposes. I 
went to him, and asked him, saying nothing of any devotional 
exercises, if he would grant me an hour, only one hour, to divert 
myself in some way, or in any way, that might be pleasing to 
my own mind. If I had specified some known worldly amuse- 



86 LIFE A.ND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

ment, I should probably have obtained my request. But as he 
could hardly fail to see that I wanted the time for prayer, I did 
not succeed. 

" I must confess that my imperfect religious knowledge and 
experience caused me much trouble. I often exceeded my half- 
hour ; my husband was angry, and I was sad. But it was I 
myself, in part at least, who thus gave occasion for what I was 
made to suffer. Was it not God, as well as my husband, who 
placed this restriction upon me? I understood it afterwards, 
but did not understand it then. I ought to have looked upon 
my captivity as a part of God s providences and as an effect of 
His will. If I had separated these things from the subordinate 
agent, and looked upon them in the true divine light, I might 
have been contented and happy. When months and years had 
passed away, God erected His temple fully in my heart. I 
learned to pray in that divine retreat ; and from that time I 
went no more out." 

She thought, therefore, that at this period she might have 
failed, in some degree, in her duty to her husband and family, 
in consequence of not fully understanding the will of God in 
His providences. And this view of things perhaps gives signi- 
ficancy to a remark of her husband, that " she loved God so 
much that she had no love left for him." We will give one or 
two other facts, which involve the same principle. She had a 
beautiful garden, and in the time of fruits and flowers, she often 
walked there. But such was the intensity of her contemplations 
on God, that her eye seemed to be closed, and she knew nothing, 
comparatively speaking, of the outward beauty which surrounded 
her. And when she went into the house, and her husband asked 
her how the fruits were, and the flowers, she knew but little 
about it. And this gave him considerable offence. 

Again, it oftentimes happened that things were related in the 
family, which were entitled to consideration. Others conversed 
and listened and remembered ; but so entirely absorbed was 
her mind that she was scarcely able to do either. And when 
these topics subsequently came up, it was found that she knew 



OF MADAME GUYON. 87 

nothing of them. This seemed to indicate a want of respect 
for the feelings of others, if not an obvious disregard of duty. 

The highest form of Christian experience is always in har 
mony with present duty. It admits no kind of feeling, and no 
degree of feeling, which is inconsistent with the requirements 
of our present situation. The highest love to God does not re 
quire us to violate our duty to our neighbour, or even to our 
enemy. It does not require us to violate our duty. When 
our religious experience stops in " emotionality," it is apt to do 
this ; when it but partially controls the desires, it is not always 
a safe guide ; but when it breaks down all self-will, and truly 
establishes the throne of God in the centre of the soul, it does 
all things right and well ; first, by estimating all things in 
themselves and their relations, just as they ought to be esti 
mated, and then by corresponding to this just estimate by an 
equally just conduct. To this state she had not as yet fully 
attained. 

During this period of her personal history we first find men 
tion made of Francis de la Combe. This somewhat distin 
guished individual is closely connected with her history. He 
was born at Thonon, a flourishing town of Savoy, on the borders 
of the Lake of Geneva. 

In early life he was the subject of religious impressions, and 
attached himself to the Barnabites, one of the Orders in the 
Roman Catholic Church. He was possessed of a high degree 
of natural talent, improved by a finished education. He was 
tall and commanding in his personal appearance, and natur 
ally eloquent. He seems to have given his whole heart to 
God s work. He was frequently employed in religious missions, 
by those on whom the responsibility of such movements rested 
in the French Church, particularly in the year 1679, and about 
that time, when he was sent to the province of Chablais, in 
Savoy, in which his native town, Thonon, was situated, he 
also laboured as a missionary at Annecy, another town of 
Savoy, not far from Chambery. 

He published a small treatise, entitled A Short Letter of In 



88 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

ttruction, in which he endeavours to point out the principles of 
growth and of the highest possible attainment in the Christian 
life. His principal published work was his Analysis of Mental 
Prayer Orationis Mentalis Analysis. 

Some portions of his religious correspondence have been pre 
served. His letters to Madame Guyon are to be found, some of 
them, in the collections of her writings, and others in the large 
collection of the works of Bossuet. 

In June or July of 1671, a letter was brought to Madame 
Guyon from her half-brother, Father La Mothe, by La Combe, 
who was then young, but came highly recommended from La 
Mothe, who wished his sister to see him, and to regard and treat 
him as one of his most intimate friends. Madame Guyon says, 
that she was unwilling at this time to form new acquaintances ; 
but desirous of corresponding to the request of her brother, she 
admitted him. The conversation turned chiefly upon religious 
subjects. With the clear insight of character which she pos 
sessed, she could not fail to become deeply interested in La 
Combe, as one on whom many religious interests might depend. 
But still she could not at that time fully decide whether she 
should regard him as truly a possessor of religion, or as merely 
a seeker after it. " I thought," she says, "that he either loved 
God, or was disposed to love Him a state of things which 
could not fail to interest me, as it was the great desire of my 
heart that everybody should experience this Divine love." As 
God had already made use of her as an instrument in the con 
version of three persons, members of the order to which he 
belonged, she indulged the hope that she might be made a 
benefit to him. And she now felt a desire to continue the 
acquaintance. 

La Combe left her, but he was not satisfied. Providence had 
brought him in contact with a mind to which either grace or 
nature, or both in combination, had given power over other 
minds. He desired, therefore, to see more and to hear more. 
And, accordingly, he repeated the visit after a short time. 
Madame Guyon remarks that La Combe, who seems to have 



OP MADAME GUYON. 89 

been a man not only of intelligence but of vivacity and gene 
rosity of feeling, was very acceptable to her husband. On this 
second visit, he conversed with her husband freely. During the 
interview, he was taken somewhat unwell ; and with the view 
of recovering himself in the open air, he went out and walked 
in the garden. Soon after, Madame Guyon, at the particular 
request of her husband, went out for the purpose of seeing him, 
and of rendering any assistance which might be needed. She 
availed herself of the opportunity which was thus afforded, to 
explain to him what she denominates the interior or inward way, 
" la voie de Vinterieur ; " a way which is inward because it rests 
upon God, in distinction from the outward, that rests upon man. 
He was prepared to receive her remarks, because he inwardly 
felt the need of that form of experience involved in tliem, and 
because he perceived from her countenance, her conversation, 
and her life, that she possessed that of which he felt himself to 
be destitute. 

La Combe always admitted afterwards, that this conversation 
formed a crisis in his life. Her words, attended by Divine 
power, sank deep into his soul. Then and there he formed the 
purpose, with Divine assistance, to be wholly the Lord s. " God 
was pleased," says Madame Guyon, " to make use of such an 
unworthy instrument as myself, in the communication of His 
grace. He has since owned to me, that he went away at that 
time changed into quite another man. I ever afterwards felt an 
interest in him ; for I could not doubt that he would be a ser 
vant of the Lord. But I was far from foreseeing, that I should 
ever go to the place of his residence." 

It is evident that she was growing in grace. The world had 
lost, in an increased degree, its power. Her inward nature had 
become more conformed to the requisitions of the gospel law. 
We have evidence of this in various ways. Among other things, 
speaking of Paris, she remarks, in connexion with a visit which 
she was obliged to make there, "Paris was a place now no 
longer to be dreaded, as in times past. It is true, there were 
the same outward attractions, the same thronging multitudes ; 



90 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

but the crowds of people served only to draw me into deeper re 
ligious recollection. The noise of the streets only augmented 
my inward prayer." 

She adds, " Under the pressure of the daily troubles and afflic 
tions which befell me, I was enabled, by Divine grace, to keep 
my will, my God ! subservient to thine. I could say practi 
cally, Not my will, but thine be done. When two well-tuned 
lutes are in perfect concert, that which is not touched renders 
the same sound as that which is touched. There is the same 
spirit in both, the same sound one pure harmony. It was thus 
that my will seemed to be in harmony with God s will. 

" This was the result of grace. Grace conquered nature ; but 
it was nature in its operations, rather than in its essence. My 
will was subdued in its operations in particular cases, so that I 
could praise the Lord for entire acquiescence ; but there still 
remained in it a secret tendency, when a favourable opportunity 
should present, to break out of that harmony, and to put itsell 
in revolt. I have since found, in the strange conditions I have 
been obliged to pass through, how much I had to suffer before 
the will became fully broken down, annihilated, as it were, not 
only in its seln sh operations, but in its selfish tendencies, and 
changed in its very nature. How many persons there are who 
think their wills are quite lost when they are far from it. In 
hard temptations and trials, they would find that a will submis 
sive is not a will lost ; a will not rebellious, is not a will annihi 
lated. Who is there who does not wish something for himself 
wealth, honour, pleasure, conveniency, liberty, something ? And 
ne who thinks his mind loose from all these objects, because he 
possesses them, would soon perceive his attachment to them, if 
ne were once called upon to undergo the process of being wholly 
deprived of them. On particular occasions, therefore, although 
the will might be kept right in its operations, so as to be in 
harmony with the Divine will, he would still feel the sharp 
struggle coming out of the will s life ; and his consciousness 
would testify, that he is rendered victorious, moment by 
moment, only by Divine grace." 



OF MADAME GUYON. 



CHAPTEK XII. 

Incidents of 1672 Presentiment of her father s death A message with the news of hie las; 
nicknesB His death Remarks Affectionate eulogiuin on her daughter Her, sickness 
and death The renewed and entire consecration of herself in 1 670 This ac<f reduced 
to writing, and signed for the first time, July 22, 1672 Instrumentality of Genevieve 
Granger Form of this consecrating act Remarks Dangers connected with a journey 
Reflections. 

THUS passed the year 1671. I am particular in the periods 
of time, for, by connecting the dealings of God and the progress 
of the inward life with specific times aud situations, we can 
hardly fail to have a clearer idea of the incidents which are 
narrated. Another year found her renewedly consecrated to 
God, and growing wiser and holier through the discipline of 
bitter experience. Her trials had been somewhat less in this 
year than in the preceding, but still not wholly suspended ; and 
as God designed that she should be wholly His, there were other 
trials in prospect designed to aid in this result. 

Some remarkable impressions or presentiments may be ex 
plained on natural principles, but there are others of which it 
might not be easy to give a satisfactory account in that manner. 
I have been led to this remark from an incident in her history, 
on a morning of July, in 1672. " At four o clock in the morn- 
iug," she says, " I awoke suddenly with a strong impression or 
presentiment that my father was dead ; and though at that time 
my soul had been in very great contentment, yet such was my 
love for him, that the impression I had of his death affected my 
heart with sorrow, and my body with weakness." 

I do not mention this incident, because I think it very im 
portant. It was not a mere transitory impression, but a pre 
sentiment so sudden, so deeply imprinted, so controlling, as to 
take entire possession of the mind. She was so deeply affected, 
that she says she could hardly speak. 

She had been residing some days at a monastery, the Prioress 
of which was a personal friend, some leagues from her usual 



92 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

residence. She had gone there for religious purposes, and left 
her father residing at her house. On the afternoon of the same 
day in which she experienced the strong presentiment, a man 
arrived at the monastery in great haste. He brought a letter 
from her husband, in which he informed her of her father s 
dangerous illness. She immediately set out to visit him, but on 
arriving she found him dead. 

To her father she was tenderly attached. " His virtues," she 
says, " were so generally known that it is unnecessary to speak 
of them. I pass them in silence, or only with the simple re 
mark, that as he passed through the scenes and trials of his 
closing days, he exhibited great reliance on God. His patience 
and faith were wonderful." Thus another tie to the earth was 
sundered ; and the freedom of the soul, which is liable to be 
contracted and shackled even by the domestic affections, when 
they are but partially sanctified, grew wider and stronger from 
the bonds that were broken. 

Another affliction was near at hand. He who gives himself 
to God, to experience under His hand the transformations of 
sanctifying grace, must be willing to give up all objects, how 
ever dear they may be, which he does not hold in strict subor 
dination to the claims of Divine love, and which he does not 
love IN and FOR God alone. The sanctification of the heart, in 
the strict and full sense of the term, is inconsistent with a 
divided and wandering affection. A misplaced love, whether 
it be wrong in its degree or its object, is as really, though ap 
parently not as odiously, sinful, as a misplaced hatred. 

She had a daughter, an only daughter young, it is true, only 
three years of age, or but a little more than three years of age 
and yet, in her own language, " as dearly beloved as she was 
truly lovely" " This little daughter," says the mother, " had 
great beauty of person ; and the graces of the body were equalled 
by those of the mind ; so that a person must have been insen 
sible both to beauty and to merit not to have loved her. Young 
as she was, she had a perception of religious things, and seems 
to have loved God in an extraordinary manner. Often I found 



OF MADAME GUYON. 93 

her in some retired place, in some corner, praying. It was her 
habit, whenever she saw me at prayer, to come and join with me ; 
and if at any time she discovered that I had been praying with 
out her, feeling that something was wrong, or that something was 
lost, she would weep bitterly, and exclaim in her sorrow, " Ah, 
mother, you pray, but I do not pray. When we were alone, if 
she saw my eyes closed, as would naturally be the case in my 
seasons of inward recollection, she would whisper, * Are you 
asleep? and then would cry out, Ah, no! You are praying 
to our dear Jesus ; arid dropping on her knees before me, she 
would begin to pray too. 

" So strongly did she express her desire and determination to 
give herself to the Lord, and to be one with Him in spirit, that 
it gave occasion for reproof on the part of her grandmother. 
But still she could not be prevailed upon to alter her expres 
sions. She was very dutiful many were her endearments 
and she was innocent and modest as a little angel. Her father 
doted on her. To her mother she was endeared much more by 
the qualities of her heart than by those of her beautiful person. 
I looked upon her as my great, and almost my only consolation 
on earth ; for she had as much affection for me as her surviving 
brother, who had been subjected to the most unhappy influences, 
had aversion and contempt. She died of an unseasonable bleed 
ing. But what shall I say she died by the hands of Him who 
was pleased to strip me of all." Her daughter died in July 
1672. 

In the latter part of the year 1670, more than a year and a 
half previous to the period of which we are now speaking, she 
had anew given herself to God, in great sincerity, and, as it 
seemed to her, without any reserve. In all the trials to which 
He had seen fit to subject her, no whisper of complaint, no word 
or murmur, had ever escaped her lips. But she had not as yet 
committed her religious purposes to the formality of a written 
record. At least we have no mention of any such thing. It 
was a mental purpose, a simple transaction between her soul 
and God, of which God alone was the witness. It was possible, 



94 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

however, that she might forget that she might be faithless 
There were yet many and heavy trials before her. 

Her pious and deeply experienced friend, Genevieve Granger, 
did not cease to sympathize in the various trials which Madame 
Guy on had been called to pass through, to pray for her, and 
advise her. Among other things, she wished to add new solem 
nity and interest to her consecration, a consecration made on 
principles of an entire and permanent surrender of herself to God. 
She selected, as a day especially appropriate to her purpose, the 
22d of July 

It was on that day and month, four years before, after years 
if inquiry and struggle, that she had first believed on the Lord 
Jesus Christ in such a manner as to bring into her soul the 
sense of forgiveness, and to fill it with inward peace. It was, 
therefore, a day to be remembered with gratitude ; as we find 
that it was remembered through her whole life. Genevieve 
Granger, in the course of that friendly correspondence which had 
existed between them for some years, sent word to her, that she 
wished her to notice the approaching anniversary of that day in 
a special manner, by acts of worship and by alms. She wished 
her also to examine, and if she approved of it, to sign what 
might perhaps be called a marriage-covenant with the Saviour, 
which she had herself drawn up, in very concise terms, for 
Madame Guyon s use. Perhaps she had in mind that interest 
ing passage of the Scriptures, " The marriage of the Lamb is 
come, and his wife hath made herself ready ; and to her was 
granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and 
white ; for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. (Rev. 
xix. 7, 8.) These suggestions, coming from a source which she 
had been accustomed greatly to respect, could not fail to be at 
tended to. And especially so, as they corresponded entirely 
with her own views and feelings. The act or covenant of Con 
secration, drawn up in accordance with those expressions of 
Scripture which speak of the Church as the bride or spouse of 
God, with her signature appended, was as follows : 



OF MADAME GUYON. 95 

I henceforth take Jesus Christ to be mine. I promise to 
receive Him as a husband to me. And I give myself to Him, 
unworthy though I am, to be His spouse. I ask of Him, in this 
marriage of spirit with spirit, that I may be of the same mind 
with Him, meek, pure, nothing in myself, and united in God s 
will. And, pledged as I am to be His, I accept, as a part of 
my marriage portion, the temptations and sorrows, the crosses 
and the contempt which fell to Him. 

Jeanne M. B. de la Mothe Guyon. 

Sealed with her ring. 

This transaction, simple in appearance but carried through 
with sincere and earnest solemnity of spirit, was much blessed to 
her. She felt that there was a sanctity in the relation thus 
voluntarily established, which it would have been the highest 
impiety, as it would have caused the deepest sorrow, ever know 
ingly to violate. She had an inward and deeper sense of conse 
cration, both of body and spirit, such as she had not experienced 
at any time before. God himself has condescended to say, 
speaking of those who constitute His true people, " I am MARRIED 
to them." (Jer. iii. 14.) 

In examining the record of her life, I find an incident men 
tioned without date ; but from the connexion in which it appears, 
I refer it to this period. " My husband and I," she says, " took 
a little journey together, in which both my resignation and 
humility were exercised ; yet without difficulty or constraint, so 
powerful was the influence of divine grace. We all of us came 
near perishing in a river. The carriage, in passing through the 
water, sank in the moving sand at the bottom, which rendered 
our position very dangerous. Others threw themselves out of 
the carriage in excessive fright. But I found my thoughts so 
much taken up with God, that I nad no distinct sense of the 
danger to which we were really exposed. God, to whom my 
mind was inwardly drawn, delivered me from the perils to which 
we were exposed, with scarcely a thought on my part of avoid 
ing them. It is true, that the thought of being drowned passed 



96 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

across my mind, but it caused no other sensation or reflection, 
than that I felt quite contented and willing that it should be so, 
if it were my heavenly Father s choice. 

" It may be said, and perhaps with some reason, that I was 
rash in not exhibiting more anxiety, and in not making greater 
effort to escape. But I am obliged to add, in justification of 
myself, that it is better to perish, trusting calmly in God s pro 
vidence, than to make our escape from danger, trusting in our 
selves. But wJiat do I say? When we trust in God, it is 
impossible to perish. At least it is so in the spiritual sense. 
Trust itself is salvation. It is my pleasure, my happiness, to be 
indebted to God for everything. In this state of mind, I can 
not fail to be content in the trials which He sees fit to send upon 
me. In the spirit of acquiescence in God s will, I would rather 
endure them all my life long, than put an end to them in a 
dependence on myself." 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Birth of a son Her religious state Death of Genevieve Granger Their intimacy R 
marks on this affliction and on worldly attachments and supports Her second visit to 
Orleans Interview with a Jesuit Remarks Undue spiritual eartnestness or spiritual 
impetuosity Writes to a person of distinction and merit for advice Withdraws her re 
quest Result and remarks Distinction between the wholly and the partially sanctified 
mind Lawsuit Conduct in connexion with it Remarks. 

ONE of the incidents of the year 1673, to which these series 
of events now bring us, was the birth of her fourth child, a son, 
whom Providence had given her in the place of the too much 
idolized boy, whom she had lost two years before. This son, 
who seems to have proved himself worthy of her affections, grew 
up to manhood. But the grace of God enabled her to love him 
with that pure and chastened affection which holds everything 
in subordination to the Divine will. 

At the time of the birth, and during the early period of the 
life of this child, she speaks of herself as being the subject of 



OP MADAME GUYON. 97 

great inward support and consolation. Her feelings may per 
haps be expressed in the language of the Psalmist language 
which, in various ages of the world, has found a response in 
many pious bosoms, " Blessed be the Lord, because He hath 
heard the voice of my supplications. The Lord is my strength 
and my shield. My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped ; 
therefore my heart greatly rejoices ; and with my song will 1 
praise Him." (Ps. xxviii. 6, 7.) 

But this season of consolation was succeeded by a trial unex 
pected and severe, in the sickness and death of her friend and 
confidant, Genevieve Granger. To her she had often gone for 
advice and support, when her way seemed dark and her heart 
was sorrowful. Many were the hours which she had passed 
with her in religious conversation ; and perhaps she looked to 
her more than was entirely consistent with a simple and un 
wavering dependence on God alone. 

It increased her affliction, that she was not present in her last 
sickness and at her death. She was at the time at a place called 
St. Reine. Near the close of the life of the Prioress, some one 
spoke to her in relation to Madame Guyon, to awaken her from 
a lethargy into which she had fallen. Her mind rallied at a 
name so dear, and she made the single remark, " I have always 
loved her in God and for God." These were her last words. 
She died soon after. 

" When I received this news," says Madame Guyon, " I must 
confess, that it was one of the most afflicting strokes which I 
had ever experienced. I could not help the thought that, if I 
had been with her at the time of her death, I might have spoken 
to her, and might have received her last instructions. She had 
been a great help to me. In some of my afflictions, it is true, I 
could not see her. Efforts were made to prevent it. This was 
especially the case for a few months before her death. But still, 
such was our sympathy of spirit, that the remembrance the 
thought of what she might have said or done was a support to 
me. The Lord was merciful, even in this renewed and heavy 
affliction. He had taught me inwardly, before her death, that 

a 



98 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

my attachment to her, and my dependence on her, were so great, 
that it would be profitable for me to be deprived of her." But 
the necessity of this event did not prevent its being keenly pain 
ful to nature. 

" Oh, adorable conduct of my God !" she exclaims. " There 
must be no guide, no prop for the person whom thou art leading 
into the regions of darkness and death. There must be no con 
ductor, no support to the man whom thou art determined to de 
stroy by the entire destruction of the natural life." Everything 
upon which the soul rests, out of God, must be smitten, whether 
reputation, or property, or health, or symmetry of person, or 
friends, or father, or mother, or wife, or husband, or children. 

He who loses his life, shall find it. Well does she add, " We 
are found by being lost ; we are saved by being destroyed ; we 
are built up by being first demolished. Man erects his inward 
temple with much industry and care ; and he is obliged to do 
it with such materials as he has. All this structure and super 
structure is a new-modelling and building up of the old Adam. 
But all this is removed and destroyed when God comes into the 
soul, and builds a new and Divine temple not made with hands, 
and of materials which endure for ever. Oh, secrets of the in 
comprehensible wisdom of God, unknown to any besides Himself 
and to those whom He has especially taught yet man, who has 
just begun his existence, wants to penetrate and set bounds to 
it ! Who is it that hath known the mind of the Lord, or who 
hath been His counsellor ? It is a wisdom only to be known 
through death to self, which is the same thing as death to every 
thing that sets itself up in opposition to the true light." 

In the latter part of the year 1673, she visited Orleans a 
second time, at the marriage of her brother. While there, she 
became acquainted with a Jesuit, who exhibited some interest in 
her religious experience. She corresponded to this desire with 
much vivacity and very fully. But she began to see that it is 
not only necessary to do the right thing, but to do it in the 
right spirit. 

" I was too forward," she says, " and free in speaking to him 



OP MADAME GUYON. 99 

of spiritual things, thinking I was doing well ; but I experienced 
an inward condemnation for it afterwards. The conversation, 
in itself considered, might not have been objectionable ; but the 
manner of it, or rather the inward spirit of it, was to some degree 
wrong. And I was so sensible that the spirit of nature, in dis 
tinction from the spirit of grace, dictated in part what I said, 
and was so afflicted at it, that I was kept, with Divine aid, from 
falling into the like fault again. How often do we mistake 
nature for grace ! Sanctification does not necessarily imply a 
want of earnestness. Far from it. A holy soul, feeling the 
importance of holiness as no other one can, cannot be otherwise 
than earnest. But that holy earnestness which comes wholly 
from God, is entirely inconsistent with the presence and opera 
tion of all those influences, whatever they may be, which are 
separate from God." 

There is much truth in these views, for there is undoubtedly 
such a thing as spiritual forwardness, eminently religious in ap 
pearance, but sometimes much less truly and purely religious 
than it seems. This state of mind is not, generally speaking, 
destitute of the religious element ; but it is constituted of the 
religious element, impelled and influenced, in a greater or less 
degree, by the natural element. 

Another incident indicates her progress in inward sanctifica- 
tion. " One day," she says, " laden with sorrow, and not know 
ing what to do, I wished to have some conversation with an 
individual of distinction and merit, who often came into our 
vicinity, and was regarded as a person deeply religious. I wrote 
him a letter, requesting the favour of a personal interview, for 
the purpose of receiving from him some instruction and advice. 
But reflecting on the subject, it seemed to me that I had done 
wrong. The Spirit of God seemed to utter itself in my heart, 
and to say, What I dost thou seek for ease ? Art thou unwill 
ing to bear the Lord s hand, which is thus imposed upon you ? 
Is it necessary to be so hasty in throwing off the yoke, grievous 
though it be? 

" In this state of mind, I wrote another letter, and withdrew 



100 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

my request, stating to him that my first letter had been written, 
I had reason to fear, without a suitable regard to God s provi 
dence and will, and partly, at least, from the fearful or selfish 
suggestions of the life of nature ; and as he knew what it was 
to be faithful to God, I hoped he would not disapprove of my 
acting with this Christian simplicity. I supposed, from the high 
reputation which he enjoyed as a Christian, that he would have 
appreciated my motives, and have received this second communi 
cation in the Christian spirit in which I hoped it was written. 

" On the contrary, he resented it highly. And I think we 
may well inquire, what explanation shall we give of this sort of 
Christianity ? That this person was religious, in the imperfect 
or mitigated sense of the term, I doubt not. He seems to have 
been regarded as eminently religious ; but it is still true, that his 
religion, whatever may have been the degree of it, was mixed 
up, pervaded and animated, more or less, on different occasions, 
with the life and activities of nature. Certain it is, that the life 
of nature, or that life which has self and not God for its basis, 
was not wholly slain within him. He could not say, under all 
circumstances, It is well. Thy will be done ! 

In connexion with this individual, referring to the important 
results which characterize the experience of what she appropri 
ately terms inward death, she says, that the soul, which comes 
out of it in the brightness of the new spiritual resurrection, " is 
purified from its selfishness, like gold in the furnace, and finds 
itself clothed in those dispositions and Divine states which shone 
in the life of Jesus Christ. Formerly, although it had submitted 
itself to God in the matter of its salvation through Christ, it 
was still proud of its own wisdom, and inordinately attached to 
its own will ; but now, in the crucifixion of nature and in the 
life of sanctification, it seeks all its wisdom from God, renders 
obedience with the simplicity of a little child, and recognises no 
will but God s will. Formerly, selfishly jealous of what it con 
sidered its rights, it was ready to take fire on many occasions, 
however unimportant ; but now, when it comes in conflict with 
others, it yields readily and without reluctance. It does not 



UJ? MADAME GUYON. 101 

yield, after a great effort and with pain, as if under a process of 
discipline, but naturally and easily. Formerly, even when it 
could justly be said to be religious to some extent, it was puffed 
up at times with more or less of vanity and self-conceit, but now, 
it loves a low place, poverty of spirit, meekness, humiliation. 
Formerly, although it loved others, it loved itself more, and 
placed itself above them ; but now, rejoicing equally in the 
happiness of others, it possesses a boundless charity for its neigh 
bour, bearing with his faults and weaknesses, and winning him 
by love. The rage of the wolf, which still remained in some 
degree, anjtl sometimes showed itself, is changed into the meek 
ness of the lamb." 

Such are the accurate terms in which she discriminates be 
tween the Christian life in its ordinary appearance of partial 
sanctification, and the same life when it becomes a " new Christ," 
by experiencing a more full and complete regeneration into the 
purity, simplicity, and beauty of the Divine image. 

About this time, a matter occurred which illustrates her char 
acter in other respects. A certain person, whose name is not 
given, prompted either by malice or by avarice, attempted, by 
false pretences, to extort a large sum of money from her hus 
band. The claim, which had the appearance of being one of 
long standing, was for two hundred thousand livres, which the 
claimant pretended was due to him from Madame Guyon and 
her brother conjointly. The claimant was supported in his 
unjust demand, by the powerful influence of the king s eldest 
brother, the Duke of Orleans. They tampered with her brother, 
who was so young and inexperienced as not to understand the 
merits of the case, in such a manner as to obtain his signature 
to certain important papers which were to be used in the trial. 
They had given him to understand that, if they succeeded in 
the establishment of their claim, he should not pay anything. 

Madame Guyon felt that a great wrong was about to be done. 
Her husband, perplexed by the apparent intricacy of the affair, 
or perhaps terrified by the influence of the Duke of Orleans, 
was unwilling to contend. And it furnished occasion, without 



102 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

any good reason, for new dissatisfaction with his wife. When 
the day of trial came, after her usual religious duties, she felt it 
her duty to take the unusual course of going personally to the 
judges, and making her representations of the case before them. 

" I was wonderfully assisted," she says, " to understand and 
explain the turns and artifices of this business. The judge 
whom I first visited, was so surprised to see the affair so different 
from what he thought it before, that he himself exhorted me to 
see the other judges, and especially the Intendant, or presiding 
judge, who was just then going to the Court, and was quite mis 
informed about the matter. God enabled me to manifest the 
truth in so clear a light, and gave such power to my words, that 
the Intendant thanked me for having so seasonably come to 
undeceive and set him to rights in the affair. He assured me, 
that if I had not taken this course, the cause would have been 
lost. And as they saw the falsehood of every statement, they 
would not only have refused the plaintiff his claim, but would 
have condemned him to pay the costs of the suit, if it had not 
been for the position of the Duke of Orleans, who was so far led 
astray by the plaintiff, as to lend his name and influence to 
the prosecution. To save the honour of the prince, it was de 
cided that we should pay the plaintiff fifty crowns ; so that his 
claim of two hundred thousand livres was satisfied by the pay 
ment of one hundred and fifty. Thus moderately and speedily 
ended an affair, which at one time appeared very weighty and 
alarming. My husband was exceedingly pleased at what I 
had done." 

Independently of the grace of God, which gave to her char 
acter its crowning excellence, we have in some incidents of this 
kind an evidence of what she was by nature, of her clearness 
of perception, firmness of purpose, and eloquence. She had a 
mind formed by the God who made it to influence other minds. 
It was only necessary to see her and to hear her, in order to 
feel her ascendency, not an ascendency derived from position, 
but which carried its title in itself; not an ascendency assumed, 
but given. 



OF MADAME GUYON. 103 



CHAPTER XIV. 

HJ74 Commencement of her state of privation Account of it Method of proceeding, in 
correctly estimating this part of her life Analysis and explanation of this state Joy 
not religion, but merely an incident Remarks Advice of Monsieur Bertot Unfavour 
able results Advice of another distinguished individual Unkind treatment experienced 
from him Correspondence with a Jesuit Remarks. 

IN the beginning of the year 1674, Madame Guyon entered 
into what she terms her state of privation or desolation. It 
continued, with but slight variations, for something more than 
six years. 

Her experience at this time was in some respects peculiar, so 
much so as to require explanations at some length, both to make 
it understood in itself, and in some degree profitable to others. 
" I seemed to myself cast down," she says, " as it were, from a 
throne of enjoyment, like Nebuchadnezzar, to live among beasts, 
a very trying and deplorable state, when regarded indepen 
dently of its relations, and yet exceedingly profitable to me in 
the end, in consequence of the use which Divine Wisdom made 
of it. Considered in comparison with my former state of enjoy 
ment, it was a state of emptiness, darkness, and sorrow, and 
went far beyond any trials I had ever yet met with." 

The desolation which she speaks of, particularly in its inci 
pient state, was not a privation of desire, of hope, and of holy 
purpose, but of sensible consolations. The Christian life, in 
the highest sense of the term, is a life of faith. This is gene 
rally admitted and understood; but it does not appear to be 
equally well understood, that to live by emotions, to draw our 
activity and our hope from sensible joys, is to live by sight 
rather than by faith. Joy is not life, but merely an incident 
of life. 

God designed to make her His own, in the highest and fullest 
sense ; He wished her to possess the true life, the life unmingled 
with any element which is not true ; a life which flows directly 
and unceasingly from the Divine nature. And in order to do 



104 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

this, it became with Him, if \ve may so express it, a matter of 
necessity, that He should take from her every possible inward 
support, separate and distinct from that of unmixed, naked faith. 
w We walk by faith" says the Apostle, "and not by sight." 
(2 Cor. v. 6, 7.) And again, " The life which I now live in 
the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, 
and gave himself for me." (Gal. ii. 20.) 

Accordingly, He so ordered it in His providences, that those 
inward consolations, which had hitherto supported her so much 
in her trials, should be taken away ; except those which are 
based upon the exercise of pure or simple belief in the Divine 
word and character. The joys which arise from this source, 
although they may temporarily be perplexed and diminished by 
counteracting influences, arise by a necessary and unchangeable 
law, and can never fail to exist. But a large portion of her 
inward consolations, as is generally the case at this period of 
religious experience, arose from other causes and in other ways, 
connected in some respects and to some extent, it is probable, 
with the faith she possessed, but not directly based upon it. All 
this God saw fit to take away. And not making the proper 
distinctions in the case, and estimating her situation more by 
what she had lost than by what she retained, it seemed to her, 
that all peace, all consolation was gone. So far as joy was con 
cerned, her heart was desolate. 

And this was not all. In this state of things, she committed 
the great mistake of looking upon the absence of joy as evidence 
of the absence of the Divine favour. After mentioning that she 
was left without friends and other sources of consolation, she 
adds, " To complete my distress, / seemed to be left without God 
himself, who alone could support me in such a distressing state." 
The mistake was an easy and perhaps a natural one, but it was 
none the less a mistake vital in its principle and terrible in its 
consequences. Since she had consecrated herself to the Lord 
to be wholly His, God had been pursuing a course adapted to 
secure her whole heart to Himself. He had tried her sometimes 
in one direction, and sometimes in another, and through grace 



OF MADAME GUYON. 105 

had found her faithful. But during all these trials she was sus 
tained, with the exception of a few short intervals, by inward 
consolations. There was, generally speaking, a high state of 
pleasant and frequently of joyous emotionality. So that, instead 
of living upon " every word which proceeds from God s mouth," 
in other words, instead of living upon God s will, which, what 
ever may be thought to the contrary, is and can be the only true 
Dread of life, she was living upon her consolations. Strange it is, 
that we find it so difficult to perceive, that the joys of God are 
not God himself. 

It is true, undoubtedly, that we may enjoy the will of God in 
the joys of God ; that is to say, while we may take a degree of 
satisfaction in the consolations themselves, we may rejoice in 
them chiefly and especially as indicative of the Divine will. But 
in the earlier periods of Christian experience, we are much more 
apt to rejoice in our joys, than to rejoice in the God of our joys. 
The time had come, in which God saw it necessary to take away 
this prop on which she was resting, in some degree at least, 
without knowing it. 

She could love God s will, trying though it often was to her 
natural sensibilities, when it was sweetened with consolations. 
But the question now proposed to her was, whether she could 
love God s will, when standing, as it were, alone, when develop 
ing itself as the agent and minister of Divine providences which 
were to be received, endured, and rejoiced in, in all their bittep 
ness, simply because they were from God ? 

This was a question which, under the circumstances of the 
case, could not well be tested, except in connexion with that 
state of inward aridity, which, in itself considered, cannot pro 
perly be designated as painful and still less as condemnatory, 
out which is sometimes described as a lifeless or dead state ; 
that is to say, dead in respect to a particular kind or class of 
emotions a state which is without life in the sense of its being 
unemotional. God s hand is in this result ; and it is well that 
it should be so. As men may make a god of their own intellect, 
by being proud of their intellect ; or may make a god of their 



106 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

own will, by being proud of their will ; so they may make a god 
of their joyous emotions, by taking a wrongly-placed pleasure in 
them. And just so far as this is the case, God, in the exercise 
of His gracious administration, takes away such emotions. He 
turns their channels back ; He smites our earthly delights, and 
opens the sources of providential sorrow, and overwhelms them, 
and they disappear. And in doing this, He does not take away 
men s religion, but rather takes away an idol ; or if that term 
be too strong, He certainly takes away that which perplexes 
and injures religion. 

We hope we shall not be understood as denying or doubting 
the existence of true Christian joy. Certain it is, that there 
are true joys, joys which God approves, joys of faith, as well as 
other joys. And we may add, I think, with great confidence, 
that these joys exist by a necessary law. He who has faith has 
the joys of faith ; and what is more, lie cannot help having them. 
And not only this, he may justly regard them as an evidence or 
sign of a good religious state. And as such a sign he may re 
joice in his joys, as well as in the object of his joys, if he will 
do it cautiously and wisely. But whenever, by an inward pro 
cess, we rejoice in the joys of faith in themselves, and not as a 
sign, instead of rejoicing in the objects of faith, such as God, 
God s inherent goodness and holiness, God s promise, and the 
like, caring in reality nothing about God and His approbation, 
but only about the happiness He gives, thus placing the gifts 
before the GIVER, our experience is entirely upon a wrong track, 
and will result soon, if it continue thus, in the destruction of 
faith itself. 

In the case of Madame Guyon, it is very true, that the joys 
of faith, sometimes more and sometimes less, remained with her 
amid all her trials. But the joy which she took in her joy, in 
distinction from the joy in the God of her joy, and also all other 
joys not founded in faith, were taken away. And so great 
was the change, although ordered in the greatest mercy, that 
she seemed to be like one smitten, cast out, and hopelessly deso 
late ; like Nebuchadnezzar, as she expresses it, who was sud- 



OF MADAME GUYON. 107 

denly deprived of his power and his glory, and dwelt among 
the beasts of the field. Sad condition, as it seemed to her ; and 
in some respects, undoubtedly, it was veiy trying. Especially 
when she regarded it as an evidence, as she did, that she had 
committed some aggravated sins, although she did not under 
stand what they were, and that God was displeased with her on 
account of them. Having lost her consolations, she supposed 
that she had lost all. Not being happy, or at least not so 
happy as she had been, she concluded that she was not a Chris 
tian, or at least not so much a Christian as she had been. And 
this impression reacted upon her own mind, and rendered her 
more unhappy still, and tended to increase the sad conviction, 
that she had in some manner grievously offended God. 

She herself subsequently understood this. " I have learned," 
she says, " from this season of deprivation, that the prayer of the 
heart, the earnest desire and purpose of the soul, to be and to 
do what the Lord would have us, when, in consequence of not 
being attended with excited and joyous emotion, it appears most 
dry and barren, is nevertheless not ineffectual in its results, 
and is not to be regarded as a prayer offered in vain. And all 
persons would assent to this, if they would only remember, that 
God, in answering such a prayer, gives us what is best for us, 
though not what in our ignorance we most relish or wish for. If 
people were but convinced of this great truth, far from com 
plaining all their life long, they would regard the situation in 
which God sees fit to place them, as best suited to them, and 
would employ it faithfully in aiding the process of inward cruci 
fixion. And hence the afflictive incidents attending upon such 
a situation, in causing us inward death, would procure the true 
life. It is a great truth, wonderful as it is undeniable, that all 
our happiness, temporal, spiritual, and eternal, consists in one 
thing, namely, in resigning ourselves to God, and in leaving 
ourselves with Him, to do with us and in us just as He pleases. 

" When we arrive at this state of entire and unrestricted de 
pendence on God s Spirit and providence, we shall then fully 
realize, that what we experience is just what we need, and that 



108 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

if God is truly good, He could not do otherwise than He does. 
All that is wanting is, to leave ourselves faithfully in God s 
hands. The soul must submit itself to be conducted, from 
moment to moment, by the Divine hand ; and to be annihilated, 
as it were, by the strokes of His providence without complaining, 
or desiring anything besides what it now has. If it would only 
take this course faithfully, God would be unto it, not only 
eternal Life, but eternal Truth. We should be guided into the 
truth, so far as it might be necessary for us, although we might 
not fully understand the method of its being done. 

" But the misfortune," she adds, " is, that people wish to 
direct God, instead of resigning themselves to be directed by 
Htm. They wish to take the lead, and to follow in a way of 
their own selection, instead of submissively and passively follow 
ing where God sees fit to conduct them. And hence it is, that 
many souls, who are called to the enjoyment of God himself, and 
not merely to the gifts of God, spend all their lives in pursuing 
and in feeding on little consolations ; resting in them as in their 
place of delights, and making their spiritual life to consist in 
them." 

These remarks were written many years after the period to 
which our attention is now particularly directed to her surviv 
ing children, after she had been the subject of persecution and 
imprisonment for the Gospel s sake. " For you, my dear chil 
dren," she adds, " if my chains and my imprisonment any way 
afflict you, I pray that they may serve to engage you to seek 
nothing but God for Himself alone, and never to desire to pos 
sess Him but by the death of your whole selves. Never, as the 
children of God, seek to be anything in your own ways and 
life ; but rather to enter into the most profound nothingness." 

But at this time, all seemed to her to be gone. And what 
had a tendency to confirm her the more in these desponding 
views, was the course taken by some, in whose opinions in respect 
to her religious state, she naturally placed a considerable degree 
of confidence. I refer, in part, to the mistaken but well-meant 
course of Monsieur Bertot, a man of learning and piety, whom, 



OF MADAME GUYON. 109 

at the suggestion of Genevieve Granger, she had some time be 
fore selected as her spiritual Director. She went to Paris to 
consult him. His advice was, that she should begin anew her 
religious efforts by practising those incipient methods of religious 
reading and prayer, which were calculated to make a religious 
impression, just as if she had either not known what religion 
was, or did not now possess it. 

This advice she was not disposed to receive, because there was 
something in her which seemed to tell her that it was mistaken 
advice, and not applicable to her case. Bertot, who was a con 
scientious man, thinking that some other person might be more 
judicious, or more successful, as her spiritual counsellor, wrote 
to her that he wished to resign the office of her Director. This 
course, on the part of one in whom she had BO much confidence, 
made a deep impression on the mind of Madame Guyon. She 
says, " I had no doubt that God had revealed to him, that I had 
become a transgressor ; and that he regarded the state of inward 
desolation into which I had fallen, as a certain mark of my re 
probation." 

She mentions another individual, who was probably one of 
the Jansenists, a party which at that time possessed much 
influence in France, and has since been historically celebrated. 
" He was a man," she says, " who held a high position in the 
Church ; polite in his manners, obliging in his temper, and who 
had a good share of talent." Pleased with Madame Guyon, 
and desirous to bring her into harmony with himself on some 
points of religious doctrine in which they seem to have differed, 
ne often visited her. This intimacy was after a time broken 
off, and he added himself to the number of those who at this 
time formed and expressed unfavourable opinions in regard to 
Cer state. 

" The inability," she says, " I was now in, in consequence of 
my discouragements and depression, of doing those exterior acts 
of charity I had done before, served this person with a pretext 
to publish that it was owing to him, and under his influence 
and advice, that I had formerly done them. Willing to ascribe 



110 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

to himself the merit of what God alone by His grace had en 
abled me to do, he went so far as to make a distinct allusion to 
me in his sermons, as one who had once been a bright pattern 
in religious things to others, but now had lost my interest in 
them, and had become a scandal. I myself have been present 
at such times, and what he said, noticed and understood as it 
was by others, was enough to weigh me down with confusion 
I received what he said, however, with submission and patience, 
believing as I did that God was offended with me, and that I 
abundantly merited much worse treatment. 

" Confused, like a criminal that dares not lift up his eyes, I 
looked upon the virtue of others with respect. I could see more 
or less of goodness in those around me, but in the obscurity and 
sorrow of my mind I could seem to see nothing good, nothing 
favourable in myself. When others spoke a word of kindness, 
and especially if they happened to praise me, it gave a severe 
shock to my feelings, and I said in myself, i They little know my 
miseries ; they little know the state from which I have fallen. 
And, on the contrary, when any spoke in terms of reproof and 
condemnation, I agreed to it as right and just. 

" It is true, that nature wanted to free herself from this ab 
ject condition, but could not find out any way. If I made an 
effort, if I tried to make an outward appearance of righteous 
ness by the practice of some good thing, my heart in secret 
rebuked me as guilty of hypocrisy, in wanting to appear what I 
was not. And God, who thought it best that I should suffer, 
did not permit anything of this kind to succeed. how ex 
cellent are the crosses of providence ! All other crosses are of 
no value. 

" I was often very ill and in danger of death ; and darkness 
brooded upon the future as well as upon the present ; so that 
knew not how to prepare myself for that change, which some 
times seemed near at hand. Some of my pious friends wrote 
to me, requesting an explanation of some things, which the 
gentleman, whom I have mentioned, spread abroad concerning 
me ; but I had no heart to justify myself, arid did not under- 



OF MADAME GUYON. Ill 

take to do it, although I knew myself innocent of unfavourable 
things which were said. One day being in great desolation and 
distress, I opened the New Testament, and chanced to meet with 
these words, which for a little time gave me some relief, My 
grace is sufficient for thee ; for my strength is made perfect in 
weakness. 1 

Even the pious Franciscan, whom God had employed as an 
instrument in effecting her great moral and religious change, 
was perplexed about her case, and incapable of giving her any 
profitable advice. With this individual she had kept up an 
occasional correspondence at his request. In her inward depri 
vation and sorrow, she received a letter which tended to increase 
the discouragement she already experienced, and to add keen 
ness to her pangs. 

Another individual, a Jesuit, who had formerly held her piety 
in high estimation, " wrote to me," she says, " in a similar strain. 
No doubt, it was by the Divine permission, that they thus con 
tributed to complete my desolation. I thanked them in my 
reply, for the Christian and friendly interest they had taken in 
me, and commended myself to their prayers. It was painful to 
be thus unfavourably estimated by those who had the reputation 
of being people of piety ; but there was a greater pain, which, 
on the principle of contrast, made this pain appear to be less. 1 
refer to the deep sorrow I had experienced in connexion with the 
thought of having displeased God." 

These facts show us how little dependence we can safely place 
on mere human judgments. On the principle on which these 
persons judged Madame Guyon, what would have been thought 
of hundreds and thousands of Christians, the most eminent for 
their devotedness to God, who have been inwardly and out 
wardly afflicted ? We ought not to forget, that here on earth 
Christianity is on the battle-field of its trials, trials which are 
often doubtful in their issue, and not in the victorious repose 
of the New Jerusalem. It may conquer, it is true ; and it may 
" enter into rest;" but this does not imply, that the enemy will 
not renew the contest, and that the rest will not be disturbed. 



LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 



We conquer in our armour ; and here on earth at least, we must 
rest, so far as rest is given us, with our armour on. 



CHAPTER XV. 

Events of the year 1676 Sickness of her husband His character Their reconciliation-- 
His pious dispositions near the close of his life His death Occupied in the settlement 
of her estate Chosen as arbiter in a lawsuit Result Reference to her inward disposi 
tions Separation from her mother-in-law Remarks. 

THIS state of things continued for nearly two years. Years 
do not pass, nor even days, without their character and their 
incidents; sometimes bright with joy, but not less frequently 
stained and dark with sorrow. 

The physical infirmities of her husband increased ; and it 
seemed to be obvious that the end of his life was rapidly ap 
proaching. 

He seems to have been a man of considerable powers of 
intellect, of energy of character, and of strong passions. He 
was too high-spirited and proud, not to be jealous of his own 
rights, and of his personal position and influence. He both loved 
and hated strongly ; but both his love and his hatred were 
characterized by sudden alternations of feeling. His feelings 
towards his wife were of a mixed character. She says of him 
expressly, notwithstanding the trials she experienced at his hand, 
" he loved me much. When I was sick, he was inconsolable." 
And she adds, making an exception undoubtedly of certain in 
dividuals, who had insidiously obtained a control over him, 
" Whenever he heard of other persons having made unfavourable 
remarks in relation to me, he felt it keenly, and expressed him 
self in terms of exceeding indignation. And I have great con 
fidence, if it had not been for the unpropitious influence of his 
mother and the maid-servant, we should have been very happy 
in each other. Faults he had undoubtedly. And most men, I 
suppose, have some defects of character, some undue passions ; 



OF MADAME GUYON. 113 

and it is the duty of a reasonable woman to bear them peace 
ably, without irritating them by unkind or unsuitable opposition." 

That he loved her, therefore, there can be no doubt. But his 
affection, marked and passionate, was modified by a sense of in 
tellectual inferiority humbling to his pride. Add to this the 
disparity of their age, and the benevolence of heart which cha 
racterized the one, and the habits of parsimony and acquisition, 
bordering perhaps upon avarice, which seemed to characterize 
the other. Again, the one was religious, a seeker of religion 
when she married, and soon afterwards a possessor of it. The 
other was without religion in experience, although he seems 
always to have had some respect for it. The one loved God, the 
other loved the world. It is not surprising, therefore, that his 
mother, a woman of art and energy, should have been successful 
in diminishing his affection for his wife, and for some short 
periods of time, in totally perverting it. 

When left to himself, he acknowledged and felt his wife s 
ascendency. His pride in her, when it was permitted to take 
that direction, added strength to his affection ; and at such times 
he gave no ground of complaint by withholding the testimonies 
of confidence and love. On some occasions, driven to a sort of 
madness of exasperation, originating from the sources of influ 
ence which have been mentioned, combined with the goadings 
of physical suffering, he was unjust and cruel in a high degree. 
But it is some satisfaction to know, that he had perception 
enough, and love enough left, to acknowledge the wrong in his 
better moments. In such a spirit, he made some conciliatory 
remarks some years before, in his journey to St. Keine. " He 
appeared very desirous," she says, " of having me attend him, 
and was not willing to have any other. And he made the re 
mark, referring to those who had afflicted me, if they were not 
in the habit of speaking against you, I should be more satisfied 
and easy, and you would be more happy." 

As the clouds were gathering over him, and the sun of his 
life seemed about to be setting, Madame Guyon felt that she 
could no longer consistently or rightly submit to an interference 



114 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

even on the part of his mother. She asserted her rights with 
dignity and decision, as she might have done without any failure 
of propriety at a much earlier period. Feeling that at this 
solemn crisis there should be a full reconciliation between her 
self and her husband, and that what remained of life to them 
should be spent in a different manner, uninfluenced and un- 
marred by others, she approached the matter of their differences, 
not merely in the spirit of a woman and a wife, but in that also 
of a Christian. 

" I took some favourable opportunity," she says, " and draw 
ing near his bed, I kneeled down ; and admitting that I pro 
bably had done things which had displeased him, I assured him 
that I had not wronged him in any case deliberately and inten 
tionally. And, for whatever I had done amiss, under whatever 
circumstances, I now begged his pardon. He had just awoke 
from a sound sleep. Strong emotion deeply marked his counte 
nance, and he said, * It is I who have done wrong rather than 
yourself. It is I who beg your pardon. I did not deserve you. " 

From this time he had his eye fully open to the arts practised 
upon him. He felt that he, who assumes the responsibility of 
coming between husband and wife, and of disturbing their 
happiness by alienating their affections, does an evil not more 
terrible in its results, than malicious and morally reprehensible 
in its character. It was her privilege to watch at his bedside 
during the remainder of his days ; to wipe away the drops of 
anguish from his brow ; and to speak words of Christian conso 
lation to his dying heart. And she did this, when her own soul 
was inwardly tried by the deepest fears and sorrows. 

She advanced much afterwards in the knowledge of the 
Scriptures and in Christian experience ; but even at this time, 
and with all the perplexities and sorrows which weighed down 
her mind, there can be no doubt, that her sympathy, advice, and 
prayers were of unspeakable value. On a dying couch, such a 
friend and adviser may justly be regarded as a special gift of 
Heaven. 

For twenty-four days immediately preceding his death, she 



OP MADAME GUYON. 115 

scarcely left his bedside. The alleviation of physical suffering 
was not the only result of her watchings and labours. God was 
pleased to bless them also to his spiritual good. In his last 
clays, when all earthly prospects grew dark, the light of religion 
began to open its dawning in the soul. In the mild radiance of 
that light, feeble though it was, he died. He was resigned and 
patient in his sickness ; and died, so far as could be judged, in 
the exercise of truly Christian dispositions, after having received 
the sacramental element in an humble and edifying manner. His 
death took place on the morning of the 21st of July 1676. 
* I was not present," she says, " when he expired. Out of ten 
derness to me, he had requested me to retire." 

Thus her own person had been smitten ; and within a few 
years she had seen her beloved son and daughter taken from 
her, and her father and her husband, after short intervals, laid 
in the grave. And she was a woman whose heart, from its first 
young beat to its dying throb, gushed out with sensibility. 
This was one of the marked traits of her character, which 
existed naturally almost in excess. No daughter loved her 
parents more tenderly ; no mother possessed more depth and 
sacredness of maternal affection ; no wife appreciated more fully 
the sacred nature and the value of the conjugal relation. But 
of those who sustained these invaluable relations, how many 
were gone! Like summer flowers, or like leaves of autumn, 
they had fallen on her right hand and left. She stood alone ; 
smitten within as well as without ; and without a single friend 
to console her. But did she repine ? Did she indulge in a mur 
muring spirit ? 

So far from complaining and rebelling, she knew well the 
hand of the Lord ; and her soul did not hesitate a moment to 
bow in submission before it. It was not the sullenness of 
despair, which yields because it cannot do otherwise ; but the 
calmness of Christian submission and hope. She could say with 
the Psalmist, in allusion to the ties of earth which had been 
separated, however painful the process was to the natural affec 
tions, " Lord, truly I am thy servant ; I am thy servant, and 



116 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

the son of thy handmaid ; thou hast loosed my bonds ; I will offer 
to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name 
of the Lord" (Ps. cxvi. 16, 17). This was the passage of Scrip 
ture which particularly occurred to her mind in connexion with 
these events. She knew, whatever trials might exist here, that 
there was a hidden mercy concealed beneath them ; and that 
a rest, pure and permanent, remains for the people of God. 

She was twenty-eight years of age when she was thus left a 
widow, having been married twelve years and four months. 
Having buried two of her children, she was now left, with three 
others ; two sons, and an infant daughter, bora but a few 
months before the death of her husband. 

God may be regarded, in a special sense, as the friend and 
father of the widow and the orphan. " The Lord," says the 
Psalmist, " preserveth the stranger, and relieveth the fatherless 
and the widow" (Ps. cxlvi. 9). The aspects of Providence, in 
many respects, were dark before her, both within and without. 
But God did not desert her ; and, in His goodness, which does 
not " willingly grieve and afflict the children of men," He would 
not desert her in her sorrowing state. She could say with the 
apostle, " We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed ; we 
are perplexed, but not in despair ; persecuted, but not for 
saken ; cast down, but not destroyed ; always bearing about 
in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of 
Jesus might be made manifest in our body" (2 Cor. iv. 8-10). 
Unshaken in her Christian integrity, true to the altar of sacri 
fice on which she had placed herself, her first and great inquiry 
now, as it had been in times past, was, " Lord, what wilt thou 
have me to do?" 

She seemed to have an inward conviction that the time had 
nearly come in God s providence, when she would be enabled to 
devote herself exclusively to the cause of religion. But she 
knew that God does not require of us duties contradictory in 
their nature ; and that her first cares arid labours were especi 
ally due to her family. 

The administration of a large estate devolved, in a consider- 



OP MADAME GUYON. 117 

able degree, upon herself. This was the first business to which 
Providence, whose indications she regarded with great care, 
seemed to lead her. She says, " I had received no training in 
matters of business, and was in a great degree ignorant of them. 
But being called in the Divine providence to attend to this 
matter, I received from God that strength and wisdom which 
were necessary for the occasion. I believe that I omitted no 
thing which it was necessary or proper for me to do. I arranged 
all my husband s papers ; I paid all the legacies which he re 
quired to be paid ; and did all without assistance from any one^ 
excepting always that Divine assistance which God never failed 
to give me, whenever He imposed any special burden. 

11 My husband," she adds, " had a large amount of writings 
and papers of various kinds left with him, to which other per 
sons had a right. These also required my attention. I took an 
exact inventory of them ; and had them sent severally to their 
owners, which, without Divine assistance, would have been very 
difficult for me ; because, my husband having been a long time 
sick, everything was in the greatest confusion. This circum 
stance, which naturally arrested the attention of the persons to 
whom the papers were sent, gained me the reputation of a woman 
of skill in business a reputation to which I regarded myself as 
having but very little claim. Another affair, which occurred at 
this time, added to this favourable impression." 

There were a number of persons in the neigbourhood where 
her husband resided, who fell into a dispute in relation to a piece 
of property. And not being able to settle it, they chose, rather 
than to bring it before the courts, to refer it to him. As he was 
acquainted with most of these persons, and had a particular 
esteem for some of them, he took charge of the business, although 
not very appropriate to his situation and his mental habits. 
There were no less than twenty- two persons concerned in this 
affair, which rendered it one of considerable delicacy and per 
plexity. Either for want of time, or distrusting his ability to 
settle the dispute alone, he employed some persons skilled in 
the law, to assist him in the examination of the papers, which 



118 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

were laid before him, and to aid him in forming a just opinion. 
It was at this stage of the business that he died. 

" After his death," she says, " I sent for the persons who were 
concerned, and proposed to return them their papers. They 
were troubled, anticipated the greatest evils, and perhaps the 
ruin of some of their number, if a settlement of the difficulties 
could not be had. In this state of things they proposed to me 
to take the place of my deceased husband, and to act as judge 
between them. A proposition, apparently so impracticable and 
absurd, could not have been entertained for a moment, had it not 
been for the urgency and the real necessities of the parties con 
cerned. This gave to the proposition the aspect of a Christian 
duty. I laid it before the Lord ; and relying on His strength 
and wisdom, felt it my duty to try. I found it necessary to give 
my mind fully to the business, which I had thus, as it seemed 
to me with the Divine approbation, voluntarily assumed. And 
accordingly, laying aside all other business, I shut myself up in 
my closet about thirty days, not going out at all except to my 
meals and to religious worship. All this time was necessary in 
order to understand the merits of the case. I at length com 
pleted the examination, formed my final opinion upon the sub 
ject, and drew it up in writing. The parties were summoned 
together ; and without reading it or knowing what my decision 
was, they accepted it and signed it. I afterwards learned that 
they were so well pleased with what I had done, that they not 
only commended it much, but published it abroad everywhere. 
The hand of the Lord was in it. It was God who gave ine 
wisdom. So ignorant was I then, and so ignorant am I now, of 
affairs of this nature, that when I hear persons conversing about 
them, it appears to me like Arabic." 

At this period, and during a number of years, her life, con 
sidered in its outward relations, was retired, domestic, and in 
many respects quiet. The time had not come which was destined 
to open to her the path of more public duty. Inwardly she was 
still desolate. Her sorrow was unappeasable. But though it 
seemed to her that God had left her, she acknowledged fully the 



OP MADAME GUYON. 119 

rectitude of all His dealings, and felt that she could not leave 
Him. She followed Him in tears like the Syrophenician 
woman. 

After the death of her husband she made some attempts to 
wards a reconciliation with her mother-in-law. On the follow 
ing Christmas-day, in particular, she approached her, and said 
to her with much affection, " My mother, on this day was the 
King of Peace born. He came into the world to bring peace to 
us. I beg peace of you in His name." But her stern heart 
was unmoved ; or, if it were otherwise, she would not let it 
appear. The question then arose whether she should leave her. 
A number of persons in whom she placed confidence advised her 
earnestly to do it, believing as they did that she had already 
suffered enough from that source. She had doubts about it. 
She was fearful of offending God by desiring to throw off a 
cross, heavy though it was, which it seemed to her that Divine 
wisdom imposed upon her. Undoubtedly she was correct. But 
the same Providence which imposed this cross upon her, in its 
own time removed it. In the winter of 1677, the winter follow 
ing the death of her husband, and a few weeks after the con 
versation to which we have just now referred, her mother-in-law 
gave her notice, in express terms, that they could no longer live 
together. 

" This," says Madame Guyon, " was fairly giving me my dis 
charge. My scruples were now removed. I took measures to 
retire from the house where we had resided together, as quietly 
as possible, as I did not wish to give occasion for surmises and 
evil remarks. During the period of my widowhood thus far, I 
had not made any visits, except such as were of pure necessity 
and charity. I did not wish to speak of my troubles to others, 
or to make them known in any way. God had taught me to 
go to Him alone. There is nothing which makes nature die so 
deeply and so quickly, as to find and to seek no earthly support, 
no earthly consolation. I went out, therefore, from my mother- 
in-law in silence. In the cold of mid-winter, when it was diffi 
cult to obtain suitable accommodation elsewhere, I went out to 



120 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

seek another habitation, with my three surviving children, and 
my little daughter s nurse." 

We leave her mother-in-law here. The Scripture says in lan 
guage, which has a true and mighty meaning to the holy heart, 
" Judge not, that ye be not judged" There is a God above us, 
who is not ignorant of those weaknesses, temptations, and sor 
rows, existing in every heart, which are known to Him only. 
Until we have the attribute of omniscience, which is requisite 
for a perfectly just judgment, let us never condemn others, how 
ever defective their characters may be, without leaving a large 
place for pity and forgiveness. Such, I think, were obviously 
the feelings of Madame Guyon in relation to this unhappy mat 
ter. For more than twelve years her mother-iri-law had em 
bittered her domestic life. But she did not fail to recognise the 
hand of the Lord in it. She was led to see, that God, who 
accomplishes His purposes by instruments, made use of the 
jealousy and fierceness of her mother s temper to humble and 
purify her own lofty spirit. God educed her good out of another s 
evil. It was a mystery which she could adore and love, although 
she could not fully understand it. She went out, therefore, in 
silence ; with tears, but without rebukes. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Her charities Incident illustrative Education of her children Attempts to improve he? 
own Study of Latin Continuance of inward desolation Temptations Writes to La 
Combe Receives a favourable answer July 22, 1C80, the day of her deliverance after 
nearly seven years of inward privation Reference to her work, the " Torrents" Remarks 
Poem. 

ESTABLISHED once more in her own residence, with her little 
family around her, she lived a life more retired than ever. " I 
went," she says, " after no fine sights or recreations. When 
others went, I stayed at home. I wanted to see and know nothing 
but Jesus Christ. My closet, where I could contemplate Divine 



OF MADAME GUYON. 121 

things, was my only diversion. The Queen of France was at 
one time in my neighbourhood ; but my mind was so taken up 
with other things, that she had not attraction enough to draw 
me out with the multitude to see her." 

But retirement from the world is not necessarily retirement 
from duty. In her widowhood and seclusion, she did not cease 
to sympathize with the poor and the afflicted. Her own heart 
was desolate ; but it was not in personal afflictions to make her 
Torget that others also had their sorrows. As she turned her 
mind upon her own situation, and as she looked upon her father 
less children, she remembered the widow and the orphan. Still 
she had less energy in works of outward benevolence than at 
some former periods. But this was not owing to a change of 
principle or a want of pity ; but is to be ascribed partly to 
feebleness of health, and partly to a state of inward desolation. 
Her strength, riot only her physical vigour but her energy of 
purpose, was in some degree broken ; but the true life, which 
burns without being consumed, still remained in it. 

One day a domestic told her that there was a poor soldier 
lying in the public road, sick, and apparently unable to help 
himself. She gave orders that he should be brought in. He 
was one of those wrecks of humanity, ragged, unclean, and de 
based, who appear to be without home and without friends, and 
whom no one pities but that God who watches all men, and in 
spires pity in the hearts of those who are like Himself. For 
fifteen days she watched over him, with all the care and assi 
duity of a mother or sister ; performing offices repugnant to a 
person of her refinement of feelings and manners. This was his 
last earthly habitation. He died at her house. 

At this period she felt herself called to give some special 
attention to the education of her children. On the subject of 
early education, and especially on the influence of mothers in 
the forming of the intellectual and moral habits of children, she 
had bestowed much thought. To a reflecting mind like hers, 
this important subject would be very likely to suggest itself; 
especially when she recollected, as she often did, the loss and 



122 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

injury which she herself had experienced in early life, from 
inattention in this respect. At that time the subject of early 
education, especially in its relation to those of her own sex, was 
comparatively new ; a subject which, since her time, beginning 
with the valuable and interesting work of Fenelon on Female 
Education, has been discussed, analyzed, and applied with the 
most successful results. In her Autobiography, she has given 
some views on the treatment of children, particularly of daugh 
ters, characterized by close observation and sound judgment. 

She embraced the opportunity, which Providence now seemed 
to afford her, to revise and extend the elements of her own edu 
cation. Light literature, including romances and poetry, ad 
dressed chiefly to the natural, in distinction from the religious 
tastes, she had laid aside years before. Her reading was limited, 
for the most part, to the Bible, and works designed to elucidate 
the Bible, and man s character, his continual need of Divine 
grace, and his growth in the religious life. Many works on 
these subjects, which from her position in the Eoman Catholic 
Church she would be inclined to consult, were originally writ 
ten in the Latin language. Under these circumstances, she 
commenced and prosecuted the study of the Latin, without per 
haps distinctly foreseeing of how much benefit it would be to 
her in her future inquiries and writings. But here, as every 
where else, God, who guides us in a way we know not, was pre 
paring her, in what she was called to do, as well as in what she 
was called to suffer, to accomplish His own will. 

During the three years immediately preceding the death of 
her husband, and something more than the three years imme 
diately subsequent to it, namely, from 1673 to 1680, she endured 
without cessation the pains of inward and of outward crucifixion. 
One source of the suffering which she experienced, in this season 
of privation or desolation, was, that notwithstanding the conse 
cration of herself to God, she experienced heavy and direct 
temptations to commit sin. Terrible at times must have been 
her mental conflicts. Her language (impossible, it is true, in 
its application, but still strongly expressive of her feelings) was, 



OP MADAME GUYON. 123 

that she would rather endure the sorrows of eternal banishment 
from God s presence, than knowingly sin against Him. 

" Under these circumstances," she says, " I felt the truth of 
what thou hast said, my God, that thou judgest our righte 
ousness ! how pure, how holy art thou I Who can compre 
hend it ? I was led to see, one after another, the secret ties 
which bound me to earth ; and which God, after He had brought 
them to my notice, was successively cutting asunder. All inor 
dinate interest which I had taken in created things (that is to 
say, all interest in them out of God, and out of their true rela 
tions and true degree) was gradually taken away. It was thus 
that the process of inward crucifixion, often severely trying me, 
went steadily on. 

" holy Jesus !" she exclaims, in looking back upon what 
she then passed through, "/ was that lost sheep of Israel whom 
thou didst come to save. Thou didst come to save her, who 
could find no salvation out of thee. ye stout and righteous 
men 1 speak as much, and as proudly as you please, of the 
value and excellence of what you have done for God s glory. 
As for me, I glory only in my infirmities, since they have merited 
for me such a Saviour. 

" Loaded with miseries of all sorts," she proceeds, " weighed 
down with the burden of continual crosses, I at last gave up 
hope. The darkness of an eternal night settled upon my soul. 
God seemed to have forsaken me. But thanks be to His grace, 
my heart bowed in entire and holy submission. Lost as I 
seemed to myself to be, I could not cease to love. 

" Believing, as I did, in the strange position of my mind, that 
I could never again be acceptable to God, and never be received 
by Him, I distinctly and fully recognised His justice and good 
ness, and could not repress the longing desire I had to do some 
thing, or to suffer something, to promote His glory. I could 
praise the name of the Lord out of the depths, to which no lower 
deep seemed possible." 

Finding no satisfactory relief from others, she wrote to Francis 
de la Combe. The special occasion of her writing was this : 



124 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

One of the male domestics in her family, becoming interested 
in religious subjects, was desirous of connecting himself with the 
Barnabites. He naturally consulted Madame Guyon on the 
subject ; and she was advised by her half-brother, La Mothe, 
to write to La Combe, who, as Superior of the Barnabites at 
Thonon, in Savoy, could undoubtedly give them all the requisite 
information and advice. 

" I had always retained for him a secret respect and esteem as 
one who was truly devoted to God, and I was pleased with this 
opportunity of recommending myself to his prayers. I gave him 
an account of my depression and sorrow of mind, and of what I 
then supposed to be the case, that God no longer took pleasure 
in me, but had separated Himself from me." 

Father La Combe was a man of ability as well as of personal 
inward experience. He took a view of her case entirely dif 
ferent from that taken by others. His experience enabled him 
at once to make a distinction between sorrow and sin ; and to 
reject the opinion she had formed, that the griefs she experi 
enced were an evidence of her having offended God. On the 
contrary, he took the ground, that she ought to regard these 
afflictions as an evidence of the goodness and mercy of God, who 
was thus painfully but kindly removing the earthly props on 
which her spirit had leaned. This view, so entirely different 
from the opinions entertained at this time by herself, could not 
fail to give her some encouragement, although she was not as 
yet able fully to receive it. 

The correspondence with Father La Combe, kept up at inter 
vals for many years, commenced early in the year 1680. About 
the middle of July she wrote to him a second time, and made 
the particular request, that, if he received it before the 22d of 
July, a day memorable in her religious history, he would make 
her the subject of special supplication. The letter arrived, 
although the place of its destination was quite distant, the day 
before the time specified. And the person to whom it was ad 
dressed had too much piety and too deep a sense of his obliga 
tions to the author of it, to suffer a request, offered in such an 



OP MADAME GUYON. 125 

humble and sorrowing spirit, to pass unheeded. It was a day of 
prayer both with him and with her. It was a day also of the 
hearing of prayer. The sceptre of mercy was extended. On 
that favoured day, after nearly seven years of inward and out 
ward desolation, the cloud which had rested so dark and deeply 
passed away, and the light of eternal glory settled upon her 
soul. 

She was led for the first time to see, under the intimations of 
the Holy Spirit, that all things were just the reverse of what 
she had supposed, that affliction is mercy in disguise, that we 
possess by first being deprived, that death precedes life, that 
destruction in the spiritual experience turns to renovation, that 
out of the sorrows and silence of inward crucifixion, and from 
no other source, must grow the jubilees of everlasting bliss. 
God was given back ; and all things with Him. All sights and 
sounds, all beauties of heaven and of earth, the trees and flowers 
below, and the stars of heaven in their places, and social plea 
sures and earthly friendships, whatever the intellect could per 
ceive or the heart could relish, she could enjoy them all, in 
their appropriate place and degree, because, in her victory over 
self, she was enabled to place and appreciate them in their true 
and Divine relation, all in God, and God in all. 

" On the 22d of July 1680, that happy day," she says, " my 
soul was delivered from all its pains. From the time of the first 
letter from Father La Combe, I began to recover a new life. I 
was then, indeed, only like a dead person raised up, who is in 
the beginning of his restoration, and raised up to a life of hope 
rather than of actual possession ; but on this day I was restored, 
as it were, to perfect life, and set wholly at liberty. I was no 
longer depressed, no longer borne down under the burden of 
sorrow. I had thought God lost, and lost for ever ; but I found 
Him again. And He returned to me with unspeakable magni 
ficence and purity. 

" In a wonderful manner, difficult to explain, all that which 
had been taken from me, was riot only restored, but restored with 
increase and with new advantages. In thee, my God, I found 



126 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

it all, and more than all ! The peace which I now possessed 
was all holy, heavenly, inexpressible. What I had possessed 
some years before, in the period of my spiritual enjoyment, was 
consolation, peace the gift of God rather than the Giver ; but 
now, I was brought into such harmony with the will of God, 
that I might now be said to possess not merely consolation, but 
the God of consolation ; not merely peace, but the God of peace. 
This true peace of mind was worth all that I had undergone, 
although it was then only in its dawning. 

" Sometimes, it is true, a sad suggestion presented itself, 
that the life of nature might, in some way, reinstate itself. So 
that there was a wakeful spirit within me. I watched; and was 
enabled, by Divine grace, to meet and repel the approaches of 
evil in that direction. In this renovated state, I felt no disposi 
tion to attribute anything to myself. Certainly it was not I 
myself who had fastened my soul to the Cross, and under the 
operations of a providence, just but inexorable, had drained, if I 
may so express it, the blood of the life of nature to its last drop. 
I did not understand it then ; but I understood it now. It was 
the Lord that did it. It was God that destroyed me, that He 
might give me the true life." 

In one of her books on religious experience, entitled the 
" TORRENTS," in which she endeavours to describe the progress 
of the soul towards God, illustrating the subject by torrents 
taking their rise in hills and mountain tops, and rolling onward 
towards the ocean, she has given her views of the process of in 
ward crucifixion, derived from her own experience. It should, 
in fact, be regarded as a statement of what she herself passed 
through ; and ought to be read, in connexion with, and as illus 
trative of what she has said, on the same subject, in her Life. 

In giving her views on particular subjects, I have not limited 
myself to her remarks made at a particular time, but have, in 
order to give her precise views, combined statements made at 
different times and at different places of her works. 

And it is in accordance with these views that I think we may 
properly introduce here one of her poems. 



OF MADAME GUYON. 



127 



THE DEALINGS OF GOD, OB THE DIVINE LOVE IN BRINGING THE 
SOUL TO A STATE OF ABSOLUTE ACQUIESCENCE. 



Twas my purpose, on a day, 

To embark and sail away. 

As I climb d the vessel s side, 

LOVB was sporting in the tide ; 

" Come," He said, " ascend make haste, 

Launch into the boundless waste." 

Many mariners were there, 
Having each his separate care; 
They, that row d us, held their eyes 
Fix d upon the starry skies; 
Others steer d or turn d the sails 
To receive the shifting gales. 

Love, with power Divine supplied, 
Suddenly my courage tried ; 
In a moment it was night, 
Ship and skies were out of sight ; 
On the briny wave I lay, 
Floating rushes all my stay. 

Did I with resentment burn 

At this unexpected turn ? 

Did I wish myself on shore, 

Never to forsake it more ? 

No" My soul," I cried, " be still,- 

If I mutt be lost, I will." 

Next He hasten d to convey 
Both my frail supports away ; 
Seized my rushes ; bade the waves 
Yawn into a thousand graves. 
Down I went, and sank as lead, 
Ocean closing o er my head. 

Still, however, life was safe ; 
And I saw Him turn and laugh : 
" Friend," He cried, " adieu ! lie low, 
While the wintry storms shall blow ; 
When the spring has calm d the main, 
You shall rise, and float again." 



Soon I saw Him with dismay 
Spread His plumes, and soar away ; 
Now I mark Hi* rapid flight ; 
Now He leaves my aching sight 
He is gone whom I adore, 
Tis in vain to seek Him more 

How I trembled then and fear d, 
When my LOVB had disappear d ! 
" Wiltthou leave me thus," I cried, 
" Whelm d beneath the rolling tide ?" 
Vain attempt to reach His ear ! 
LOVB was gone, and would not hear. 

Ah ! return and love me still ; 

See me subject to thy will; 

Frown with wrath, or smile with grace. 

Only let me see thy face ! 

Evil I have none to fear ; 

All is good, if Thou art near. 

Yet He leaves me, cruel fate ! 
Leaves me in my lost estate ; 
Have I sinn d ? Oh, say wherein ? 
Tell me, and forgive my sin ! 
King, and Lord, whom I adore, 
Shall I see thy face no more ? 

Be not angry I resign 

Henceforth all my will to thine. 

I consent that Thou depart, 

Though thine absence breaks my heart 

60 then, and for ever, too ; 

All is right that Thou wilt do. 

This was just what LOVB intended ; 
He was now no more offended; 
Soon as I became a child, 
Love return d to me and smiled. 
Never strife shall more betide 
Turixt the Bridegroom and His bride. 



128 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIEMC* 



CHAPTER XVII. 

Sanctification as compared with justification The importance of striving after it State of 
Madame Guyon at this time Her work, "The Torrents" Some sentiments from it 
descriptive of her own experience Singular illustration, by which eh shows the differ 
ence between common Christians and others The depth of the experience implied in 
true sanctification The question whether all must endure the same amount of suffering 
in experiencing sanctification Poem. 

THEOLOGIANS very properly make a distinction between justi 
fication and sanctification. The two great moral and religious 
elements, namely, entire self-renunciation arid entire faith in 
God through Jesus Christ, are involved in both of these religi 
ous experiences, and give to them a close relationship ; without, 
however, confounding them and making them one. They are 
related to each other, without ceasing to be separate. 

Justification, while it does not exclude the present, has special 
reference to the past. Sanctification, subsequent to justification 
in the order of nature, has exclusive reference to the present and 
future. Justification inquires, How shall the sin, which is past, 
be forgiven ? Sanctification inquires, How shall we be kept 
from sin at the present time arid in time to come ? Justification, 
in its result upon individuals, removes the condemnatory power 
or guilt of sin ; while sanctification removes the power of sin 
itself. 

No man can be a Christian who is not justified. But no in 
telligent Christian can rest satisfied with justification alone. 
" He hungers and thirsts after righteousness." He, who pro 
fesses to be a Christian, and yet has not this hungering and 
thirsting after a heart that is sanctified, has no good reason to 
believe that he has ever known the blessedness of a heart that 
is justified. " By their fruits," says the Saviour, " ye shall know 
them." Sanctification is the fruit. 

A sanctified heart is only another expression for a holy heart 
a heart from which selfishness is excluded, which loves God 
with all its power of love. From this time, Madame Guyon 
professed to love God with such love. 



OF MADAME GtfYON. 129 

Whether we call this state of experience pure love or perfect 
love, whether we denominate it sanctification or assurance of 
faith, is perhaps not very essential. Certain it is, that it seemed 
to her, without professing or presuming to be beyond the possi 
bility of mistake, that she loved her heavenly Father, in accord 
ance with what the Saviour requires of us, with her whole power 
of loving. And accordingly she could no longer hesitate to 
apply to herself some of the strongest expressions, descriptive of 
the inward life, which are found in the Scriptures. She could 
say, with the apostle, " I live ; yet not I, but Christ liveth in 
me ; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the 
faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for 
me" (Gal. ii. 20). She understood, as she never did before, 
the import of the same apostle in the eighth chapter of Romans : 
" There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in 
Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit ; 
for the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me 
free from the law of sin and death" (Rom. viii. 1, 2). She, 
who a short time before believed herself outcast, had now the 
faith and the courage a courage based upon faith and adorned 
with the deepest humility to appropriate the beautiful conclu 
sion of the same chapter, " / am persuaded that neither death, 
nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things 
present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other 
creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which 
is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (ver. 38, 39). 

The Torrents is obviously a work drawn chiefly from her own 
experience. In the latter part of it, she describes the state of 
her mind at this period, without, however, any distinct reference 
to herself, except that she occasionally speaks in the first per 
son, as if forgetting for a moment the style of narration which 
she had adopted. 

" Great was the change which I had now experienced ; but 
still, in my exterior life, I appeared to others quite simple, un 
obtrusive, and common. And the reason was, that my soul was 
not only brought into harmony with itself and with God, but 

I 



130 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

with God s providences. In the exercise of faith and love, I 
endured and performed whatever came in God s providence, in 
submission, in thankfulness, and silence. I was now in God 
and God in me ; and where God is, there is as much simplicity 
as power. And what I did was done in such simplicity and 
childlikeness of spirit, that the world did not observe anything 
which was much calculated to attract notice. 

" I had a deep peace which seemed to pervade the whole soul, 
and resulted from the fact, that all my desires were fulfilled in 
God. I feared nothing ; that is, considered in its ultimate re 
sults and relations, because my strong faith placed God at the 
head of all perplexities and events. I desired nothing but what 
I now had, because I had a full belief that, in my present state 
of mind, the results of each moment constituted the fulfilment of 
the Divine purposes. As a sanctified heart is always in harmony 
with the Divine providences, I had no will but the Divine will, 
of which such providences are the true and appropriate expres 
sion. How could such a soul have other than a deep peace, not 
limited to the uncertainties of the emotional part of our nature, 
but which pervaded and blessed the whole mind ! Nothing 
seemed to diminish it ; nothing troubled it. 

" I do not mean to say that I was in a state in which I could 
not be afflicted. My physical system, my senses, had not lost 
the power of suffering. My natural sensibilities were suscep 
tible of being pained. Oftentimes I suffered much. But in the 
centre of the soul, if I may so express it, there was Divine and 
supreme peace. The soul, considered in its connexion with the 
objects immediately around it, might at times be troubled and 
afflicted ; but the soul, considered in its relation to God and the 
Divine will, was entirely calm, trustful, and happy. The trouble 
at the circumference, originating in part from a disordered physi 
cal constitution, did not affect and disturb the Divine peace of 
the centre. 

" One characteristic of this higher degree of experience was a 
sense of inward purity. My mind had such a oneness with God, 
such a unity with the Divine nature, that nothing seemea to 



OF MADAME GUYON. 131 

have power to soil it and to diminish its purity. It experienced 
the truth of that declaration of Scripture, that * to the pure all 
things are pure. The pollution which surrounds, has no power 
upon it ; as the dark and impure mud does not defile the sun 
beams that shine upon it, which rather appear brighter and 
purer from the contrast. 

" But though I was so much blessed, I was not conscious of 
any merit, nor tempted by any suggestions of merit in myself. 
Indeed, I seemed to be so united with God, so made one with 
the centre and sum of all good, that my thoughts did not easily 
turn upon myself as a distinct object of reflection ; and, con 
sequently, it would not have been an easy thing for me to attach 
to myself the idea of merit. If I had done virtuously and meri 
toriously by a laborious effort, the idea of merit would more 
naturally and readily have suggested itself, and I might have 
been tempted to indulge thoughts of that kind. But now that 
God had become the inward operator, and every movement was 
a movement originating, as it were, in a Divine inspiration, and 
as a holy life had become as natural to me as the life of nature 
formerly had been, I could not well attribute to myself what 
evidently belonged to God. To Him, and to Him only, to His 
goodness and His grace, I attributed all worthiness, all praise. 

" It was one of the characteristics of my experience at this 
time, that I could not move myself, or bring myself into action, 
from the principle of self, because self was gone. I stood silent 
and unmoved in the midst of God s providences, until the time 
of movement came, which was indicated by these providences. 
Then I decided, when God called me to decide, and with God to 
help me to decide. 

" From this time, I found myself in the enjoyment of liberty. 
My mind experienced a remarkable facility in doing and suffer 
ing everything which presented itself in the order of God s pro 
vidence. God s order became its law. In fulfilling this law, it 
experienced no inward repugnance, but fulfilled its own highest 
wishes, and therefore could not but be conscious of the highest 
inward liberty. When the soul loses the limit of selfishness, 



132 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

a limit which fixes the soul in itself, it has no limit but in 
God, who is without limits. What limit, then, can be placed to 
the length and breadth of its freedom ? 

" I regard the deprivations and the sufferings of Job, and his 
subsequent restoration to prosperity and to the manifestations of 
the Divine favour, as a history which illustrates, as if in a mirror, 
the process of inward death and inward resurrection which is 
experienced by those who arrive at the state of full interior 
transformation. God first took away everything, and then re 
stored everything, as it were, a hundred-fold. And so in the 
inward life. Our worldly possessions, our property, our influence, 
our reputation, our health, are taken away, if God sees it neces 
sary ; He then smites our domestic and other affections, which 
have persons for their objects rather than things, either by 
smiting and withering the affections in themselves, or in the ob 
jects to which they are attached. He then proceeds to crucify 
the subject of the Divine operation, to any attachment to and 
reliance on his outward works as a ground of merit and accept 
ance. In its death to everything where self reigns instead of 
God, the mind dies also to any sense of its own inward exercises 
and virtues, so far as they are a ground of self-gratulation and 
complacency. Nor does this process stop, till the life of nature, 
which consists in inordinate attachments, is entirely extermi 
nated. But the soul cannot live without a life of some kind. 
There are but two, and can be but two principles of moral life 
in the universe ; one, which makes ourselves, or the most limited 
private good, the centre ; the other, which makes God, who 
may be called the Universal Good, the centre. When self dies 
in the soul, God lives ; when self is annihilated, God is en 
throned. 

" In this state of mind I did not practise the virtues as virtues. 
That is to say, I did not make them distinct objects of contem 
plation, and endeavour to practise them, as a person generally 
does in the beginnings of the Christian life, by a separate and 
constrained effort. I seemed to practise them naturally, almost 
instinctively. The effort, if I had made one, would have been 



OF MADAME GUfON. 133 

to do otherwise. It was my life to do them. Charity, sincerity, 
truth, humility, submission, and every other virtue, seemed to be 
involved in my present state of mind, and to make a part of it ; 
being, each in its appropriate place, an element of life." 

Christians in a higher state of religious experience, those 
especially who are in a state of assured faith and love, may be 
compared to fountains which flow out of themselves. In the lan 
guage of the Saviour, the water which is in them is a " well of 
water springing up to everlasting life." It is true, that, like the 
waters of Siloa, which came from the sides of Mount Zion, and 
which were pleasing to God and to His people, they generally 
flow softly; but they flow abundantly and constantly. Nor is it 
a small thing, that they do not flow in artificial channels, which 
men s hands have cut for them, but in those which God has 
appointed ; " at their own sweet will," as some one has ex 
pressed it, and yet in reality without any will of their own. And 
bearing life to others, as well as having life in themselves, the 
trees grow and flowers bloom on their banks ; and when the 
weary traveller comes there, he finds the cooling shade above, as 
well as the refreshing draught beneath. 

The work of sanctification, wherever it exists, is a work which 
enters deeply into our nature. Neither reason, nor experience, 
nor Scripture, authorizes us to speak of it, when it truly exists, 
as a superficial work ; that is to say, a work near the surface and 
easy to be done. It is not the application of something which 
alters and polishes the outside merely. It is not, properly 
speaking, a remodelling and improvement of the old nature, so 
much as a renovation. 

Some things go under the name of sanctification, to which 
that term is not strictly applicable. The man of whom the 
Saviour speaks in the Gospel, could say, very truly, " / fast 
twice in the week; I give tithes of all I possess." Many per 
sons who have subjected themselves to the greatest outward 
austerities, have complained that they did not experience that 
communion and acceptance with God, which they had antici- 



134 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

Some persons, in addition to the rectification of the outward 
nature, have had a degree and kind of inward experience which 
is truly remarkable. It is not an experience, which, properly 
speaking, can be described as sanctification ; but is sometimes 
taken for it. These persons have been much exercised on the 
subject of a holy life ; they have experienced much anxiety in 
regard to it ; and in consequence of the new views they have 
had, and the inward victories they have obtained, have been 
the subjects of a high degree of joy. Sometimes the joy, owing 
in part, I suppose, to some peculiarities of mental character, 
is sudden, intense, overwhelming. They suppose themselves 
wholly and for ever conquerors. Not being in a situation fully 
to analyze their feelings, it is not wonderful that they make 
mistakes, and ascribe wholly to grace what is partly due to 
nature ; attributing to religion what belongs to physical or 
selfish excitement. Experience often shows that the sanctifica 
tion which they profess under such circumstances, has not those 
elements of kindness, of forbearance and meekness, of permanent 
faith and of inward subjection and nothingness, which are ne 
cessary to characterize it as true. It is a sanctification evidently 
limited and imperfect, because it was not able to reach and 
subdue that terrible refuge and fortress of evil, the natural 
will. 

If these views are correct, they tend to diminish very much 
the danger sometimes supposed to attend this subject, which, in 
a few words, is this. If we allow the possibility of sanctification 
in the present life, we shall, from time to time, find persons 
who will profess this blessing, without possessing it ; a mistake 
which cannot well exist without being more or less injurious. 
The same danger attends the doctrine, that we may possess reli 
gion in any degree whatever short of sanctification. A man may 
profess religion without possessing it, and the mistake may be 
very injurious. And in all cases whatever, where the profession 
is not accordant with the reality, those evils cannot fail to fol 
low which are naturally attendant upon error. 

But if sanctification is so thoroughly explorative and reriovat- 



OF MADAME GUYON. 135 

ing, and if it be generally understood to be what it really is, 
people will be cautious in making the profession. At least, if 
the profession is falsely made, the error will easily be detected. 
He, to whom the grace of sanctification can be truly ascribed, is 
one with Christ a man meek, contented, benevolent, and de 
voutly acquiescent in whatever bears the stamp of providence 
a man who goes hither and thither on errands of wisdom and 
mercy, without tumult and noise ; doing good to others without 
asking or expecting return ; in his spirit, where the Holy Ghost 
dwells, divinely peaceful, because he is in harmony with God. 
Such a man, on his lips, his countenance, his actions, his life, 
has a Divine seal. 

There is one question which naturally arises here. Is it abso 
lutely necessary to undergo all which Madame Guyon passed 
through, in order to experience these results ? I think that this 
question may properly be answered in the negative. Some resist 
the operation of God, because they are afraid of God ; some, be 
cause in the process of the inward operation they do not under 
stand what He is doing and to what He is tending ; and still 
more because they love the world and the things of the world, 
more than they love God and the things of God. Resistance on 
the part of the creature, from whatever cause it may arise, im 
plies and requires aggressive acts of trial, infliction, and reproof, 
on the part of Him whose right it is to rule. And the greater 
the resistance, the greater must be the blow which aims to sub 
due it. Those who resist much, will suffer much. 

" Some persons are not brought to this state of freedom from 
the world and of union with God, without passing through 
exceeding afflictions, both external and internal. And this 
happens partly through ignorance, and partly and more gene 
rally through SELF- WILL. They are slow to learn what is to be 
done, and equally reluctant to submit to its being done. God 
desires and intends that they shall be His ; but they still love 
the world. They would perhaps be pleased to have God for 
their portion ; but they must have something besides God 
They would like to have God and their idols at the same time 



136 



LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 



And there they remain for a time, fixed, obstinate, inflexible. 
But God loves them. Therefore, as they will not learn by kind 
ness, they must learn by terror. The sword of Providence and 
the Spirit is applied successively to every tie that binds them to 
the world. They are smitten within and without ; burned with 
fire ; overwhelmed with the waters ; peeled and scathed and 
blasted to the very extremity of endurance ; till they learn in 
this dreadful baptism the inconsistency of the attempted worship 
of God and Mammon, and are led to see, that God is and ought 
to be the true and only Sovereign." 

But souls in whom grace is triumphant, are not beyond or 
above the cross. Such grace enables us to bear the cross, but 
it does not deliver us from it. Madame Guyon was willing to 
follow in the steps of the Saviour whom she loved. Christ had 
crowned her ; and perhaps it was a crown of thorns. But He 
himself had worn it ; and that was enough to make it infinitely 
dear to her heart. Spiritually, she had entered into rest. But 
the rest of earth ought not to be confounded with the rest of 
heaven. The one sleeps amid roses, and is wrapped in sun 
shine ; the other has a dwelling-place with clouds and tempests 
for its canopy, with thorns and briars for its covering. She 
welcomed, therefore, the cross still, now and in all time to come, 
till her head should be laid in the grave. The following poem 
expresses some of her sentiments on this subject : 

THE JOY OF THE CROSS. 



LONG plunged in sorrow, I resign 
My soul to that dear hand of thine, 

Without reserve or fear : 
That hand shall wipe my streaming eyes , 
Or into smiles of glad surprise 

Transform the falling tear. 



My rapid hours pursue the course, 
Prescribed them by love s sweetest force 

And by thy sovereign will, 
Without a wish to escape my doom ; 
Though still a sufferer from the womb, 

And doom d to suffer still. 



My sole possession is thy love ; 
In earth beneath, or heaven above, 

I have no other store ; 
And though with fervent suit I pray, 
And importune thee, night and day, 

I ask thee nothing more. 



By thy command, where er I stray, 
SORROW attends me all my way, 

A never-failing friend ; 
And, if my sufferings may augment 
Thy praise, behold me well content, 

Let Sorrow still attend ! 



OF MADAME GUYON. 



137 



Adieu ! ye vain delights of earth, 
Insipid sports, and childish mirth, 

I taste no sweets in you ; 
Unknown delights are in the cross, 
All joy beside to me is dross ; 

And Jesus thought so too. 

The Cross I ravishment and bliss 
How grateful e en its anguish is ; 

Its bitterness how sweet ! 
There every sense, and all the mind, 
In all her faculties refined, 

Taste happiness complete. 

Soula, once enabled to disdain 
Base, sublunary joys, maintain 

Their dignity secure ; 
The fever of desire is pass d, 
And Love has all its genuine taste, 

IB delicate and pure. 



Self-love no grace in Sorrow sees, 
Consults her own peculiar ease : 

Tis all the bliss she knows ; 
But nobler aims true Love employ, 
In self-denial is her joy, 

In suffering her repose. 

Sorrow and Love go side by side ; 
Nor height nor depth can e er divida 

Their heaven-appointed bands ; 
Those dear associates still are one, 
Nor, till the race of life is run, 

Disjoin their wedded hands. 

Jesus, avenger of our fall, 
Thou faithful lover, above all 

The cross have ever borne ! 
tell me life is in thy voice- 
How much afflictions were thy choloo, 

And sloth and ease thy scorn 1 



Thy choice and mine shall be the same, 
Inspirer of that holyjlame 

Which must for ever blaze ! 
To take the cross and follow thee, 
Where love and duty lead, shall be 

My portion and my praise. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



Uncertainty as to her future course Thoughts of a Nunnery Decides against Proposals 
of marriage All such propositions decided against Course still uncertain Short season 
of comparative retirement and peace Poem. 

IN this new and encouraging state of her feelings, the ques 
tion now pressed, What course should she take during the re 
mainder of her life ? She believed, and she had some support 
for her belief in the Scriptures, that inaction, or rather a suspen 
sion of action, until Providence indicates the course to be taken, 
with some degree of clearness, is the only true and safe action. 
At such times, Providence requires no other kind of action than 
that of waiting. 

And this action is far from being unimportant, because it 
implies a resigned and submissive spirit a rejection of all un- 



138 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

holy motives and impulses a sincere desire to know the truth 
and a recognition of God s readiness to impart it. Indeed, to 
make men wait submissively and patiently until He sees fit to 
permit and authorize their action in subordination to His own 
time and manner of action, is a part, and a merciful and import 
ant part, of God s discipline of His children. 

The first plan which suggested itself, was to arrange her af 
fairs and to go into a nunnery. There, in retirement arid silence, 
it seemed to her, as she looked at the subject on its first being 
presented, that she might serve God and benefit her fellow- 
creatures, without the hazards to which she had formerly been 
exposed. Many were the names cherished in her own personal 
recollections, and celebrated in history, of those, worn out with 
the cares and sorrows of the world, who had thus sought God 
and that peace of God which passes understanding, in places of 
religious seclusion. She thought of Genevieve Granger, of her 
own sainted sister, who first watched over and instructed her in 
the Ursuline seminary ; the Marys and the Catharines of other 
times, the De Chantals and the St. Theresas, came to recollec 
tion. But it required no great reach of thought to conclude, 
that those who go to the convent, or any other place, without 
being led there by the wisdom and signature of an overruling 
providence, will fail to find God, whatever may be the professed 
object of their search, either as the guide or the end of their 
journey. There was another and a higher question first to be 
answered, What is God s will ? Looking at this proposed course 
in the light of the Divine will, and, in order to know that will, 
considering it in its connexion with what she owed to her family 
and the world, she decided against it. 

The situation of her children, in particular, had weight in this 
decision. She was still the head of a family, and could not dis 
regard the claims and duties of that responsible relation. " I 
was still restricted in my movements," she says, " in having two 
children given me in so short a time before my husband s death. 
If I had been left with my eldest son alone, I should probably 
have placed him at some college, and have gone myself into the 



OP MADAME GUYON. 139 

Convent of the Benedictines. But the situation of my younger 
children precluded all thoughts of this kind. God had other 
designs upon me." 

Among other things was the question of a second marriage. 
Proposals were made by three different persons. At the middle 
age of life, possessed of great wealth, with a high reputation for 
intelligence and refined culture, and entitled to move in the 
leading circles of society, the question was one which brought 
itself home to her situation, sympathies, arid prospects of useful 
ness. Carrying this matter, as she did everything else, to God, 
she came to the conclusion that she was called to another sphere 
of responsibility and duty. The question was decided on general 
principles. She says, " There was one of these persons, in 
particular, whose high birth and amiable exterior qualities, 
might, under other circumstances, have had an influence on my 
inclinations. But I was resolved to be God s alone." 

Thus bidding adieu to the world, without shutting herself out 
of the world, she awaited the course of events. Her present 
position, however, and field of labour, did not satisfy her. She 
had an inward conviction, without being discontented or anxi 
ous, that the purposes of God were not fulfilled in it. She 
seemed to see a hand in the clouds which beckoned her away, 
but she knew not whither. There seemed to be a voice in her 
spirit, a voice uttered secretly but authoritatively, which said, 
that there were other duties and other crosses before her. Pro 
vidence had not unfolded its intentions. But she knew that the 
sign of God would be written on her awakened spirit in His 
own good time. 

Meanwhile she enjoyed a short season of comparative retire 
ment and rest. It was now the summer of 1680. " my 
Lord," she says, " what happiness did I not largely taste, in my 
solitude and with my little family, where nothing interrupted 
my tranquillity 1 Living near Paris, but out of its limits, I en 
joyed the advantages of the country as well as of the city. My 
younger children were of an age which did not require from me 
much personal care and attention, especially as I was assisted in 



140 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

taking care of them by persons well qualified for that office. I 
often retired into a forest near my residence ; and many were 
the hours and days of religious communion and happiness which 
I passed there." In the simple and affecting language of one of 
her poems, 

Here sweetly forgetting and wholly forgot, 

By the world and its turbulent throng, 
The birds and the streams lend me many a note, 

That aids meditation and song. 

Ye desolate scenes, to your solitude led, 

My life I in praises employ, 
And scarce know the source of the tears that I shed, 

Whether springing from sorrow or joy. 

Though awfully silent, and shaggy, and rude, 

I am charm d with the peace ye afford ; 
Your shades are a temple where none will intrude 

The abode of my lover and Lord. 

Ah ! send me not back to the race of mankind, 

Perrersely by folly beguiled ; 
For where in the crowds I have left shall I find 

The spirit and heart of a child ? 

Here let me, though fix d in a desert, be free, 

A little one, whom they despise ; 
Though lost to the world, if in union with Thee, 

I am holy, and happy, and wise. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

1880 Remarkable incident in a church Effect on her mind Consulted by a person on a 
mission to Siam Asks his opinion on her plan of going on a mission to Geneva His ad 
vice Visit of Bishop D Aranthon at Paris Consults him Decides to leave for Gex 
Charities during the winter of 1680 Efforts for the spiritual good of others Preparations 
for departure Trials of mind Remarks upon them and the opinions of others. 

IT is to this period, either the summer or early in the autumn 
of 1680, that we refer the following incident. " I was obliged," 
she says, " to go to Paris about some business. Having entered 
into a church that was very dark, I went up to the first confessor 
I found there. I had never seen him before, and have never 
seen him since. I made a simple and short confession ; but with 



OF MADAME GUYON. 141 

the confessor himself, aside from the religious act, I did not enter 
into conversation. And accordingly, he surprised me much in 
saying of his own accord, * I know not who you are, whether 
maid, wife, or widow ; but I feel a strong inward emotion to ex 
hort you to do what the Lord has made known to you that He 
requires of you. I have nothing else to say/ 

" I answered him, Father, I am a widow, who have little 
children. What else could God require of me, but to take due 
care of them in their education ? He replied, I know nothing 
about this. You know if God manifests to you that He requires 
something of you, there is nothing in the world which ought to 
hinder you from doing His will. One must leave one s children 
to do this: " 

This remark, coming in this unexpected manner, touched her 
in a point of great interest. The conviction had gradually 
formed itself in her mind, that she must leave her present resi 
dence, and labour somewhere at a distance. But how could she 
leave her children ? This question caused her some perplexity ; 
but she was not long in perceiving, that it is easier to the holy 
mind to leave one s children, however strong their claim upon 
the affections, than to leave any path of duty which God s pro 
vidence clearly points out. The words, heard under circum 
stances so singular, reminded her of the words of the Saviour : 
" He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy oj 
me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not 
worthy of me" (Matt. x. 37, 38.) 

She had nearly concluded, though with some doubts, that she 
was called to religious labours in that part of France and Savoy 
which borders on the Kepublic of Geneva, and perhaps in 
Geneva itself. If, in the state of her affairs, she could not very 
conveniently, or consistently, devote herself to labours among 
the unchristianized heathen, she would, by labouring in the dis 
tant and rude towns and provinces at the foot of the Alps, sus 
tain a position hardly less trying in itself, or less beneficial in 
its consequences. While deliberating, she was visited by a reli 
gious friend from a distance, who came, in part, to consult her 



142 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

on a design of going 1 on a mission to Siam. With some reluc 
tance he opened the subject. As his age and infirmities seemed 
to disqualify him for so difficult and distant an enterprise, she 
did not hesitate to discourage him. 

But said she, " I have reason to think, that God has sent you 
here not merely to get an opinion in regard to your mission, but 
to give an opinion in regard to mine. I need your assistance 
and your advice." Her friend kept the subject under considera 
tion for some days ; and at last gave an opinion favourable to 
her plans, subject only to this condition, that she should first 
submit the matter to Bishop D Aranthon, who bore the title of 
Bishop of Geneva, although he resided at Anneci, twenty miles 
south of Geneva, and under whose directions she would naturally 
be placed in going into that part of France. It was the opinion 
of this person, that if D Aranthon approved, she should go ; but 
if not, as he was in a situation especially fitted to judge of it, 
she should give up the design. 

To this view she readily assented. It seemed so important to 
ascertain fully the views of Bishop D Aranthon, and such was 
the interest felt by this person himself, that he offered to go 
personally to Anneci, and lay the subject before him. Madame 
Guyon hesitated somewhat, because, although he was full of 
religious fervour, and wished to spend his last days in attempt 
ing to convert the Siamese, he was physically unfitted, at his 
period of life, to endure much hardship. While they were thus 
considering, two travellers, both of them religious persons, called 
with no object apparently but that of resting, and stated that 
Bishop D Aranthon was then in Paris. 

He was an humble, sincere man. As Protestants, we would 
naturally consider him to be in some errors ; but he had the 
great merit of being sincere. The people, over whose religious 
interests he presided, were for the most part poor, engaged in 
agricultural pursuits, and simple in their thoughts and manners. 
They dwelt partly in Savoy and partly in France ; in sterile 
out romantic regions, situated at the foot of the Alpine ranges. 
Sympathizing 1 with a people, whose lot could be mitigated and 



OF MADAME GUYON. 143 

rendered happy only by the influences of religion, he loved them, 
and laboured most sincerely and faithfully. And it was a great 
satisfaction to him to find any person, especially such a woman 
as Madame Guyon, willing to co-operate in spreading among 
them the knowledge of Jesus Christ. 

Madame Guyon visited him without delay, and she speaks of 
but one visit to him. The author of the Life of D Aranthon 
says that there were a number of interviews. The good Bishop 
received her frankly and kindly. She stated her situation, 
experience, and fixed purpose to devote herself to the service 
of God. But how and where, she knew not ; except that the 
concurrence of providences, combined with something within 
her, seemed to indicate that she might, perhaps, labour profit 
ably in the distant part of France, and the contiguous portion 
of Savoy. It had occurred to her also, to employ the substance 
which God had given her, in forming a charitable establishment 
for the resort of those who might be found truly willing to serve 
God, and might need such aid. " The Bishop," she says, 
" approved my design." 

She determined, in concurrence with D Aranthon, and also 
Father La Combe, whom she thought it proper to consult by 
letter, to leave Paris, as soon as her affairs could be adjusted, 
and reside at Gex, until Providence should indicate some other 
field of labour. Gex is in the extreme east of France, within 
the modern department of Ain, twelve miles from Geneva. It 
is a town of some note, situated at the foot of Mount St. Claude, 
one of the summits which constitute the celebrated Alpine 
range, called the Jura mountains. 

As, however, the arrangements for so long a journey, and so 
complete a change could not be fully made until late in the 
autumn, it was determined to postpone her departure till the 
spring or summer of the next year. Meanwhile, however, she 
was not idle. In addition to the cares and labours incident to 
her removal, she declined no labour, which the warmest Chris 
tian charity and fidelity required her to undertake for others. 

In the winter of 1680, which was very long and severe, there 



144 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

was a scarcity in France. Amid the dense population of Paris 
and its suburbs, it might perhaps be denominated a famine. 
Aroused by the cries of distress, Madame Guyon made every 
effort to relieve the many persons who stood in need. For a 
considerable time she distributed some hundreds of loaves of 
bread at her house every week, besides charities of a more private 
nature. In addition, she made arrangements for a number of 
poor boys and girls, and kept them at work. 

God not only gave her strength and means to do it, but she 
adds, that He " gave such blessings to my alms, that I did not 
find that my family lost anything by it." " True charity," she 
remarks further, " instead of wasting or lessening the substance 
of the donor, blesses, increases, and multiplies it profusely. If 
men fully believed this, how much that is now uselessly dissi 
pated, would be given to the poor, which would scarcely bless 
those who might receive it more than those who might give." 

She was assiduous also, although in a somewhat private 
manner, for the spiritual good of others. She mentions a num 
ber of individuals, and one whole family in particular, whom 
she thinks she was the means of greatly benefiting in this re 
spect. The cases were similar to many others to which she 
alludes in her history ; but they show that the sentiment of 
benevolence, the principle of doing good, had taken strong and 
permanent possession of her mind. The righteous shall say 
unto the Saviour at the last day, " Lord, when saw we thee 
an hungered, and fed thee ? or thirsty, and gave thee drink ? 
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in ? or naked, and 
clothed thee ? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and 
came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto 
them : Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto 
one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." 
(Matt. xxv. 37-40.) 

As her departure approached, she made every preparation 
proper and necessary. Some important arrangements were to 
be made as to her property, of which she regarded herself as 
merely the stewardess ; and while, therefore, she could not 



OF MADAME GUYON. 145 

employ it in personal gratifications on the one hand, she could 
not wholly neglect it on the other. She made such provision 
as seemed to be desirable, for those friends and relatives, as well 
as others, whom Providence had made especially dependent on 
her. Her two sons she placed in the care of persons who would 
gee everything done, which could reasonably be expected, for 
their morals and education. Her little daughter it was her 
intention to take with her. 

But she experienced, at this juncture, some trials, both inward 
and outward. Clear as the course proposed was to her own 
mind, and strongly as it was approved by many religious persons 
in whom she had confidence, there were others to whom it ap 
peared objectionable. " One day," she says, " when I was 
thinking over my plans, I found myself looking at them in the 
human light rather than in God s light, and I found myself 
tempted and staggered. The thought arose, perhaps I am mis 
taken. At this moment an Ecclesiastic came in, who was in 
the habit of visiting at my house, and said to me very promptly, 
that the undertaking was rash and ill-advised. I confess that 
I had some feelings of discouragement. 

" But going to my Bible, to see what light I could find there, 
I opened at Isaiah xli. 14, as follows : Fear not, thou worm 
Jacob, and ye men of Israel. I will help thee, saith the Lord, 
and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. And opening at 
the 43d chapter, I read as follows : When thou passes t 
through the waters, I will be with thee ; and through the rivers, 
they shall not overflow thee. When thou walkest through the 
fire, thou shalt not be burnt ; neither shall the flame kindle 
upon thee ; for I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, 
thy Saviour. As I thus read, my heart was strengthened. My 
doubts fled away. Relying on God, what occasion had I to 
fear ? I resolved to go, although I might appear a fool in the 
eyes of others ; regardless of the censures of those who know 
not what it is to be a servant of God, and to receive and obey 
His orders." 

Her trial in regard to her children was very considerable ; but 



146 LIFE AtfD RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

she was enabled, through grace, entirely to surmount it. She 
loved them ; " especially," she says, " my youngest son. I saw 
him inclined to good, and everything seemed to favour the hopes 
I had conceived of him. I was not insensible to the risk of 
leaving him to another s education. My daughter was at this 
time ill of a very tedious fever. Providence was pleased, how 
ever, so to order it, that she recovered her health in season to 
take the journey with me. The ties with which God held me 
closely united to Himself, were infinitely stronger than those of 
flesh and blood. The laws of my sacred marriage obliged rne 
to give up all, to follow my spouse whithersoever it was His 
pleasure to call me. Though from time to time I had doubts 
and trials of mind before I went upon this religious mission, 
after my departure I never doubted of its being God s will. 

" And though men, who judge of things only according to the 
success which follows them, have taken occasion, from my sub 
sequent disgraces and sufferings, to judge of my calling, and to 
run it down as error, illusion, and imagination, it is that very 
persecution, and the multitude of strange crosses (of which this 
imprisonment which I now suffer is one}* which have confirmed 
me in the certainty of its truth and validity. Nay, I am more 
than ever convinced, that the resignation which I have made of 
everything, is in pure obedience to the Divine will. The Gospel 
effectually, in this point, shows itself to be true, which has 
promised to those that shall leave all for the love of God, * a 
hundred-fold in this life, and persecutions also. 

" And have not I infinitely more than a hundred-fold, in so 
entire a possession as thou, my God, hast taken of me ; in that 
unshaken firmness which thou givest me in my sufferings ; in 
that perfect tranquillity in the midst of a furious tempest, which 
assaults me on every side ; in that unspeakable joy, enlargedness, 
and liberty which I enjoy, at the very time of an imprisonment 
rigorous and severe ? I have no desire that my imprisonment 
should end before the right time. I love my chains. Every 
thing is equal to me, as I have no will of my own, but purely 

* She wrote thi? -a-hen a prisoner in the Convent of St. Marie 



OP MADAME GUYON. 147 

the love and will of Him who possesses me. My senses indeed 
have not any relish for such things ; but my heart is separated 
from them, and borne over them ; and my perseverance is not 
of myself, but of Him who is my life ; so that I can say with 
the apostle, It is no more I that live, but Jesus Christ that 
liveth in me. And if His life is in me, so my life is in Him. 
Tt is He in whom I live, and move, and have my being. 



CHAPTER XX. 

July 1681, leaves Paris Manner of leaving and reasons of it Her companions Her child 
makes crosses, and then weaves a crown for her Stops at Oorbeil Meets the Franciscan, 
formerly instrumental in her conversion Conversation Sails for Melun Meditations 
References to her poetry Poem. 

SHE left Paris, as nearly as can now be ascertained, early in 
July 1681. Considerable opposition to her designs manifested 
itself in some quarters, which rendered it possible, at least, that 
efforts might be secretly and perhaps violently made to prevent 
her departure. Her half-brother, La Mothe, who seems to have 
felt that he had some claims, or at least some expectations, on 
her property, had influence in high places, especially with the 
Archbishop of Paris, who had influence with the king. Much 
regard was not paid to the liberty of the subject. Not unfre- 
quently persons were seized suddenly and sent to the prison of 
Vincennes, or the Bastile, by orders secretly and maliciously 
obtained. 

Madame Guyon knew this, and at a later period she had ex 
perience of it. She thought it best, therefore, not to place her 
self in a situation where any attempt of this kind could be made 
upon her. Accordingly she departed privately from Paris, in a 
boat on the Seine. With her little daughter five years of age, 
attended only by a devout woman, whom she calls Sister Gamier, 
and two female domestics; one of whom, I suppose, was the 



148 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

inaid-servant to whom God gave so much of her spirit, and who 
shared for many years her labours and imprisonments. 

She went forth with a definite object ; but still she might say 
in some sense, that she went forth " not knowing whither she 
went." She was now in her thirty-fourth year. Home and 
friends she might be said to know no more ; she became a repre 
sentative of what she aptly calls the " apostolic life," with the 
world for her country, and all mankind for her brethren. From 
this time also we may number what she calls her " years of 
banishment." Wanderings, persecutions, imprisonments, exile, 
were her portion. 

Alone upon the waters, she adored and rejoiced in God in 
silence. Still something within her whispered sadness to her 
heart. Her situation seemed to resemble that of the apostle 
Paul, when he went up, for the last time, to Jerusalem. 
" I go bound," he says, " in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not 
knowing the things that shall befall me there ; save that the 
Holy Ghost witnesses in every city, saying, that bonds and 
afflictions abide me." Her little daughter sat in the boat, and 
employed herself in cutting the leaves and twigs which she had 
gathered on the river banks, or as they had floated by on the 
water, into the shape of crosses. In this way she made a great 
number ; and then, apparently unconscious of what she was 
doing, she fastened many of them to the garments of her mother. 
Her mother, at first, did not particularly notice what she was 
doing ; but directing her attention to it soon afterwards, she 
found herself almost literally covered with crosses. Having 
borne the cross in times past, and seeing but little prospect of a 
different result in future, she could not help looking on the act 
of her child as a sort of symbol and foreshadowing of what she 
would be called to endure. Sister Gamier remarked to Madame 
Guyon, " The doings of this child appear to be mysterious." 
And turning to the child, she said, " My pretty child, give me 
some crosses too." " No," she said ; " they are all for my dear 
mother." But she gave her one to stop her importunity. 

But what was the surprise of Madame Guyon, when she saw 



OF MADAME GUYON 149 

her daughter a little afterwards weaving together a crown of 
leaves and river flowers. She came and insisted on placing the 
crown upon her head ; saying, " After the cross you shall be 
crowned 1 This perfected the symbol. First the trial, and 
then the reward ; the night of affliction succeeded by the dawn 
ing and the noon-day of joy. First the Cross, and then the 
Crown. This gave the transaction, though the doing of a little 
child, the character of a sign of Providence. And though 
"bonds and afflictions" awaited her, she could add, with the 
apostle, " None of these things move me ; neither count I my life 
dear unto me, so that I might finish my course with joy. 3 

Their boat stopped at Corbeil, a pleasant town of some size, 
seventeen miles from Paris. Her stay was short. But she met 
there the pious Franciscan whose conversation had been so much 
blessed to her in the early part of her religious history. She had 
kept up a correspondence with him for many years, and looked 
upon him as one of the most experienced and valuable of her re 
ligious friends. Their interview recalled many pleasant recol 
lections, and was calculated to fill their hearts with gratitude. 
She related the dealings of God, which had resulted in her 
present design. The Franciscan, now advanced in years and 
mature in judgment, approved her plans, and invoked the Divine 
blessing upon them. 

Once more upon the Seine, she saw with pleasure the impulse 
of oar and sail. The tree grew upon the banks ; the flower bent 
its stalk to the waters ; the breeze wafted odours ; the birds 
gang in the branches. But there was nothing which she could 
dissociate from God ; in all she heard God s voice ; in all she 
saw God s glory. She saw the husbandman as he went to his 
home his cottage beneath the trees on the river s bank ; and 
she could not help thinking, in the secret of her heart, that earth 
had no home for her. But though a pilgrim, she was not alone ; 
though homeless, she had a habitation not made with hands. 

The state of her mind is found delineated in her poems. No 
person but a Christian of confirmed and thorough piety could 
have written the following beautiful stanzas, evidently drawn 



150 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

from her own experience. Poetry is the heart expressed; or, 
at all events, there is no poetry where there is no heart. The 
poetry of Madame Guy on, whatever defects may attach to it, 
has the merit of expressing precisely what she was, and what 
she felt. These stanzas are emphatically the sentiments of the 
day and the hour ; the spirit and voice of the world s wanderer. 

GOD EVERYWHERE TO THE SOUL THAT LOVES HIM. 

O Thou by long experience tried, Could I be cast where Thou art not, 

Near whom no grief can long abide ; That were indeed a dreadful lot ; 

My Lord ! how full of sweet content, But regions none remote I call, 

/ pass my years of banishment. Secure of finding God in all. 

All scenes alike engaging prove My country, Lord, art Thou alone : 

To eouls impress d with sacred love : No other can I claim or own ; 

Where er they dwell, they dwell in Thee, The point where all my wishes meet. 

In heaven, in earth, or on the sea. My law, my love ; life s only sweet. 

To me remains nor place nor time ; I hold by nothing here below ; 

My country is in every clime ; Appoint my journey, and I go ; 

/ can be calm and free from care Though pierced by scorn, opprest by pride 

On any shore, since God is there. I feel the good, feel nought beside. 

While place we seek, or place we shun, No frowns of men can hurtful prove 

The touljinds happiness in none : To souls on fire with heavenly love ; 

But with a God to (/uide our way, Though men and devils both condemn, 

"Pis equal joy to go or stay. No gloomy days arise for them. 

Ah, then ! to His embrace repair, 
My soul, thou art no stranger there ; 
There love Divine shall be thy guard, 
And peace and safety thy reward. 



CHAPTER XXL 

Arrives at Lyons Remarks Proceeds to Anneci Remarks on this journey Religious 
services at the tomb of St. Francis de Sales Arrives at Gex, 23d of July 1681 Death 
of M. Bertot Appointment of La Combe Inward religious state Benevolent efforts- 
New views of the nature of her mission Sanctification by faith Visit to Gex Personal 
labours with La Combe Favourable results. 

THE boat stopped at Melun, a pleasant town, twenty-five miles 
south-east of Paris. Immediately she took passage with her 
companions, with the exception of Sister Gamier, who stopped 
at Mehm, in one of the public conveyances that travelled 



OF MADAME GUYON. 151 

between Melun and Lyons. Lyons, formerly the second city of 
France for beauty, commerce, and opulence, is situated at the 
confluence of the Rhone and Saone, two hundred and twenty 
miles south-east of Paris. Distinguished as it was for its public 
structures, besides other objects of interest, she spent no longer 
time in it than was necessary to recover a little from the ex 
haustion of her journey. She could not indulge curiosity, except 
in subordination to the claims of religious duty and of God s 
glory. 

From Lyons she took the most direct and expeditious route 
to Anneci, the residence of Bishop D Aranthon. Speaking of 
this journey, she says, " It was very fatiguing. The toils of the 
day were followed by almost sleepless nights. My daughter, a 
very tender child and only five years of age, got scarcely any 
sleep, perhaps three hours a night. And yet we both bore so 
great a fatigue without falling sick by the way. My daughter 
showed no uneasiness, and made no complaint. At other times 
half this fatigue, or even the want of rest which I endured, 
would have thrown me into a fit of sickness. God only knows 
both the sacrifices which He induced me to make, and the joy 
of my heart in offering up everything to Him. Had I been 
possessed of kingdoms and empires, I should have offered them 
all up with the greatest joy, in order to give Him the highest 
marks and evidences of love. 

" As we passed from town to town, I made it my practice, 
when we arrived at the public inn, to go into the nearest church, 
and spend my time in acts of devotion, till summoned to my 
meals. And when travelling, I did not cease to pray inwardly 
and commune with God, although those with me did not per 
ceive, or at least comprehend it. My communion with God, and 
my strong faith in Him, had a tendency to sustain my spirits 
and render me cheerful. Disengaged from the world, and de 
voted exclusively to God s work and will, I found myself uttering 
the pleasure of my heart aloud in songs of praise. We passed 
through some dangerous places, especially between Lyons and 
Chamberri. And at one time our carriage broke down. But 



152 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

God wonderfully preserved us. He seemed to be to ns a pillar 
of fire by night, and a pillar of cloud by day" 

She arrived at Anneci on the 21st of July 1681. Next day, 
some religious services, which had special reference to her arrival, 
were performed by the bishop at the tomb of St. Francis de Sales. 
The memory of this distinguished man was exceedingly dear to 
her. She seemed to feel a special union with him, and to hold, 
as it were, with his departed spirit, " the holy intercourse of 
friend with friend ; united with him in Christ, and with Christ 
in God, who binds all His people, both the dead and the living, 
in one immortal tie." 

The 22d of July was a day which, since the year 1668, when 
she first knew the blessedness of believing, she had never per 
mitted to pass without special observance. On this day, nine 
years before, she had given herself to God in the most solemn 
manner, with the formality of a written act. To this she refers 
when she says, " It was there, at the tomb of St. Francis de 
Sales, that I renewed my spiritual marriage with my Kedeemer, 
as I did every year on this day" She was refreshed by the re 
collection of the striking passage in the Prophet Hosea, " And 
I will betroth thee unto me for ever ; yea, I will betroth thee unto 
me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving -kindness, and 
in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness ; and 
thou shalt know the Lord" 

On the 23d of July, she continued her journey, making a 
short stop in Geneva at the house of the French consul, where 
religious services were performed. She speaks of it as having 
been a day of much spiritual consolation. " It seemed to me," she 
says, " as if God united Himself to me in a powerful and special 
manner." Near the close of the day, she passed again within 
France, which she had left in going to Anneci and Geneva ; and, 
making her way along the base of the Jura mountains, reached 
Gex. She took np her residence at the house of the Sisters of 
Charity, who received her very kindly. 

M. Bertot, whom, as her authorized Director, Madame Guyon 
had consulted for many years, and in whom she placed 



OP MADAME GUYON. 153 

confidence, seems to have been a man of learning and piety, 
characterized by a high degree of caution. She says he was 
retired and difficult of access ; and not at all inclined to think 
favourably of any religious experience which partook much of 
the marvellous and extraordinary. Nevertheless, on being con 
sulted in relation to her mission, he gave his approval of it. A 
short time after she saw him on this subject, he was taken ill, 
and died. His works, containing some letters of Madame Guyori 
on spiritual subjects, were published after his death. 

One of the first acts of Bishop D Aranthon, after her arrival 
at Gex, was to appoint Director, in Bertot s place, Father La 
Combe. The selection met her views and wishes. Bertot s 
views and experience were not altogether accordant with hers. 

Madame Guyon speaks of the early part of her residence at 
Gex as characterized by sweet and happy peace of mind and 
most intimate communion with God. Many times she awoke 
at midnight, with such a presence of God in her soul, that she 
could no longer sleep, but arose and spent hours in prayer and 
praise and Divine communion. On one occasion her exercises 
were connected with the scripture, " Lo, I come to do thy will, 
God ;" which was brought to her mind very forcibly, and so 
applied to her own situation and feelings as to cause the most 
devout and pleasing reflections. " It was accompanied," she 
says, " with the most pure, penetrating, and powerful communi 
cation of grace that I had ever experienced. And here I may 
remark, that, although my soul was truly renovated, as to know 
nothing but God alone, yet it was not in that strength and 
immutability in which it has since been." 

She was now on a field of labour remote from the noise and 
temptations of cities, to which she had looked forward with 
great interest. She had come without any prescribed course of 
action. But he who has the heart of a true missionary, will 
find something which can be done benevolently and religiously, 
wherever he goes ; and that, too, without the formalities and 
aids of antecedent arrangements. God opens the way to those 
that love Him. In connexion with other religious persons, she 



154 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

endeavoured to do good to the poor, the ignorant, and suffering, 
especially in giving religious instruction. 

She merely alludes to her labours incidentally and briefly. 
She was skilled in making ointments and applying them to 
wounds, and thought she might be very beneficial to those who 
were afflicted in that way, especially the poor. And she con 
templated devoting herself wholly to benevolent measures of 
this kind. It was obviously her expectation to labour very 
much as she had laboured in times past ; praying, instructing, 
visiting the sick, and giving to the needy ; with the simple 
difference, that now her labours were to be performed in a dif 
ferent situation and among a different class of people. Her 
labours and charities were such that Bishop D Aranthon wrote 
her a polite letter, expressive of his gratitude. 

But it was not long before a new voice began to utter itself 
in her heart. The thought, or the voice, which God puts within 
as, is often at variance with mere human wisdom. In more 
than one sense can it be said, that " God s thoughts are not as 
our thoughts." He not unfrequently leads His people in a way 
which they know not. In God s view the time of the thing is 
as essential as the thing itself. In sending her from Paris to 
the foot of the Jura, among a poor and unknown people, He 
imposed a mission upon her which she did not know, and which 
He did not design that she should know a burden which she 
understood afterwards, but not now. 

The voice inwardly, in the form of a new and imperious con 
viction, began to speak. Something within her seemed to say, 
that this was not the special and great work which God had 
called her to perform. Her mind was perplexed, and she was 
at a loss what course to take. At this time Father La Combe 
came to Gex. He advised her to set apart a season of special 
supplication for the purpose of ascertaining more definitely what 
the will of the Lord might be. But on endeavouring to carry 
this advice into effect, she thought it best to leave the subject 
to ths decisions of Providence. 

God never has failed, and never will fail to make known His 



OF MADAME GUYON. 155 

will, in His own time and way, to those who have true and un 
reserved hearts to do His will. In fact, His will exists in His 
present providences ; they are the letters in which it is written. 
And the heart that perfectly corresponds to God s providences, 
perfectly corresponds to His will. It was God s will that she 
should go, not knowing whither she went. A cloud rested upon 
her path. The seal of her mission was not yet broken. What 
could she do then but wait, adore, and be silent ? And this was 
her answer, practically at least, to La Combe a man much less 
advanced than herself. " God," she thought in her heart, " will 
not fail to indicate to me what course I should take, when, on 
the one hand, He finds me ready to do His commands, and when 
on the other He is ready to make His commands known. I 
leave, therefore, everything with Him, and with His providences. 

THY WILL BE DONE." 

The work which the Lord had assigned her, was wholly dif 
ferent from what she had anticipated. God often works thus. 
Thus, at the foot of the Alps, when she thought her great 
business was to make ointments, and cut linen, and bind up 
wounds, and tend the sick, and teach poor children the alphabet 
and the catechism (important vocations to those whom Provi 
dence calls to them), she uttered a word from her burdened 
heart, in her simplicity, without knowing or thinking how widely 
it would affect the interests of humanity, or through how many 
distant ages it would be re-echoed. And that word was, Sancti- 
fication by Faith. 

Both the thing and the manner of the thing struck those who 
heard her with astonishment. Sanctification itself was repug 
nant ; and sanctification by faith inexplicable. In the Pro 
testant Church, it would have been hardly tolerable ; but in the 
Roman Catholic Church, which is characterized by ceremonial 
observances, the toleration of a sentiment which ascribes the 
highest results of inward experience to faith alone, was impos 
sible. So that, instead of being regarded as an humble and 
devout Catholic, as she supposed herself to be, she found herself 
suddenly denounced as a heretic. But the Word was in her 



156 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

heart, formed there by infinite wisdom ; and in obedience to that 
deep and sanctified conviction which constitutes the soul s in 
ward voice, she uttered it ; uttered it now, and uttered it always, 
" though bonds and imprisonments awaited her." 

She used discretion, however ; but not hypocrisy. She did 
not esteem it advisable to propose the highest results of the 
religious life to those who had hardly made a beginning, and 
who had not, as yet, experienced the blessing of justification. 
But when she met with those who believed in Christ as a 
Saviour from the penalty of a violated law, she seemed to be 
impelled by a sort of religious instinct, originating in her own 
blessed experience, to recommend Him also as a Saviour from 
present transgression, as a Saviour who can and does communi 
cate His own spirit of truth, meekness, gentleness, purity, and 
holiness of heart to those who, in the spirit of entire self-renun 
ciation, look to Him believingly for these great blessings. She 
said what was in her, in God s time, without variation and 
without fear, scarcely knowing what she did. 

Her friend the Franciscan had made some suggestions on the 
course which she might find it expedient to pursue. Pie seems 
to have understood the state of things at Gex, especially among 
that class of persons entitled the New Catholics, with whom it 
was thought probable that she might be called particularly to 
labour. " He mentioned," she says, " a number of things about 
them, in order to show me that my views on religious experience, 
and my experience, were quite different from what I should be 
likely to find among them. He gave me to understand that I 
must be very cautious in letting them know that I walked in 
the inward path that is to say, in a life which rests upon faith; 
assuring me, if I were not so, that I could reasonably expect 
nothing but persecutions from them." 

But it was difficult for her to understand and receive this 
advice. The way of God bad become so clear to her, that she 
did not readily perceive how others, in the foolishness of the 
natural heart, might stumble at it. And if they did stumble at 
it, was it not the way of God still ? And ought it not to be 



OF MADAME GUYON. 157 

proclaimed as such ? " It is in vain," she remarks, in connexion 
with this conversation, " to contrive to hide ourselves from the 
blow, when God sees it best for us to suffer, and especially when 
our wills are utterly resigned to Him, and totally passed into 
His. Saviour, how didst thou submit to the blow, yea, how 
didst thou smite, as it were, upon thyself, in submission to thy 
Father s holy will I I am thine, solemnly devoted to the one 
thing of being like Thee, of being conformed to Thee. Thou 
didst suffer ; and I will suffer with Thee. I refuse nothing. 
If it be thy will, my own hand shall strike the wound into my 
own bosom." 

She said, on proper occasions, what she had to say without 
concealment. It was now evident that God, for this very pur 
pose, had sent her there. God sent her abroad, that she might 
preach the more effectually at home. He placed her at the cir 
cumference, that beginning, not " at Jerusalem," but at the 
furthest place from Jerusalem, she might operate back from thc^ 
circumference to the centre. The woman s voice that uttered 
itself in self-devoted banishment, at the foot of the Jura, was 
heard in due time in the high places of Paris. When she had 
spoken, her eyes were opened in relation to her position. Some 
believed and rejoiced ; some disbelieved and reproached her, 
and were angry. 

At this juncture, of those whose learning and position in 
society rendered their concurrence particularly important, one 
individual only stood by her, both in sentiment and action 
Father La Combe. Providence favoured and supported her here. 
He was her spiritual Director ; understood her principles and 
experience ; had something, although lingering far behind her, 
of the same thorough inward life. On his return to Thonori, he 
invited her to go with him. This invitation she accepted, as 
the excursion would be favourable to her enfeebled health, and 
entirely within the limits of the present sphere of her labours. 
They decided to take the nearest way across the Leman lake. 
Boats were continually crossing, which offered them a passage. 
Embarked in her little vessel, she was now on the wave of 



158 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

those waters, and in the bosom of those mountains, which 
philosophers and poets have delighted to behold, and have loved 
to celebrate : 

" Clear, placid Leman ! thy contrasted lake, 

With the wide world I dwelt in, is a thing 

Which warns me, with its stillness, to forsake 

Earth s troubled waters for a purer spring." 

It was in the sight of the place where she now was, that Gibbon 
and Voltaire subsequently resided and wrote. These very 
waters, and the cliffs and cottages and snow-crowned summits 
that hung over them, have since inspired the genius of Rousseau 
and Byron. With deep feeling they admired these wonderful 
works ; she, with no less admiration of the works, admired them 
still more, as the mighty mirror of the God who made them. 
They drew their inspiration from the mountains, which, though 
formed of adamant, must sooner or later crumble and pass away ; 
she drew her inspiration from the God of the mountains, who 
endures for ever. 

Before they reached the eastern side of the lake, one of those 
sudden and fierce storms arose, to which this body of water is 
subject. The dark clouds wrapped them; their little boat 
dashed violently upon the waves ; the boatmen were in conster 
nation. But to her the storm brought no terror. Faith, which 
places God in the centre God, who is love under all circum 
stances, in the storm as well as in the sunshine had equalized 
all. Calmly she awaited the result. God protected the little 
company, and they arrived safely at their place of destination. 

Twelve days she stayed at Thonon, at the Ursuline Convent, 
a portion of the time in retirement, separate from the world, but 
not alone. God was with her. But she never forgot the mission 
which she now felt was committed to her namely, the procla 
mation, to all who bear the name of Christ, of Holiness based 
upon Faith, as their present privilege and possession. To ac 
complish her for this work, God had not only established her 
position in society, and given her vast powers of thought, but, 
what was still more necessary, had subjected her inmost nature 



OF MADAME GUYON. 159 

to the terrible discipline of His providences, and to the flaming 
scrutiny of His Holy Spirit. 

At this time her mind was very much taken up with the 
spiritual condition of La Combe nominally, her Director. But 
really the spiritual direction was with the one to whom God had 
actually given the deepest experience and the largest measures 
of His grace. The relation in which they stood to each other, 
gave them frequent opportunities of conversation. He was pre 
pared to listen to her, independently of other considerations, 
because she had been the instrument, many years before, of his 
advancement in religion, if not of his first religious experience. 
She saw that he had much ; but she felt that he ought to have 
more. 

His religious state, as she has delineated it, was precisely this. 
Intellectually he received the doctrine of sanctification, as some 
thing to be experienced now. On this point he did not doubt. 
His prayers, his resolutions, his efforts, attended by Divine grace, 
were not in vain. His experience failed, in having too large a 
share of the apparitional and emotional. He attached an undue 
value to sights and sounds, and to emotions of mere joy, con 
sidered as the exclusive or the principal evidences of religion. 
It was obviously very hard for him to walk in the narrow way 
of faith alone. 

" Father La Combe," she says, " having walked a long time 
by testimonies, as he called them, that is to say, by sensible marks 
and signs, could not easily remove himself from that way of 
living, and enter upon a better one. He was too much dis 
posed to seek for those things which satisfy human sense and 
reason. Hard was it for him to walk in the poor and low and 
despised way of entire self-renunciation and of simple faith. No 
one can tell what it cost me, before he was formed according to 
the will of God. It was hard for him to die entirely to self. I 
did not grieve when I saw him suffer. I had such a desire for 
his spiritual progress and perfection, that I could willingly have 
wished him all the crosses and afflictions imaginable, that might 
have conduced to this great and blessed end. He lay like a 



160 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

heavy burden upon my spirit. I had no resource but to carry 
it to the Lord, who had placed it upon me. 

La Combe renounced all, that he might receive all. He 
wanted no other signs or tokens of his acceptance, than the de 
claration of God s words, that all who give themselves to Him 
to do His will in faith, are safe. He could not but foresee, that 
doctrinal views so different from those which were generally 
entertained, must occasion remark, and would probably excite 
permanent and deep opposition. But he had grace and strength 
sufficient to leave all in the Lord s hands. 

Recognising in Madame Guyon the instrument, under God, of 
his own spiritual renovation and progress, he entertained for her 
those sentiments of respect and of Christian affection, which 
both her natural and Christian character seemed justly to claim. 
From this time their history is, to some extent, linked together. 
Believing that the Gospel had power to purify and perfect, as 
well as to save from the infliction of punishment, they did what 
they could to realize this great result, and to make their fellow- 
beings holy. In their common trials, as well as in their common 
labours, they sympathized with each other, and endeavoured to 
strengthen the latter, and to alleviate the former, by a written 
correspondence carried on for many years. They met with re 
bukes, opposition, and imprisonments. But God, who had given 
them the promise, was with them to the end. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

Account of the hermit of Thou on, Anselm Return to G ex Thrown from a horse Labours 
The case of a poor woman Sermon of La Combe on Holiness Called to account 
Views of Bishop D Aranthon Proposes to Madame Guyon to give up her property and 
become prioress of a Religious House at Gex Her refusal Remarkable conversation be 
tween D Aranthon and La Combe Remarks upon D Aranthou s course and character- 
Opposition to Madame Guyon. 

" AT Thonon," she says, " I found a hermit, whom the people 
called Anselm, a person of the most extraordinary sanctity 



OP MADAME GUYON. 161 

that had appeared for some time. God had wonderfully drawn 
him from Geneva at twelve years of age. With the permission 
of the cardinal, at that time Archbishop of Aix, in Provence, he 
had taken the habit of hermit of St. Augustine, at the age of 
nineteen. This man and another person lived together in a little 
hermitage, which they had prepared for themselves, where they 
saw nobody but such as came to visit them in their solitary place. 
He had lived twelve years in this hermitage. He seldom ate 
anything but pulse, prepared with salt and sometimes with oil ; 
with the exception that three times a week he made his meals of 
bread and water. He wore for a shirt a coarse hair-cloth, and 
lodged on the bare ground. He was a man of great piety, living 
in a continual state of prayer, and in the greatest humility. 
He had been the instrument, in God s hands, of many remark 
able things. 

" This good hermit, who had been acquainted with Father La 
Combe for some time, and had learned something of me, seemed 
to have a clear perception of the designs of God in relation to us. 
God had showed him, as he assured us, that we were both 
destined, in His providence, for the guidance and aid of souls ; 
but that this mission of God would not be fulfilled in us, without 
our experiencing at the same time various and strange crosses." 

At the expiration of twelve days she returned to Gex, by the 
way of Geneva, a longer route, but avoiding the exposures of 
an open boat upon the lake. The French consul proposed to 
her to complete the remainder of her journey, only ten miles, on 
horseback, and offered one of his own horses. " I had some 
difficulty," she remarks, " in accepting this proposal, as I was 
not much acquainted with riding on horseback. The consul 
assuring me, however, that the horse was very gentle, and that 
there was no danger, I ventured to mount him. There was a 
sort of smith standing by, who looked at me with a wild, hag 
gard look. This man, just as I had got fairly seated upon the 
animal, took it into his head to strike him with a heavy blow upon 
the back, which made him start very suddenly. The result was, 
that I was thrown upon the ground violently, falling upon ra 



162 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

temple, and injuring two of my teeth and the cheek-bone. I 
was so much stunned and hurt, that I could not proceed immedi 
ately ; but after resting awhile and recovering myself, I took 
another horse, and with a rider beside me, to render any 
necessary assistance, I proceeded on my way." 

At Gex she continued to labour, as God gave her opportunity. 
There was a poor woman from the neighbouring country, who 
seems to have been religious, in the common acceptation of the 
term, and even eminently so. " She was one," says Madame 
Guyon, " on whom the Lord had conferred very singular graces. 
She was in such high religious reputation in the place from 
which she came, that she passed there for a saint. Our Lord 
brought her to me, in order that she might understand and see 
the difference between that religion which consists in the pos 
session of spiritual endowments and gifts, and that which con 
sists in the possession of the Giver." 

This woman passed through the same struggle, and experi 
enced the same blessing which others experienced ; no longer a 
great Christian by being great, but by being little ; no longer 
great in her own eyes because she had experienced much, but 
great in the eyes of God, because she had become nothing in 
herself. 

This case illustrates the nature of a portion of her labours at 
this time. She endeavoured to establish and instil permanent 
principles of practical Christianity, believing, as she did, that 
true Christianity, considered in its renovating and sanctifying 
relations, does not consist in having God s gifts merely, but 
chiefly and especially in having God himself in the soul by a 
perfect union with His will. She felt herself particularly called 
upon to point out this difference, between emotional experience, 
which feeds upon what is given, both good and bad, and voli 
tional experience, which feeds upon what ts, namely, upon God s 
will alone ; or, what is the same thing, upon " every word which 
proceedeth out of His mouth." And on the basis of this distinc 
tion, she sometimes intimates, that the doctrines of sanctification, 
or of inward holy living, may be reduced for the most part, to 



OP MADAME GUYON. 163 

the two great principles of self-renunciation on the one hand, 
and of perfect union with the Divine will on the other. He 
who has nothing in himself, has all in God. 

About this time Father La Combe was called to preach on 
some public occasion. The new doctrine, as it was termed, was 
not altogether a secret. Public curiosity had become excited. 
He chose for his text the passage in Psalm xlv. 13 "The king s 
daughter is all glorious within; her clothing is of wrought gold." 

By the king he understood Christ; by the king s daughter, 
the Church. His doctrine was, whatever might be true in re 
gard to men s original depravity, that those who are truly given 
to Christ, and are in full harmony with Him, are delivered from 
it ; that is to say, are " all glorious within." Like Christ, they 
love God with a love free from selfishness, with pure love. Like 
Christ, they are come to do the will of the Father. Christ is 
formed in them. They not only have faith in Christ, and faith 
in God through Christ, but, as the result of this faith, they have 
Christ s disposition. They are now in a situation to say of 
themselves individually, in the language of the apostle Paul, 
" I live ; and yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." 

He did not maintain that all Christians are necessarily the 
subjects of this advanced state of Christian experience, but en 
deavoured to show that this is a possible state ; that, however 
intense human depravity may be, the grace of God has power to 
overcome it ; that the example of Christ, the full and rich pro 
mises, and even the commands, give encouragement to effort, 
and confidence in ultimate victory. And without making allu 
sions to himself, or to the remarkable woman whose experience 
and instructions had revived the doctrine of present sanctification, 
now almost forgotten, although not unknown to the pious of for 
mer times, he could not hesitate to maintain that there have been, 
that there may be, and that there are, truly holy hearts in this 
depraved world. On this basis, he preached HOLINESS, not 
merely as a thing to be proclaimed, but to be experienced, not 
merely as theme of pulpit declamation, but as a matter of per 
sonal realization. 



164 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

Great was the consternation when it was found that men were 
not merely required to be holy, but, what is practically a differ 
ent thing, were expected to be holy. The requisition was ad 
mitted ; but the belief of its practical possibility, and the expec 
tation of the fulfilment of it, which would imply a close scrutiny 
into the irregular lives of many, were rejected as visionary, and 
condemned as heretical. La Combe, accordingly, although he 
was a man whose learning and eloquence entitled him to no 
small degree of consideration, was called to account. 

An ecclesiastic of considerable standing and influence wrlh 
Bishop D Aranthon not only declared that the sermon was 
full of errors, but, conscious perhaps of some irregularities, 
which the doctrine of practical holiness might not easily tolerate, 
he took the position that it was preached against himself per 
sonally. He drew up eight propositions, expressive of sentiments 
which ought not to pass unnoticed. 

Madame Guyon asserts, that he inserted in these propositions 
statements which La Combe had not advanced, and adjusted 
them as maliciously as possible. He sent them to one of his 
friends at Kome, that their heretical character might be ascer 
tained by the proper ecclesiastical authorities, and the author 
might feel in due season, the discriminating and repressive hand 
of the Inquisition. No formal condemnation, however, was pro 
nounced. Probably the authorities at Kome, watchful as they 
generally are in the matter of heretical tendencies, did not con 
sider the movements of an ecclesiastic as yet almost unknown, 
and residing in a remote and obscure place, as threatening any 
very great evils, even if considerably divergent from the strict 
line of Koman Catholic orthodoxy. La Combe escaped this time. 

Bishop D Aranthon had the sagacity to perceive, that the 
responsibility of this movement, which both excited his curiosity 
and alarmed his fears, rested chiefly upon Madame Guyon. He 
did not hesitate to express his sincere regard for her talents and 
virtues ; but he could not conceal from himself the fact, that her 
piety and intellectual ascendency rendered her opinions the 
more dangerous, if they were not true. He determined there- 



OF MADAME GUYON. 165 

fore, after considerable consultation with some of his ecclesiastics, 
that she should not continue to labour within his diocese, unless 
in a different way and on different principles. He had approved 
of her coming, as an executor of charities, and not as a teacher 
of dogmatics. 

But he adopted a novel plan, more ingenious than wise. He 
proposed to her to give her property, or that portion still within 
her control, to one of the religious houses at Gex, and to become 
herself the prioress of it. Desirous of preventing her departure, 
he reasoned, very naturally, that her position as prioress of a 
religious community, would give scope to her fertile and active 
powers of thought and piety, without furnishing opportunity to 
diffuse her exertions and influence beyond its limits, and thus 
good would be realized without the existing dangers. The 
proposition does not appear to have been in all respects imprac 
ticable. She probably would have had no difficulty in disposing 
of that portion of her property which had not been settled on 
her children, and which still stood in her own name, for some 
religious purpose ; indeed, she repeatedly declared her readiness 
to do it ; but the inward voice, the voice of God in the soul, de 
clared imperatively, that the new and higher mission to which 
God had called her, could not be fulfilled by such a course. She 
based her refusal upon two propositions : FIRST, that she could not 
consistently and regularly become prioress, because she had not 
passed through the regular period prescribed to noviciates ; and, 
SECOND, because by remaining permanently at Gex, she would 
incur the hazard and the sin of opposing and defeating the 
obvious designs of God in regard to her. 

The good man had his heart too much set upon his design to 
receive this unfavourable decision with entire equanimity. In 
this position of affairs, Father La Combe visited Anneci. He 
found the bishop somewhat dissatisfied and afflicted ; and the 
following conversation took place between them : 

D Aranthon. You must absolutely engage this lady to give 
her property to the religious house at Gex, and become the 
prioress of it. 



166 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

La Combe. You know, sir, what Madame Guyon has told 
you of the dealings of God with her, and of what she has con 
sidered her religious vocation, both when you saw her at Paris, 
and also since she had been in this region. She has given her 
self up to do God s will. For this one thing, she has quitted all 
other things ; and I do not believe that she will accept your 
propositions, if she has any fear that by so doing she will put 
it out of her power to accomplish the designs of God in regard 
to her. She has offered to stay with the sisters at the religious 
house at Gex, as a boarder. If they are willing to keep her as 
such, she will remain with them ; if not, she is resolved to re 
tire, temporarily, into some convent, till God shall dispose of 
her otherwise. 

D Aranthon. I know all that ; but I likewise know that she 
is so very obedient to you as her spiritual adviser and director, 
that, if you lay your commands upon her, she will assuredly 
comply with them. 

La Combe. That is the very reason, sir, why I hesitate. 
Where great confidence is reposed, we should be very careful 
how we abuse it. I shall not compel Madame Guyon, on the 
ground of the confidence she has reposed in me, or of the spiri 
tual authority which I possess over her coming as she does 
from a distant place after having made such sacrifices of her 
property as she has, to give up the whole of the remainder of it 
to a religious house, not yet fully established, and which, if it 
ever should be, cannot be of any great use under the existing 
circumstances. 

D Aranthon. I do not accept your view of the subject. Your 
reasons, permit me to say, are without application and value. 
T f you do not make her do it, I shall suspend and degrade you. 

La Combe. Be it so, sir. I cannot do what I believe to be 
wrong. I am ready not only to suffer suspension, but even 
death itself, rather than do anything against my conscience. 

La Combe perceived that these things indicated anything 
rather than harmony and safety. Not knowing but some sudden 
measures might be taken, which would prejudice her security, 



OF MADAME GUYON. 167 

he immediately sent Madame Gruyon some account of this inter 
view, by express. But she continued calmly in her work, visit 
ing the sick, relieving the poor, and instructing the ignorant ; 
and especially inculcating on all the necessity of a heart wholly 
given to God. And in doing this, she began to touch upon a 
subject, which is rather of a delicate nature in the Church of 
which she was a member. She thought it necessary, with all 
possible discretion and kindness, to distinguish between the reli 
gion of forms and the religion of reality, between outward reli 
gion and inward religion, between genuflexions and signs of the 
cross made upon the exterior of the person, on the one hand, and 
prostrations and crucifixions of that which is interior, on the 
other. This seemed to her very important, although she ad 
mitted that forms and ceremonies were good, and to some extent 
necessary, in their place. In doing this, she took a course which 
was never forgotten nor forgiven. 

But this was not all. She had learned the value of the Bible. 
In the eleventh or twelfth year of her age, as a pupil in the 
Dominican convent at Montargis, she one day found a Bible in 
the room assigned her. " I spent," she says, " whole days in 
reading it ; giving no attention to other books or other subjects 
from morning to night. And having great powers of recollec 
tion, I committed to memory the historical parts entirely." 
From that time the Bible was dear to her. Her constant refer 
ences to the Scriptures would be a decisive proof of this, even if 
we had not the additional and remarkable evidence, that she 
afterwards wrote and published, in the French language, twenty 
volumes of practical and spiritual commentary on the Sacred 
Writings. She felt it her duty, therefore, in opposition to the 
prevalent views among her own people at that time, to recom 
mend and to urge the reading of the Bible. She regarded this 
as essential. This was another and great ground of offence. 

Previous to this, Bishop D Aranthon, with a kindness credi 
table to him as a man and a Christian, had visited Madame 
Guyon. She speaks of this visit in the following terms : " Soon 
after my arrival at Gex, Bishop D Aranthon came to see us. T 



168 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

spoke to him of the religion of the heart. He was so clearly 
convinced, and so much affected, that he could not forbear ex 
pressing his feelings. He opened his heart on what God re 
quired from him. He confessed his own deviations. Every 
time, when I spoke to him on these subjects, he entered into 
what I said, and acknowledged it to be the truth. But the 
effect of what I said was done away in a considerable degree by 
others. As soon as persons who sought for pre-eminence, and 
could not suffer any good but what came from themselves, spoke 
to him, he was so weak as to let himself be imposed upon with 
impressions against the truth. This foible, with others, has 
hindered him from doing all the good which otherwise he might 
have done in his diocese." 

D Aranthon seems to have been a good man ; sincere, bene 
volent, laborious. He encouraged the coming of Madame Guyon 
into his diocese, and received her with kindness and respect. 
When she conversed with him on the importance of possessing 
a heart truly redeemed and sanctified through the blood of Christ, 
the good bishop could not but feel that her conversation, woman 
though she was, made him a wiser and a better man. But he 
was wanting m fixedness of purpose. 

Some were jealous of woman s influence ; others loved sin 
more than they feared woman, and would have felt no uneasiness 
at Madame Guyon s eloquence, if not employed in denouncing 
their own baseness ; and others very sincerely believed that her 
doctrines were more nearly allied to Protestantism, than to 
Roman Catholic orthodoxy. These persons had an effect upon 
D Aranthon, who gradually, but apparently with reluctance, 
assumed the attitude of opposition. 

He returned from Gex to Anneci. The course subsequently 
taken by La Combe, and especially his sermon, increased his 
fears. It naturally confirmed him in this state, when he learned 
that the new doctrine, involving the free and common use of the 
Bible, and the value of ecclesiastical observances and ceremonies, 
was extending itself. In this state of mind he made the pro 
positions mentioned, thinking that her time would be so occupied 



OF MADAME GUYON. 169 

with the duties of her position as to prevent efforts in the dis 
semination of her doctrines ; and that if not, her poverty would 
render her dependent, and they could thus exact that compliance 
from her weakness, which they had no expectation of extorting 
from her moral principle. 

From this time D Aranthon, if he could not strictly be re 
garded as an enemy, ceased to be a friend. Thus she was left 
without any one on whom she could rely for adequate protection, 
exposed to various trials, which were calculated severely to test 
her patience and faith. Her doctrine was denounced as here 
tical ; her character was aspersed ; and she was exposed to 
personal inconveniences and dangers. 

We have some notices of her inward experience at this time. 
" In God I found," she says, " with increase everything which 
I had lost. In my long state of special trial and deprivation, 
my seven years crucifixion, my intellect, as well as my heart, 
seemed to be broken. But when God gave back to me that 
love which I had supposed to be lost, although I had never 
ceased to love Him, He restored the powers of perception and 
thought also. That intellect, which I once thought I had lost 
in a strange stupidity, was restored to me with inconceivable 
advantages. I was astonished at myself. The understanding, 
as well as the heart, seemed to have received an increased capa 
city from God ; so much so that others noticed it, and spoke of 
its greatly increased power. It seemed to me that I experienced 
something of the state which the apostles were in, after they had 
received the Holy Ghost. I knew, I comprehended, I was 
enabled to do intellectually as well as physically, everything 
which was requisite. I had every sort of good thing, and no 
want of anything. I remembered that fine passage, which is 
found in the apocryphal book called the Wisdom of Solomon. 
Speaking of WISDOM, the writer, in the seventh chapter, says, 
* I prayed, and understanding was given me ; I called upon God, 
and the spirit of Wisdom came to me. I loved her above health 
and beauty, and chose to have her instead of light ; for the light 
that cometh from her never goeth out. All good things together 



170 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

came to me with her, and innumerable riches in her hands 
Wisdom came to me in Christ. When Jesus Christ, the Eternal 
Wisdom, is formed in the soul, after the death of the first Adam, 
it finds in Him all good things communicated to it." 

We are not to understand from the expressions just quoted 
that God, in all cases, or even generally, accompanies the reno 
vation and sanctification of the heart with a greatly increased 
expansion and power of the intellect. Religion is good for the 
intellect ; it helps the intellect ; clearing the mists of passion 
and removing the incumbrances of prejudice, and giving an in 
creased degree of clearness and energy, both of perception and 
combination. 

In the case of Madame Guyon, her powers were rapid and 
vast beyond ordinary examples ; and having been prostrated so 
many years, they appeared at the time of her restoration the 
more rapid and more vast and wonderful by the contrast. Add 
to this that clearness and energy, which the renovation of the 
heart, by being formed into Christ s image, always gives, and 
I think we have an adequate explanation of the strong terms in 
which she expresses herself. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

Approaching trials Consolations from Scripture A dream Some causes of the opposition 
against her Frustrates the designs of an ecclesiastic upon an unprotected girl Opposi 
tion and ill treatment from this source A party against her In consequence she leaves 
Qex Crosses the Genevan Lake to Thonon Poem. 

IT was now fully evident that trials, which would be likely 
to be very severe, awaited Madame Guyon. The sacrifices she 
had made and the benevolence of her mission, were no security 
against them. " I saw," she says, " that crosses in abundance 
were likely to fall to my lot. The sky gradually thickened ; 
the storm gathered darkness on every side. But I found support 
and consolation in God and His Word. A passage in the twelfth 



OF MADAME GUYON. 171 

chapter of Hebrews was particularly blessed to me. * Let us 
run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto 
Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith ; who, for the joy that 
was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and 
is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For con 
sider Him who endured such contradiction of sinners against 
Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. I had no 
sooner read this consoling passage, than I prostrated myself, for 
a long time, with my face on the floor. I offered myself to God, 
to receive at His hand all the strokes which His providence 
might see fit to inflict. I said to Him, Thou didst not spare 
thine own beloved Son. It was thy holy one, thy loved one, 
that thou didst account worthy to suffer. And in such as most 
fully bear His image, thou dost still find those who are most 
fitted to bear the heaviest burden of the cross." 

Even her dreams, which by a natural law of the mind s action 
repeat, although they sometimes greatly diversify, our waking 
perceptions and thoughts, seemed mysteriously to confirm hei 
foreboding of sorrows to come. " I saw," she says, " in a sacred 
and mysterious dream (for such I may very well describe it), 
Father La Combe fastened to an enormous cross, deprived oi 
clothing, in the manner in which they paint our Saviour. I 
saw around him, while hanging and suffering in this manner, 
a frightful crowd ; which had the effect to cover me with con 
fusion, and threw back upon myself the ignominy of a punish 
ment, which at first seemed designed for him alone. So that, 
although he appeared to suffer the most pain, it fell to my lot to 
bear the heaviest reproaches. I have since beheld the intima 
tions of this dream fully accomplished." 

The alienation of Bishop D Aranthon, which could not long 
be kept secret, had its influence. But still it was her faithful 
ness in proclaiming salvation by the cross of Christ, and her 
fixedness of purpose in practically opposing wickedness, which 
arrayed against her the greatest number, and those the most 
virulent and uncompromising. 

A single instance will illustrate this remark. An ecclesiastic 



172 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

at Gex, prominent alike by position and personal influence, 
endeavoured to form an intimacy with a beautiful female resi 
dent at the Religious House, of which Madame Guyon was a 
temporary inmate. Her greater knowledge of the world enabled 
Madame Guyon to see, much more distinctly than the unpro 
tected and unsuspicious maid herself, the dangers to which she 
was exposed. Animated by humanity, as well as Christian 
charity, she not only warned the girl of the dangerous artifices 
which beset her, but endeavoured to instruct her in the principles 
of religion, and to lead her to a knowledge of Jesus Christ. The 
girl was distinguished for powers of mind, and gave her most 
vigorous thoughts to the great subject thus presented to her. 

" God so blessed my efforts," says Madame Guyon, " that this 
interesting maid, under the guidance of the great inward 
Teacher, became truly pious ; giving herself to God apparently 
with her whole heart." Naturally she became reserved and 
guarded towards the ecclesiastic mentioned. This man became 
from this time the bitter enemy of Madame Guyon, and all who 
sympathized with her. 

He formed a little party and put himself at the head of it, the 
sole object of which was to render Madame Guyon s situation as 
uncomfortable as possible, and ultimately to drive her from Gex. 
Beginning, after the manner of those with whom the end sanc 
tifies the means, with secret insinuations unfavourable to her 
character, he pursued his object in various ways, with a perse 
verance worthy of a better cause. " This ecclesiastic," she 
says, " began to talk privately of me in a manner calculated to 
bring me into contempt. I was not ignorant of what he was 
doing ; but having, by Divine grace, learned the great lesson of 
pitying and forgiving my enemies, I let everything pass un 
noticed and in silence. 

" At this time there came a certain friar to see the person of 
whom I am speaking. The friar, who mortally hated Father 
La Combe, on account of his greater regularity and religious 
principle, combined his efforts with the other, to drive me from 
the Religions House in which I resided, and thus leave them to 



OF MADAME GUYON. 173 

manage there in their own way, without any opposing influences 
All the means which they could devise they practised for that 
purpose. They succeeded, after a time, in gaining over one of 
the sisters of the House, who acted in the capacity of house- 
steward ; and soon afterwards they gained the prioress." 

Her situation was rendered as uncomfortable and unpleasant 
as possible. " I was disposed," she says, " to do all the good I 
could, physically as well as mentally ; but being of a delicate 
frame, I had but little strength. I had employed two maid 
servants to aid me and my daughter, but finding that the Reli 
gious Community, in which I resided, had need of them, the one 
for a cook, and the other to attend the door and other purposes, 
I consented that they should have their services. In doing this, 
I naturally supposed that they would occasionally allow me their 
aid, especially as I had given them all the funds which I then 
had in possession, and had thus put it out of my power to employ 
other persons. But under the new influences and designs, I was 
not allowed to realize this reasonable expectation. I was com 
pelled to do my sweeping and washing and other domestic 
offices, which I had a right to expect, in part at least, from 
them." 

Another part of the system of vexation consisted in attacks 
upon her room at night. By some sort of contrivance known 
only to those who were in the secret, frightful images were made 
to appear in her room or at the windows. Frightful sounds 
were uttered. The sashes of the room were broken. But 
though she was thus subjected to inconvenience and disturbance, 
she says that the calm peace of her soul was wholly unbroken. 

Among other things, the ecclesiastic at the head of these 
movements, caused all the letters sent to her from friends abroad, 
and also the letters which she sent to them, to be intercepted. 
He had at one time twenty-two intercepted letters lying on his 
table. His object was, she says, " to have it in his power to 
make what impressions he pleased, no matter how unfavourable, 
on the minds of others, and to do it in such a manner that I 
should neither be able to know it, nor to defend myself, nor to 



174 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

end my friends any account of the manner in which I was 
treated." 

She had ties which bound her to Gex. She had made impres 
sions which could not easily be obliterated. The good girl 
whom she rescued from the artifices of the ecclesiastic, she says, 
" grew more and more fervent, by the practice of prayer, in the 
dedication of herseli to the Lord, and more and more tender in 
her sympathy with me." And this was only one instance among 
many. But still she thought the providences of God indicated 
that the time had come when she should leave the place. It 
seemed to her, after a deliberate and prayerful consideration, that 
at Thonon, where she could more easily receive advice and 
assistance from La Combe, she might suffer less, and do more 
good. And in a few days more, she embarked again in a little 
boat, with her two maid-servants and her young daughter. 
Probably this was early in the spring of 1682. She had resided 
at Gex something more than half a year. This was the second 
time she had crossed the Leman Lake. There were no storms 
that day neither was there storm nor trouble within. The 
calm lake, decorated in its vernal beauty, was nature s happy 
image of her own pure and peaceful mind. Without complaint, 
believing that God was glorified in what she had done and suf 
fered, she went forth once more, a pilgrim and a stranger, to 
seek other associates, meet other trials, and sow seed for God in 
other places. 

The following poem describes her feeelings at this time : 



THE CHRISTIAN S HOPES AND CONSOLATIONS CONTRASTED WITH 
THE WORLD S UNBELIEF AND RUIN. 

My heart is easy, and my burden light; 
I Binile, though sad, when God is in my sight. 
The more my woes in secret I deplore, 
I taste thy goodness, and I love thee more. 

There, while a solemn stillness reigns around, 
Faith, love, and hope, within my soul abound; 
And while the world suppose me lost in care. 
The joys of angels unperceived I sbaw 



OP MADAME GUYON. 175 

Thy creatures wrong thee, O thou Sovereign Good I 
Thou art not loved, because not understood , 
This grieves me most, that vain pursuits beguile 
Ungrateful men, regardless of thy smile. 

Frail beauty and false honour are adored ; 
While Thee they scorn, and trifle with thy word / 
Pass, unconcern d, a Saviour s sorrows by, 
Aiid hunt their ruin with a zeal to die. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

Arrives at Thonon Interview with Father La Combe He leaves Thonon for Aost and 
Borne Her remarks to him Confidence that God would justify her Cases of religioui 
inquiry Endeavours to teach those who came to her Some characteristics of a soul that 
lives by faith References to her daughter Visited at Thonon by Bishop d Aranthon 
Renewal of his proposition Final decision against it Her position in the Roman 
Catholic Church References to persons who Lave attempted u, reform in that Church 
Attacks upon the character of La Combe in his absence General attention to religion at 
Thonon Manner of treating inquirers Views of sanctifieatiou Pious laundress Oppo 
wtion by priest* and others Burning of books Remarks 

IN the spring of 1682 she reached Thonon. It is a consider 
able place, sixteen miles north-east of Geneva, situated on the 
eastern side of the lake, near the mouth of the Drance. It is 
the capital of Chablais, one of the provinces of the Duchy of 
Savoy. Having reached this place she became resident, as a 
boarder, in the Ursuline Convent, with her little family. 

The day after her arrival, Father La Combe left Thonon for 
the city of Aost, some sixty or seventy miles distant. Learn 
ing the unexpected arrival of Madame Guyon, he visited her 
before he left. He expressed his sympathy in the trials she was 
called to endure ; and said that he was sorry to leave her in a 
strange country, persecuted as she was by every one, without 
any to advise and aid her. And the more so, as it was his in 
tention to proceed from Aost, whence he was called on business 
of a religious nature to Rome. And he might be detained at 
Rome by those who had authority over him, for some time. 

Undoubtedly this was a disappointment to Madame Guyon. 
She did not wish anything which came to her in God s provi- 



176 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

dence, to be otherwise than it was. She says, " I replied to him, 
My Father, your departure gives me no pain. When God 
aids me through His creatures, I am thankful for it. But I 
value their instrumentality and aid, only as they are subordinate 
to God s glory, and come in God s order. When God sees fit to 
withdraw the consolations and aids of His people, I am satisfied 
to do without them. And much as I should value your presence 
in this season of trial, I am very well content never to see you 
again, if such is God s will. " Well satisfied to find her in such 
a frame of mind, he took his leave and departed. 

It was not the practice of Madame Guyon to be in haste to 
justify herself. This course, so different from that which is 
commonly pursued, which might perhaps appear questionable, 
she adopted on religious principle. At Gex her doctrines had 
been attacked ; her peace assailed by personal rudenesses and 
violence ; and, what must have been deeply afflicting to a woman 
constituted as she was, secret insinuations, unfavourable to her 
moral character, were circulated with unfeeling industry. But 
she left all with God. She believed that innocence and truth 
will always find, in God s time and way, a protector. Never 
will He fail to speak and act for the innocent and the upright, 
if they will only put their trust in Him in this thing as in others. 
The truly holy heart will always say, Let God s will be accom 
plished upon me, as well as accomplished for me. If it be God s 
will that I should suffer rebuke, misrepresentation, and calumny, 
let me not desire the removal of the yoke which His hand has 
imposed upon me, until He himself shall desire it. She left her 
vindication with God, and she found Him faithful. 

It seems to have been her intention to spend a few weeks after 
her arrival at Thonon in retirement, as she needed rest, both 
physically and mentally. Accordingly, she had a room appro 
priated to her own private use, where, with her Bible before 
her, she passed many hours in acquiring spiritual knowledge 
and in Divine communion. But something which had more of 
heaven than earth in it, breathed in her voice, embodied itself 
in her manners, and shone in the devout serenity of her coun- 



OF MADAME GUYON. 177 

tenance ; so that it was not necessary for her to set up formally 
as a preacher, and she had no inclination to do so. Her sermon 
was her life ; and her eloquent lips only made the application 
of it. Wherever she went, she found those whom she calls her 
children. They came to her continually that she might break 
to them the living bread. 

" My inward resignation and quiet," she says, " was very 
great. For a few days I remained alone and undisturbed, in 
my small and solitary room. I had full leisure to commune 
with God and to enjoy Him. But after a short time a good 
sister, who desired conversation on religious subjects, frequently 
interrupted me. I entered into conversation, and answered 
everything she desired, not only from a regard and love for the 
girl herself, but from a fixed principle I had of strictly conform 
ing to whatever God s providence seemed to require of me. 
Although this season of solitary communion with God was very 
precious to me, I was obliged to interrupt it, whenever His pro 
vidence required. As soon as any of those who sought salva 
tion through Christ, my little children, if I may call them such, 
came and knocked at my door, God required ine to admit the 
interruption. In this way He showed me that it is not actions, 
in themselves considered, which please Him, but the inward spirit 
with which they are done ; and especially the constant ready 
obedience to every discovery of His will, even in the minutest 
things. 

" I endeavoured to instruct the good sisters, who came to me, 
in the best way I could. Some of them could perhaps be re 
garded as truly religious ; but after an imperfect manner. It 
was my object to instruct them in the way of living by simple 
faith, in distinction from living ceremonially ; and thus to lead 
them to rest upon God alone through Christ. I remarked to 
them, that the way of living by faith was much more glorious 
to God, and much more advantageous to the soul, than any 
other method of living ; and that they must not only cease to 
rely much upon outward ceremonies, but must not rely too 
much upon sights and sounds, in whatever way they might come 

M 



178 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

to the soul ; nor upon mere intellectual illuminations arid gifts, 
nor upon strong temporary emotions and impulses, which cause 
the soul to rest upon something out of God and to live to self. 
There is a mixed way of living, partly by faifh, and partly by 
works ; and also the simple and true way of living, namely, by 
faith alone, which is the true parent not only of other states of 
the mind, but of works also. 

" There are not many souls that reach this state ; and still 
fewer that reach it at once. Nature cries out against the pro 
cess of inward crucifixion, and the greater number stop short. 
Oh, if souls had courage enough to resign themselves to the 
work of purification, without having any weak or foolish pity 
on themselves, what a noble, rapid, and happy progress would 
they make ! But, generally speaking, men have too little faith, 
too little courage, to leave the shore, which is something tangible 
and solid, and has the support of sense, and to go out upon the 
sea, which has the supports of faith only. They advance, per 
haps, some little distance ; but when the wind blows and the 
cloud lowers, and the sea is tossed to and fro, then they are de 
jected, they cast anchor, and often wholly desist from the prose 
cution of the voyage. 

" Oh thou, who alone dost conduct holy souls, and who 
canst teach ways so hidden and so lost to human sight, bring to 
thyself souls innumerable, which may love thee in the utmost 
purity. Such holy souls are the delight of God, who delights 
to be with the children of men ; that is to say, with sonls child 
like and innocent, such as are set free from pride, ascribing to 
themselves, separate from God, only nothingness and sin. 

* Such souls, which are no longer rebellious, but are broken 
to the yoke, are one with God, and are one with Him to such a 
degree, that they not only look at Him only, but they look at 
everything else in Him. Beautifully expressive of a spirit quiet 
and united with God, is that passage of Jeremiah where it is 
said, l He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne 
God s yoke upon him. (Lam. iii. 28.) 

" How perfectly contented is frach a soul ! It is more satisfied 



OP MADAME GU1TON. 179 

in its trials, its humiliation, and the opposition of all creatures, 
when these things take place by the order of Providence, than 
it would be with the highest success and triumph by its own 
choice. Oh, if I could express what I conceive of this state I 
But I can only stammer about it." 

In this part of her Autobiography, we find some brief refer 
ences to her daughter. Separated from her other children, this 
child was a source of great consolation to her. Finding her 
situation at Gex not favourable to her health, she had previously 
sent her for a short time to Thonon. Her feeling allusions show 
that her union with God did not diminish her interest in hu 
manity ; and that the natural affections, when properly subor 
dinated, are not inconsistent with the highest religious affections. 
" In great peace of mind," she says, " I lived in the House of 
the Ursulines with my little daughter. As we now resided 
among those who spoke a different dialect, my daughter soon 
forgot, in a considerable degree, the use of the French language. 
She played with the little girls that came down from the neigh 
bouring mountains ; but while she contracted something of their 
elasticity and freeness, she lost something in the delicacy and 
agreeableness of her manners. She was sometimes fretful ; but 
as a general thing her disposition, as it ever had been, was ex 
ceedingly good. Her good sense and her turns of wit, for one of 
her age, were surprising. God watched over her." 

Madame Guyon had been at Thonon but a short time, when 
Bishop D Aranthon came there on some business. They met 
once more, and had much conversation. The Bishop pressed her 
very much to return to Gex, and take the place of prioress. She 
says, " I gave him my reasons against it. I then appealed to 
him as a bishop, desiring him to take care, and to regard nothing 
but God in what he should say to me. He was struck with a 
kind of confusion, and then said to me, Since you speak to me 
in this manner, I cannot advise you to it. We are not at liberty 
to go contrary to what appears to be our religious calling. All 
1 can say now, after what has passed between us, is, that I de 
sire you to render to the House of Gex all the assistance which 



180 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

you properly can. This I promised to do ; and as soon as I re 
ceived a remittance from Paris, I sent them a hundred pistoles, 
with the design of doing it annually as long 1 should remain in 
his diocese." 

When he left her, he yielded to the influence of others, and 
accordingly sent her word again, that it was his conviction that 
she ought to engage herself at Gex ; and that, so far as his in 
fluence or authority could properly be exercised, he required her 
to do it. " I returned for answer," she says, " that I had rea 
son to regard him at the present time as under human influence, 
and as speaking as a man ; and that I felt it my duty to follow 
the counsel he had given me, when he seemed to me to be under 
a purer and higher influence, and to speak as from God." 

The separation now became more marked and complete. And 
from this time onward, Madame Guyon understood, more dis 
tinctly and fully than at any former period, the position which 
she held in the Roman Catholic Church. She was in the Church, 
but not with it ; in it in form, but not with it in spirit. Her 
associations with it were strong ; her attachment to it was great ; 
but discerning very clearly the distinction between inward and 
outward religion, between that which adheres to the ceremony 
and that which renovates the heart, she mourned over the de 
clensions and desolations around her. She felt, however, that 
while she pointed out the speculative and practical errors which 
existed, provided she did it with a proper spirit, and sustained 
herself by Catholic authorities, she had a right to claim and 
maintain her position in the Church, until she should be formally 
excluded from it. She was very much in the position of certain 
pious persons who, without ceasing to be members, have laboured 
from time to time in that Church, with the design of restoring 
the doctrine of faith and the spirit of practical piety; and who 
are known historically, in reference to the period at which most 
of them appeared, as the Reformers before the Reformation. 

There have been in the Roman Catholic Church, from time 
to time, pious men and women, who have laboured sincerely 
and oftentimes effectually for the true life of love and faith ic 



OF MADAME GUYON. 181 

the soul. If they have loved their system much, and have felt sad 
at the idea of schism, they have loved salvation and piety more. 
Sometimes their labours have been received and recognised ; and 
they have been spoken of as the models of piety, without the im 
putation of heresy ; but more frequently their motives have been 
impeached, their efforts opposed, and in some instances exile and 
imprisonment have been the consequence. Some appeared before 
the Protestant Reformation, and some since. To those who are 
acquainted with ecclesiastical history, it will indicate the class 
of persons to whom we refer, if we mention the Dominican monk, 
John of Vincenza, who laboured as far back as 1250 ; Thauler, 
the celebrated preacher of Strasburg, who is mentioned with 
high respect and commendation by Luther ; Gerard Groot, and 
Florentius Radewin, leaders and teachers in the society or sect 
in the Catholic Church, called the Brethren of the Life in Com 
mon ; John of the Cross, whose writings, although not schis- 
matical in reference to the doctrines and forms of Roman 
Catholicism, breathe a deeply devout and enlightened spirit. 
To these we might add the names of Ruysbroke, Canfield, 
Thomas-a-Kempis, Boudon, John de Castanifa, the reputed 
author of the " Spiritual Combat," Michael de Molinos, who 
died in prison (while Francis de Sales, who seems to me to have 
taught essentially the same experimental doctrines, was can 
onized), Fenelon, and many others. 

The position of many of these persons illustrates that of 
Madame Guyon. Of their piety there can be no reasonable 
doubt. They were persons of faith and true simplicity of heart, 
who wished, although they found themselves amid various em 
barrassments, to do all possible good in the situation in which 
Providence had placed them. They did not and could not be 
lieve, that an outward form, however scriptural arid important, 
could effectually avail themselves or others, when separate from 
an appropriate state of heart. 

It was not sufficient, in their view, to teach men to make the 
sign of the cross, and practise genuflexions, nor to do other 
things in themselves purely ceremonial. They preached the 



182 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

doctrine of a new heart ; they required, in the name of Him for 
whom they boldly spoke, " repentance towards God and faith in 
the Lord Jesus Christ." And such being their views and 
practice, if they cannot be regarded as schismatics or separatists, 
they may justly be described as reformers. Such was the posi 
tion of Madame Guyon one of great usefulness, but which could 
not well escape a large share of trial and sorrow. 

La Combe had no sooner departed than the party at Thonon, 
opposed to the new movement, began to assail his character. 
Madame Guyon had her feelings greatly tried by the extrava 
gant stories which were told her. But these statements were so 
obviously dictated by prejudice and passion, and so variant in 
many particulars from what she knew to be the truth, that they 
confirmed rather than diminished her favourable opinions of him. 
She did not, however, say much upon the subject ; simply re 
marking, u Perhaps I may never see him again ; but I shall 
ever be glad to do him justice. It is not he who hinders me 
from engaging at Gex, as some of the remarks which are made 
seem to imply. The reason, and the only reason of my refusing 
to comply, is the inward conviction, of which I cannot divest 
myself, that God does not call me to it." 

Some said to her, " But it is the opinion of the Bishop that 
you should go there. Ought he not to judge in the case ? Who 
could know what the will of God is on such a question better 
than the Bishop ?" To this suggestion it was not in her nature 
or her principles, to give any other than a respectful attention. 
But such was the clearness of her spiritual perception, such the 
inward signature which God and His providences had written 
upon her heart, that she could not do otherwise than she did ; 
although it undoubtedly violated some of the prepossessions of 
her people in favour of Episcopal advice and authority. 

This matter, therefore, was permanently decided ; and she 
gave her attention anew and undividedly to the work before 
her. In the spirit of unremitting labour where God called her 
to labour, she did what she could ; and the good seed, small 
though it might seem to be to human eye, became a hundred- 



OF MADAME GUYON. 183 

fold, because God blessed it. Her presence, preceded as it had 
been by her reputation for piety and a knowledge of the inward 
state, was the signal for a great spiritual movement in Thonon. 
There was something in souls who had sought heaven by works 
alone, and on the compensatory principle of so much happiness 
for so much labour and suffering, which whispered to them that 
God in His providence had sent them a messenger who might 
aid them in the knowledge of a better way. 

The consequence was that her room was continually visited, 
in a few weeks after her arrival at Thonon, by persons seeking 
instruction. She divided them into three classes ; those without 
religion ; those who gave evidence of religion, but had no faith 
for anything above the mixed method of life, the way of mingled 
sin and holiness ; and those who, under the special operation of 
God s Spirit, were hungering and thirsting after entire righte 
ousness. 

When those came to her who were without religion, and 
perhaps had been endeavouring to extract heaven from the merit 
attached to their supposed good works, she endeavoured to con 
vince them of the folly of their course, by showing them the 
intricacies of the human heart, the depths of sin, and the im 
possibility of acceptance with God, except through the applica 
tion of the atoning blood of Christ, received through faith. 

When those came who had some little hope of an interest 
in the Saviour, some degree and power of life though feeble, 
she gave them directions suited with great skill to their case, 
calculated to resolve conscientious perplexities, to strengthen 
courage, and help their advancement. Entire victory was so 
much beyond their present ideas and hopes, that, to propose it 
now, might have operated as a discouragement. 

When those came who desired to be wholly the Lord s, and, 
in the language of Scripture, were hungering and thirsting that 
they might bear the fulness of the Divine image, she endea 
voured to impart those higher and deeper instructions which 
they seemed able to understand and bear. 

She did not hesitate to say at once, on all occasions whero 



184 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

God s providence called her to say it, that the entire sanctifica- 
tion of the heart through faith, is the Christian s privilege and 
duty. But she laid " the axe to the root of the tree." She 
thought it necessary, in the first place, that they should under 
stand what sanctification is. On this point, taught by her own 
experience, she felt it very desirable that there should be no 
mistake. She felt it her duty to say to them, that a rectified 
intellectual perception is not sanctification. Nor, if we add, 
strong emotions and stop there, do we attain to it. Nor, if we 
go still deeper, and add to both what is still more important, 
good desires, good and right affections, and stop there, can we 
account ourselves as wholly the Lord s. Holiness goes even 
further than this. It requires the strong fortress of the Will. 
The WILL, which embodies in itself both the head and the 
heart, the perceptions, the emotions, and the desires, and is in 
fact the sum and representation of the whole, must be given to 
the Lord. 

Upon this point she was in the habit of trying those who pro 
fessed to be seeking the entire sanctification of the heart. The 
searching question was were they willing to be NOTHING no 
thing in themselves, in order that the Lord might be ALL IN ALL ? 
Could they say that they moved simply as they were moved 
upon by the Holy Ghost ? If so, then the life of nature was 
slain ; their souls had become the temple of the Living God. 

Among other persons who sought her acquaintance, was a 
woman who was not only religious, but, according to the ordinary 
rules of judgment, eminently religious. She had grace, perhaps 
great grace ; but not to the exclusion of the life of nature. She 
says, " I saw clearly that it is not great gifts which sanctify, 
unless they are accompanied with a profound humility. No one 
can be regarded as wholly alive to God, and thus as a true saint 
of God, who is not wholly dead to self. Tin s woman, in con 
nexion with her great intellectual lights, and strong emotions, 
and the true faith to some degree, regarded herself as a truly 
holy person ; but her subsequent life showed that she was very 
far from the slate which she professed. 



OP MADAME GUYON. 185 

** my God," she adds, " how true it is that we may have of 
thy gifts, and yet may be very full of ourselves ! How very 
narrow is the way, how strait is the gate, which leads to the 
true life in God ! How little must one become, by being stripped 
of all the various attachments which the world places about him, 
so that he shall have no desire and no will of his own, before he 
is small enough to go through this narrow place." 

Another class not only watched her general conduct, but, 
under religious pretences, made their appearance at her religious 
conversations, which seem to have been open to all, with the 
object " of watching her words, and criticising them." Ths 
religious life, like all other life, has its appropriate outward ex 
pressions and signs. And such was her deep insight into reli 
gious character, derived partly from her own varied personal 
experience, that she distinguished with great ease the objects 
and characters of those who visited her. To those who came 
for the purpose of extracting something which they could criti 
cise and condemn, she had nothing to say. " Even when I 
thought to try to speak to them," she says, " I felt that I could 
not, and that God would not have me do it. They went away 
not only disappointed but dissatisfied. They alluded scornfully 
to my silence, which they regarded as stupidity ; and some of 
them were so angry as to characterize as fools those who had 
come to see me. 

" On one occasion, when persons of this description had just 
left me, an individual came, with some appearance of anxiety 
and hurry, and said, It was my design to have put you on your 
guard, and to apprize you that it might not be advisable to speak 
to those persons ; but I found myself unable to get hither in 
season to do it. They were sent, with no friendly purpose, to 
find something in your remarks which they could turn to your 
disadvantage. I answered this person, Our Lord has been 
before you in your charitable purpose ; for such was my state 
of mind, that I was not able to say one word to them. " 

She did not appear as a preacher. Her efforts were private ; 
and entirely consistent with that sense of decorum which adorns 



186 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

the female character. They consisted of private prayer and 
conversation with individuals ; sometimes of mutual conversa 
tions or conferences, held with the inconsiderable number of 
persons assembled in a small room. To these methods she 
added, with great effect, that of written correspondence. The 
instrumentality was humble, but the impression was great. The 
Lord blessed her; and for a time, soon after her arrival at 
Thonon, she had favour with the great body of persons there. 

Amid this general approbation and even applause, " the Lord," 
she says, " gave me to understand that the l apostolic state, 
(that is, the state in which persons find themselves specifically 
and especially devoted to the spiritual good of others,) if it be 
entered into in purity of spirit and without reserve, will always 
be attended with severe trials. I remembered the words of the 
multitude, which preceded the Saviour at the time of His tri 
umphant entry into Jerusalem Blessed is he that cometh in the 
name of the Lord; and the words of the same changeable mul 
titude a few days afterwards, when they exclaimed, Away with 
him ! Crucify him, crucify him! And while I was thus meditat 
ing on what the Saviour experienced, and from whom, and was 
making the application of it to my own case, one of my female 
friends came in, and spoke to me particularly of the general 
esteem which the people had for me. I replied to her, * Observe 
what I now tell you, that you will hear curses out of the same 
mouths, which at present pronounce blessings. " 

u Great was my consolation," she says, " never did I experi 
ence greater in my whole life, than to see in the town of Thonon, 
a place of no great extent, so many souls earnestly seeking God. 
Some of these seemed to have given their whole hearts to God, 
and experienced the highest spiritual blessings. Among them 
were a number of girls of twelve or thirteen years of age. It 
was interesting to see how deeply the Spirit of God had wrought 
in them. Being poor, they industriously followed their work 
all the day long ; but having acquired a fixed habit of devotion, 
they sanctified their labours with silent prayer and inward com 
munion. Sometimes they would so arrange their daily labour, 



OP MADAME GUYON. 187 

that a number of them could carry on their work at the same 
place ; and then they would select one, who read to them while 
the others pursued their task. They were so humble, so inno 
cent, and sincere, that one could not see them without being 
reminded of the innocence and purity of primitive Christi 
anity." 

She mentions particularly a poor woman, a laundress. " This 
poor woman," she says, " was the mother of five children. But 
her poverty, and the cares of her family, were not the only 
source of trouble. She had a husband distempered both in mind 
and in body. He seemed to have nothing left mentally but his 
angry dispositions, and nothing left physically but just strength 
enough in his unparalyzed arm to beat his suffering wife. Yet 
this poor woman, now become, under God s grace, rich in faith, 
bore all with the meekness and patience of an angel. By her 
personal labours she supported both her five children and her 
husband. Her poverty was extreme ; her suffering from other 
causes great ; but amid her trials and distractions, she kept con 
stantly recollected in God ; and her tranquillity of spirit was 
unbroken. When she prayed, there was something wonderful 
in it. 

" Among others there was a shopkeeper, and a man whose 
business it was to make locks. Both became deeply religious ; 
and, as was natural, they became intimate friends with each 
other. Learning the situation of the poor laundress, they agreed 
to visit her in turn, and to render her some assistance by read 
ing to her. But they were surprised to learn, that she was 
already instructed by the Lord himself in all they read to her. 
God, they found, had taught her inwardly by the Holy Ghost, 
before He had sent, in His providence, the outward aid of 
books and pious friends to confirm His inward communicationd. 
So much was this the case, that they were willing to receive 
instruction from her. Her words seemed Divine." 

This woman attracted the notice of certain persons of some 
name and authority in the Church. They visited her ; and, as 
her method of worship was somewhat out of Church order, 



188 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

they reproved her, and told her it was very bold in her to prac 
tise prayer in the manner she did. They said it was the busi 
ness of priests to pray, and not of women. They commanded 
her to leave off prayer, in the methods in which she practised it, 
and threatened her if she did not. The woman was ignorant, 
except so far as she had learned something from the Bible, and 
as God had inwardly taught her. God gave her words in reply. 
She said, that what she did was in conformity with Christ s 
instructions. She referred them to the thirteenth chapter of 
Mark, where Christ instructed His disciples to pray ; noticing 
particularly the remark which is added, namely, " What I say 
unto you, I say unto all." This passage, she said, authorized 
all to pray, without specifying priests or friars, or giving them 
any privilege in this respect above others. She told them, 
moreover, that she was a poor and suffering woman, and that 
prayer helped her ; and that, in truth, without the consolations 
of religion, of which prayer is the appropriate and natural ex 
pression, she could not support her trials. 

She referred also to her former life. She had formerly been 
without religion, and was a wicked person. Since she had 
known religion, and held communion with God in prayer, she 
had loved Him, and she thought she could say she loved Him 
with her whole soul. To leave off prayer were to lose her spiri 
tual life. Therefore she could not do it. She also directed 
their attention to other persons, who had recently come into a 
state similar to her own. Take twenty persons, she said, who 
are religious, and observe their life. Take twenty other persons 
who do not practise prayer and know nothing of the religion of 
the heart, and make the same observation. And judge then, 
whether you have any good reason for condemning this work 
of God. 

" Such words as these," says Madame Guyon, " from such a 
woman, might have fully convinced them. But instead of that, 
they only served to irritate them the more." They threatened 
her with a withdrawal of the privileges of the Church, unless 
she promised to desist from her course ; that is to say, unless 



OP MADAME GUYON. 189 

she promised not only to renounce the reading of the Bible, and 
the practice of inward and outward prayer, but to renounce 
Christ himself. Her answer was, that she had no choice in the 
matter. The decision was already made. Christ was Master, 
and she must follow Him. They put their threats into execu 
tion to some extent. But she remained stedfast. 

The persons who represented the dominant part of the ortho 
dox Church in Thonon, finding their efforts in a great measure 
ineffectual, next took the course of ordering all the books with 
out exception, which treated of the inward religious life, to be 
brought to them ; and they burned them with their own hands 
in the public square of the place. " With this performance," 
says Madame Guyon, " they were greatly elated." 

In a letter found in the Life of Bishop D Aranthon, the writer 
says, " We have burnt five of the books on these subjects. We 
have not much expectation of getting possession of many others, 
for the men and women who read them, have their private meet 
ings or assemblies, and have resolved that they will burn the 
books themselves, rather than let them fall into our hands." 

Madame Guyon gives us further to understand, that some of 
the persons engaged in these things, were apparently religious ; 
but religious in the common mixed way, partly human and partly 
Divine, partly from earth and partly from heaven. Consequently, 
so much of their actions as was not from God was from that 
which is the opposite of God, namely, Satan. And this was 
particularly the case in their treatment of the pious girls who, 
being poor and obliged to work continually, formed little neigh 
bourhood associations ; prosecuting in this way their work toge 
ther, and those who were strong helping the weak. The eldest 
presided at these little meetings ; and the one best qualified for 
that task was appointed reader. They employed themselves in 
spinning, weaving ribbons, and other feminine occupations. 
Prayer and religious love made all pleasant. Such assemblies 
are not uncommon among Protestants, but the prevalent religi 
ous party at Thonon considered them inconsistent with the 
Roman Catholic methods. And, accordingly, they separated 



190 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

these poor but happy girls from each other, deprived them, as a 
punishment, of their usual church privileges, and drove some of 
them from the place. 

It is painful to speak of these things. I do not suppose that 
aspersions, cruelties, persecutions, are limited altogether to Roman 
Catholics. Some will say, that conduct of this kind is the 
natural result of that interest in religious institutions which is 
implied in true faith. This may, perhaps, be true in a certain 
sense. But add more faith ; and then the evil will not be likely 
to result. A little faith makes us love the cause of religion ; but 
it leaves us in /ear, which would not be the case if we had more 
faith. We tremble for the ark of God, as if not God, but some 
son of Obed-edom, or other weak and human agent, were the 
keeper of it. Faith and fear are the opposites of each other, 
both mentally and theologically. When priests have per 
secuted, I would not in all cases, nor generally, attribute it 
to self-interest, or the fact of "their craft being in danger." 
Self-interest, especially among those who have felt the influ 
ences of religion, is not the only principle of human action. 
Persecutions have been practised by those who verily thought 
they were doing God service. These good people of Thonon 
had confounded the Church with the ceremonies of the Church ; 
and when Madame Guyon felt it her duty to indicate the 
difference between the substance and the shadow, the spirit 
and the letter, touching the ceremonial it is true, but still with 
the gentleness of a woman s hand, then the good Catholics, to 
whom the ceremonial was undoubtedly very dear, were all in 
arms. Their consternation was real, not affected. They forgot 
that God is able to take care of the Church without employing 
Satan s instrumentality. Hence their injustice, their cruelty 
not because they had faith, but because they had not more 
faith ; not because they loved the Church, but because they had 
forgotten the mighty power and the pledged promise of the God 
of the Church. Of some who did evil, Christ, who is the true 
light, said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they 
do. Of those who do good, but are persecuted for it, the same 



OF MADAME GUYON. 191 

Christ has said, Blessed are they who are persecuted for right 
eousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

Conversion of a physician Further persecution Some opposers become subjects of the 
work of God Striking instances of the care of Providence Visit to Lausanne Establish 
ment of an hospital at Thonon Removal to a small cottage a few miles distant Return 
of La Combe Her opposers appeal to Bishop D Aranthon He requires Madame Quyon 
and La Combe to leave his diocese Rude and fierce a ttacks upon hey Decides to leavs 
Thonon Her feelings La Combe His letter to D Aranthon Remarks of Madame 
Gayon on some forms of religious experience On li ving by the moment. 

SHE mentions a number of incidents, some of them of consider 
able interest, in connexion with this revival of God s work. 
" One day," she remarks, " I was sick. A physician of some 
eminence in his profession, hearing that I was ill, called to see 
me, and gave me medicines proper for my disorder. I entered 
into conversation with him on the subject of religion. He ac 
knowledged that he had known something of the power of reli 
gion, but that the religious life had been stifled by the multitude 
of his occupations. I endeavoured to make him comprehend, 
that the love of God is not inconsistent with the duties of 
humanity ; and that therefore the employments which God in 
His providence assigns us, are no excuse for irreligion, or for any 
state of mind short of a strong and consistent piety. The con 
versation was greatly blessed to him. And he became after 
wards a decided Christian." 

Those persons, who made the opposition to this Divine work, 
among their other acts of cruelty, seized upon a person of con 
siderable distinction and merit, and beat him with rods in the 
open street. The crime charged against him was, that, instead 
of confining himself to the common forms of prayer, he prayed 
extemporaneously in the evenings. The man was a priest, of 
the Congregation of the Oratory. It was alleged also, that he 
was in the practice of uttering a short, fervent prayer, in the 



192 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

same manner, on Sabbath days, which had the effect gradually 
and insensibly to lead others to the use and practice of the like. 

Speaking of the persons who thus violently beat this good 
man, and of others, she says, " They greatly troubled and 
afflicted all the good souls, who had sincerely dedicated them 
selves to God ; disturbing them to a degree which it is difficult 
to conceive ; burning all their books which treated of inward 
submission and of the prayer of the heart, in distinction from 
mere outward and formal prayer; refusing absolution to such 
as were in the practice of it, and driving them by their threats 
into consternation and almost into despair." 

But this state of things, which had the appearance of crush 
ing religion, gave occasion for a remarkable exhibition of God s 
power and grace. Even some of these men, obviously without 
religion, led to reflect upon their own characters by the sad 
lesson of the violence which they themselves had exhibited, be 
came, after a short time, humbled in heart. Through Divine 
grace they not only ceased from their evil works, but became 
experimentally and practically new creatures in Christ Jesus. 
" And then," she says, " the Lord made use of them to establish 
religion arid the life of prayer in 1 know not how many places. 
They carried books, which treated of the inward life, into those 
very places where they had formerly burned them. In things 
of this nature it was not difficult for me, in the exercise of faith, 
to see the presence and the wonderful goodness and power of the 
Lord." 

Some little incidents of a Drivate and domestic nature, illus 
trate her trust in God. 

" God," she says, " took care of all my concerns. I saw His 
providence incessantly extended to the very smallest things. I 
had sent to Paris for some papers. Months passed, but the papers 
did not come. Looking at it in the human light, the disappoint 
ment and the loss were great. But I left it wholly with the 
Lord. After some months 1 received a letter from an ecclesi 
astic at Paris, stating that the papers were in his possession, and 
that he would soon come to see me and bring them. 



OF MADAME GUYON. 193 

" At another time I had sent to Paris for a considerable num 
ber of articles necessary for my daughter. They were sent, but 
did not arrive. The report was, that they had reached the 
Leman Lake, were put on board a boat, and were lost. I could 
learn no further tidings about them. But I left it wholly with 
the Lord. Having done all that was suitable, if they were 
found, it was well; if they were lost, it was equally well. At 
the end of three months they were brought to me, having been 
found in the house of a poor man, who had not opened them, and 
did not know who brought them to his house. 

" On another occasion I sent to Paris for money to meet my 
expenses for a year. I received it in a bill of exchange on 
some person in Geneva. A person was sent from Thonon to 
Geneva to receive it in specie. The money was deposited in two 
bags, and placed on the man s horse. The man rather carelessly 
gave the horse to be led by a boy a little distance. As the boy 
went along, directing his way through the market of Geneva, 
the money fell off without being noticed by him. 

" At that very moment I arrived myself, approaching the 
market-place on the other side. Having alighted from the con 
veyance, I proceeded a few steps, and the first thing I noticed 
was my bag of money. There was a great multitude of people 
in the place ; but the bag was not perceived by them ; or if it 
was, it was left untouched. Many such things have attended 
me, which to avoid prolixity I pass by. These may suffice to 
show the continual protection of God towards me." 

Meanwhile the work of God continued. Sinners were con 
versed with ; those who were religious prayed ; those without 
religion began to believe and were saved. When opportunity 
offered, Madame Guyon, whose efforts were unwearied, extended 
her labours into the neighbouring villages. On one occasion 
she made an excursion by water to Lausanne, situated on 
the lake, about fourteen miles from Thonon, and nearly opposite 
to it. 

" In our return," she says, " we experienced a severe tempest. 
We were in a dangerous place, when it came upon us, and nar- 

N 



194 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

rowly escaped being swallowed in the waves. God was pleased 
to protect us. A few days afterwards a small vessel foundered 
nearly in the same place, with thirty-three persons in it." 

About this time Father La Combe, who had returned from 
Rome, formed the plan of establishing an Hospital at Thonon. 
Subordinate to the general plan, the ladies of Thonon formed a 
society, the object of which was, after the practice which pre 
vailed in France, to aid the families of the sick at the hospital, 
as well as the sick themselves. There had been no institution 
of that kind before in that part of the country. u Willingly," 
says Madame Guyon, " did I enter into this plan. With no 
other funds than what Providence might please to furnish, and 
some useless chambers, which the gentlemen of the town gave 
us, we began our effort. We dedicated the place to the holy 
child Jesus. God enabled me to furnish the first beds obtained. 
Several other persons soon joined us in this benevolent effort. 
In a short time we were not only enabled to place in the build 
ing twelve beds, but found three very pious persons, who gave 
themselves, without salary, to the service of the hospital. 

" I assumed the office of furnishing it with the requisite 
medicines, which were freely given to such poor as had need of 
them. The good ladies associated in this undertaking, were so 
hearty in it, that through their care and charity the hospital 
was in every respect very well maintained and served. They 
joined together also in providing for the sick who could not go 
to the hospital ; and I gave them some little regulations, such 
as I had seen adopted in France, which they made the rules of 
their associations, and continued to keep up with tenderness and 
love." 

Madame Guyon arrived at Thonon about April 1682, and re 
mained little more than two years. During the latter part of 
this period she experienced a severe sickness, of which she has 
given some account. After her recovery she found herself so 
infirm, that she thought it necessary to change her residence, 
and to obtain one which, by being a little more remote from the 
water, would be more favourable to her. The house was in a 



OF MADAME GUYON. 195 

more healthy position, some miles from the lake. It was incon 
venient, except in its position ; but it was the only one in that 
neighbourhood unoccupied, which she could obtain. 

" It had a look," she says, " of the greatest poverty, and had 
no chimney except in the kitchen, through which one was ob 
liged to pass to go to the chamber. I gave up the largest 
chamber to my daughter and the maid. The chamber reserved 
to myself, was a very small one ; and I ascended to it by a lad 
der. Having no furniture of my own except some beds, quite 
plain and homely, I bought a few cheap chairs, and such articles 
of earthen and wooden ware as were necessary. I fancied every 
thing better on wood than on plate. Never did I enjoy a greater 
content than in this hovel. It seemed to me entirely conform 
able to the littleness and simplicity which characterize the true 
life in Christ." 

The change did not diminish her influence. It could not well 
be diminished, while the conviction remained so prevalent, that 
she was a woman taught of God. At Thonon her adversaries, 
who were in the wrong position of fighting against God, had 
been foiled at every point. And what seemed to render their 
case the more hopeless, Father La Combe, whose talents and 
piety gave him a prominent position, had returned after a long 
absence from Kome, without being condemned for his alleged 
heresies. At this juncture of affairs, the adversaries of the reli 
gion of the heart adopted a new, and as the result showed, a 
more effective mode of attack. 

They complained to Bishop D Aranthon, that the Church, 
especially in her prescribed forms and ceremonies, was in danger. 
The fact that La Combe had united his influence to that of 
Madame Guyon, had given the new spiritualism a consequence 
which demanded attention. They said, that if he did not take 
some repressive measures as bishop, he could not be considered 
as doing his duty to the Church. Already the evils of novel 
opinions, or of actual schism, had been experienced in Spain. 
Already the SPIRITUAL GUIDE of Michael de Molinos had an 
nounced doctrines in Italy, which were justly considered as allied 



196 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

to those of Protestantism. How then was it possible, that he 
ihould remain undecided or inactive ? 

Such considerations in a mind easily influenced, aided by his 
sincere and strong attachment to the Church as it then was, 
aroused D Aranthon to decisive action. He not only required 
all priests and others under his authority to oppose the progress 
of the new views, but insisted that Madame Guyon and La 
Combe should leave his diocese. Madame Guyon wrote to him, 
but without effect. 

Referring to some benevolent efforts she had made, she says, 
" All these things, which cost but little, and o ved all their suc 
cess to the blessing that God gave them, drew upon me and my 
friends new persecutions. Every day my opposers invented some 
new slander. No kind of stratagem, or malicious device in their 
power, did they omit. The dissatisfaction of Bishop D Aranthon 
with me was obviously greater than ever, especially when he 
saw that my efforts of a benevolent and religious nature, which 
undoubtedly he sincerely disapproved in some respects, rendered 
me beloved by others. He said peevishly, that * I won over 
everybody to my party. Another remark implied, that he could 
be patient with my doctrines if they were confined to myself, and 
were not spread abroad. And finally, he openly declared, that 
* he would no longer submit to have me in his diocese. And 
what rendered my position the more trying, he extended his un 
kind treatment to my friends. The prioress of the Ursulines, 
with whom I had resided a considerable part of my time at 
Thonon, received a large share of it." 

When those in power and authority have come to the conclu 
sion to crush those who are weaker, there are never wanting 
persons to aid in carrying the decision into effect ; not only men 
from whom better things could be expected, but especially rude 
men of contracted minds and selfish hearts, who resort to mea 
sures which enlightened and benevolent men could not approve. 
This sort of opposition was employed against Madame Guyon. 
She resided at some distance from the more settled parts of the 
country, with her little daughter and one or two female domes- 



OP MADAME GUYON. 197 

tics; but otherwise wholly unprotected. She says, "I was 
greatly contented in my small and rude residence. Hoping to 
remain there for some time, I had laid in such provisions as were 
necessary for me ; but Satan, the great instigator of evil, did 
not long permit me to remain in such sweet peace. 

" It would be difficult for me to enumerate all the unkindness 
and cruelty practised towards me. The little garden near my 
cottage, I had put in order. Persons came at night and tore it- 
all up, broke down the arbour, and overturned everything in it ; 
so that it appeared as if it had been ravaged by a body of sol 
diers. My windows were broken with stones, which fell at my 
feet. All the night long persons were around the house, making 
a great noise, threatening to break it in, and uttering personal 
abuse. I have learned since who put these persons upon their 
wicked work. 

" It was at this time that notice reached me that I must go 
out of the diocese. Crimes were tolerated ; but the work of 
God, resulting in the conversion and sanctification of souls, could 
not be endured. All this while I had no uneasiness of mind. 
My soul found rest in God ; I never repented that I had left 
all to do what seemed to me to be His will. I believed that 
God had a design in everything which took place ; and I left 
all in His hands, both the sorrow and the joy." 

The union of priests, bishop, and people against her, she 
regarded as an obvious indication of Providence, that, in the 
language of Scripture, she must " shake off the dust of her feet 
against them," and go to another city. And what were the 
feelings under which she was thus compelled, for a second time, 
to leave her field of labour, and to go again, she knew not 
whither ? " My soul," she says, " leaving all to God, continued 
to rest in a quiet and peaceable habitation. thou, the great, 
the sole object of my love ! If there were no other reward 
for the little services which we are able to perform than this 
calm and fixed state, above the vicissitudes of the world, 
would it not be enough ? The senses, indeed, are sometimes 
ready to start aside, and to run off like truants ; but every 



198 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

trouble flies before the soul which is entirely subjected to 
God. 

" By speaking of a fixed state, I do not mean one which can 
never decline or fall, that being only in heaven. I call it fixed 
and permanent, in comparison with the states which have pre 
ceded it, which, being in the mixed life, and without an entire 
arid exclusive devotedness to God, are full of vicissitudes and 
variations. Such a soul, one which is wholly the Lord s, may 
be troubled ; but sufferings affect only the outside, without dis 
turbing the centre. Neither men nor devils, though they dis 
charge all their fury against it, can permanently harm a soul 
free from selfishness, and in union with the Divine will. No 
sufferings whatever could ever affect it, neither more nor less, 
neither within nor without, were it not permitted for wise pur 
poses from above." 

The pressure was applied with equal skill and power to La 
Combe also. Such were the ecclesiastical relations between him 
and the bishop, that the wish of the latter, and still more his in 
junction, that he should depart from the diocese, rendered it 
inconsistent, and perhaps impossible for him to remain. The 
only charge alleged against him was that he was associated 
with Madame Guyon in the diffusion of a spirituality which 
was both novel and heretical. 

Madame Guyon wrote to the bishop without effect. La Combe 
also wrote to him. His letter, of which the following is an 
abridgment, is given in full in the bishop s Life. 

TO BISHOP D ARANTHON. 

" In accordance with your desire, sir, I am about to leave 
your diocese. Not merely because your wish has been so 
strongly expressed, that it naturally has the effect of an injunc 
tion, but because God, the Eternal wisdom, has indicated, in 
the arrangements of His providence, that the time of my de 
parture has arrived. I recognise the instrumentality ; but I do 
not forget Him who operates through the instrument. It was 
by God s order that I came. It is by God s order that I depart. 



OF MADAME GUYON. 199 

" You have known my views on the subject of Sanctifica- 
tion ; for I communicated them to you in private. And prompted 
by a sense of duty, I expressed a strong wish that they might 
be blessed to yourself personally. This was the beginning of a 
course of treatment, which, without giving utterance to the 
spirit of complaint, I may justly characterize as unusual and 
hard. I will not now undertake to justify myself against the 
persecutions experienced. I may, perhaps, be excused for say 
ing, however, that my adversaries have professed to sit in 
judgment upon what they have never studied, and did not 
understand. They obtained, nevertheless, an access to the ear 
of the bishop, which was refused to us. We have this con 
solation, which silences every murmur, that God in His wisdom 
permitted it. 

" Pardon, respected sir, the feelings of a poor ecclesiastic, who 
thinks he has known something of the power of the inward life, 
if in leaving the scene of his labours, in a cause so dear as that 
of true holiness of heart, he drops a tear ot regret at the desola 
tion which he witnesses. Sad and terrible will be the account 
which must at last be rendered for the opposition raised against 
a cause for which Christ shed His blood a cause dear to God, 
who in His goodness had sent from France to our poor Savoy, 
a lady whose example and instructions could hardly have failed 
to extend in every direction the love of holiness. 

" But she and others will carry to other places those doctrines 
of the interior life, which have been banished from the churches 
over which you preside. Of what value is the Church, and of 
what value are labours for the Church, without the inward life, 
without the religion of the heart ? By what unhappiness is it, 
respected sir, that you, who have laboured for your diocese so 
much, and in many respects so successfully, have permitted this 
crown of your labours to be taken from you ? I speak in kind 
ness and sincerity. Why have the advocates of experimental 
religion been banished ? Why have you smitten me with an 
ecclesiastical interdiction me, who have been attached to your 
interests, submissive to your orders, and jealous for your autho- 



200 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

rity? My conscience bears me testimony, that I would have 
given more than one life, if I had possessed it, for you ; for the 
good of your own soul, and of those under your charge. This 
has been my prayer, many years earnestly offered, that you, and 
others through you, might know the full power of God s inward 
grace. In the bonds of the gospel, I go hence to other lands. 
Times and places change, but the deep prayer of my heart, 
which I trust will yet be answered, remains unaltered. 

li FRANCIS DE LA COMBE." 

Various remarks of Madame Guyon, made from time to time 
in connexion with these events, seem to me profitable. On one 
occasion, speaking of a religious friend, whose character was 
defective in some respects, she says, " Formerly it was with 
great difficulty that I could bear her manners, characterized as 
they were by an unrestrained vivacity. But since God has 
given me grace to regard everything, and to love everything 
in its relation to Himself, I find a great facility in bearing such 
defects and faults of my neighbour. The principle of bene 
volent sympathy has become strong, so that I feel for all, and 
have a readiness to please and oblige every one, and such a com 
passion for their calamities and distresses as I never had before. 

" I make, however, a distinction. I more easily bear the 
defects of beginners in the Christian life, than of those more 
advanced and stronger. Towards the first I feel my heart 
enlarged with tenderness ; I speak to them words of consolation. 
Towards the latter I feel more firmness of purpose. When I see 
defects in advanced souls, I cannot, without much inward suffer - 
ing, forbear reproving them. The more any soul is favoured 
with eminent grace, the more easily is it united to me ; the 
more violent, also, is the weight and suffering I feel for it, if it 
slip or turn aside ever so little. Such have been the dealings 
of the Lord with myself, that 1 seem to discern with great clear 
ness both the strength and weakness of its principles ; so that 
perceiving where it fails and what it wants, I feel myself bound 
in religious duty to declare it. 



OF MADAME GUYON. 201 

" In my intercourse with others, I can converse much with 
the weak ; but I am not inclined to converse much with the 
strong. With those who are in the beginnings of the religious 
life, and who need instruction, the principle of holy love, acting 
under the direction of Providence, leads me to converse on such 
topics, and for so long a time as seems to be necessary. I feel 
that I am doing good. But conversation, for the sake of con 
versation, with those who are so advanced that they do not need 
it, and when the providence of God does not especially call to 
it, is repugnant to me. The human inclination, which corrupts 
everything, is apt to mingle with it. The same things which 
would be right and profitable when God, by the intimations of 
His Holy Spirit, draws us to them, become quite otherwise when 
we enter into them of ourselves. This appears to me so clear, 
that I prefer being a whole day with the worst persons, in obe 
dience to God, to being one hour with the best only from choice 
and a human inclination." 

She observes, " that a man is far from experiencing the full 
grace of God, who desires martyrdom, but is restless under the 
yoke of Divine providence, which places martyrdom beyond his 
reach, and requires him to glorify God in the humblest and most 
retired avocations of life. The true desire, the right desire, is 
that which comes in the Divine order ; and the Divine order can 
never be known and appreciated, except in connexion with a 
knowledge of the developments of the present moment. At one 
time the apostle Paul made tents in God s order ; at another 
time, he preached eloquently on Mars Hill, at Athens, in the 
same Divine order ; but in both cases he glorified God equally. 
If we are right in motive, and right in place, exercising all the 
requisite faith in God at the same time, ALL WILL BE WELL." 

The following stanza from one of her poems, may be regarded 
as expressive of her feelings at this time : 

" Father adored ! thy holy will be done ; 

Low at thy feet I lie ; 
Thy loving chastisement I would not shun, 

Nor from thine anger fly. 
My heart is weak, but wean d from all beside, 
And to thy will resign d. whate or betide." 



202 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

Season of retirement Commences writing her larger treatises " Spiritual Torrents" 
Feelings with which she commenced this work Its name The progress of the soul com 
pared to torrents descending from the mountains Abstract of it Remarks. 

IN the year 1683, at Thonon, Madame Guyon first began her 
formal treatises on religious experience. Worn down with con 
tinual conversation, she gave out that she stood in need of re 
tirement, and would not see company for a number of days. 
With some difficulty people would consent to leave her in repose 
even for a short time. In this season of religious retirement, 
she had very full and joyous communion with God. 

Endeavouring to ascertain in what way she could most glorify 
God, it occurred to her, that in periods of physical debility, she 
might do something more with her pen. The suggestion caused 
her serious deliberation, and some trial of mind. But as soon as 
she became satisfied that it was God s will, she no longer hesi 
tated, though she felt in some respects unqualified for an under 
taking so important. She commenced her work, entitled the 
" SPIRITUAL TORRENTS." 

" When I first took up my pen for this purpose," she says, 
" I knew not the first word I should write. The subject was 
dark and mysterious. But it gradually opened to my mind ; 
suitable considerations presented themselves readily and abun 
dantly. Feeling relieved and strengthened, I was enabled to 
write an entire treatise on the principle of Faith, considered in 
its inward and sanctifying action." 

The title is suggested, partly by its own appropriateness, and 
partly by Amos v. 24, " But let judgment run down as waters, 
and righteousness as a mighty stream." In the French and 
Latin versions, the words TORRENS and TORRENT are used. 
" Let righteousness roll down as a mighty torrent." 

Some of the principles of this work, written with great vigour 
of imagination and language, although deficient in some degree 
in logical development, are as follows : 



OP MADAME GUYON. 203 

1. Souls, coming as they do from God, who is the great ocean 
of life, have an instinctive and strong tendency, when that ele 
ment of moral and religious life, which they have lost by the 
Fall, is restored to them by Divine grace, to return again and 
mingle in eternal union with that Divine source. 

2. And this tendency depends upon nature, as well as origin. 
God, from whom the soul came, and in whose likeness it is made, 
is holy. Holiness loves holiness. It cannot be otherwise. And 
just in proportion as the fallen soul is restored by Divine grace 
and made holy, precisely in that degree, and on the ground of 
a likeness of nature, is there a tendency to unite with God. 

3. But the instinct of return is different in different persons. 
This is illustrated by streams or torrents. From the ocean they 
came ; to the ocean they are returning. But all streams do 
not flow alike. 

4. Some torrents are feeble in their beginning. They acquire 
strength ; but gradually and slowly. Sometimes they meet with 
an impediment, which makes them no better than a standing 
pool. When they have escaped, they still retain their former 
characteristics ; and wind onward circuitously and slowly. They 
are not altogether without life arid utility. Here and there 
their banks are green ; and a few scattered flowers drink refresh 
ment from their waters. After a while they depart from sight ; 
perhaps their inconsiderable waters are dissipated and drunk up 
in the wide expanse of some arid plain. Perhaps they pass on 
and are lost in some other larger river, or are mingled and lost 
in the bosom of some lake. They do not reach the ocean. 

5. Other torrents seem to start from a fuller fountain, and 
more rapidly to increase. They expand into rivers. Many are 
the vessels, larger and smaller, which they bear ; rich the mer 
chandise which floats upon them ; but they seem to grow slug 
gish in their own opulence. Winding here and there, they 
empty themselves at last into some bay, or sound, or other arm 
of the sea, and there are lost. 

6. There are other torrents which represent those who hunger 
and thirst after righteousness, who cannot and will not be satis- 



204 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

fled, till their souls are brought into the most intimate union 
with God. If these torrents are turned from their course, they 
resume it as soon as possible, and by the nearest possible direc 
tion. If they meet with obstacles so extensive as to stop them 
entirely, they do not become inert and stagnant, but they get 
strength moment by moment, accumulating wave upon wave, 
till they pass triumphantly over them. They bear their trea 
sures ; but they will not stop. They nourish the flowers upon 
their banks, but they leave them to shine in their beauty and 
fragrance, and pass on. They are not satisfied, till they reach 
and mingle with the great ocean. There they are made one 
with the water of waters ; they become a part of it ; vast navies 
float upon its bosom ; the world s commerce passes over it. 

She makes a distinction between a will perfectly harmonious, 
and a will merely submissive. A will entirely harmonious 
carries with it the heart as well as the conscience. The will 
of an obedient servant, who does what he is bound to do, is 
submissive. The will of the affectionate son, who not only 
does what he is bound to do, but loves to do it, is not only sub 
missive but is harmonious, is not only concordant but is one. 
So that when Madame Guyon insists so much as she does on 
a perfect union with the Divine will as the highest result of 
Christian experience, she means a union which carries the heart 
with it. 

And then the question comes, How is this harmony to be 
brought about, which places the centre of all human wills in the 
centre of the Eternal Will ? And the answer is, just in propor 
tion as we dislodge the human life from its own centre, which is 
Self, it has a tendency, by the law of its own nature, to seek the 
True Centre, which is God. But what is it for the human life 
to be loosened and dislodged from its own centre ? It is to re 
cognise in everything its entire dependence on God, and to be 
willing to receive every such thing in God s way, in God s time, 
and on God s conditions. In the first place, it must renounce 
salvation from itself, in order that it may receive salvation from 
God through Christ. And then, in the exercise of the same self- 



OF MADAME GUYON. 205 

renunciation, it must be willing to receive also its strength, its 
wisdom, its moral and religious good, what may be called its 
daily spiritual bread, from God, living upon the Divine Fountain 
which flows unceasingly to those who are willing to receive life 
from the Divine Life, through the operation of the Holy Ghost 
dwelling in the soul. 

Here the struggle begins, and is continued. When men begin 
to see that they are lost out of God, and put forth their hands 
and struggle in the right direction, they then begin to feel, and 
not till then, the strength of the chains which bind them. The 
first struggle is to renounce all fondness and all claim for agency 
and merit in the matter of their salvation from the penalty of 
their past sins. So that the first crucifixion of self begins at the 
cross of Christ. 

Terrible is the struggle oftentimes at this point. God can 
never yield, because, being the Eternal Truth, He never can 
violate the truth. It is an eternal truth, or if it be preferred, an 
eternal law in morals, the opposite of which is an eternal false 
hood, because it never was and never can be the law, that, 
where there is crime, there must be suffering. And suffering 
which attends upon crime, and is the necessary result of crime, 
is not merely suffering, but is retribution, is punishment. This 
relation of crime and punishment God can never alter, unless, 
by an arbitrary act, He can change right into wrong and wrong 
into right, which would be inconsistent with the very idea of 
God. God, therefore, in the person of His Son, not only know 
ing but realizing in Himself the immutability of the requisitions 
of the law, took the penalty of its violation on Himself, in order 
that man, who had incurred the penalty by sin, might be for 
given. And it was not merely an exhibited or apparent suffer 
ing, which God " manifested in the flesh " endured not a 
mere spectacle, but a real suffering. God, therefore, because 
He cannot possibly meet him on any other ground or in any 
other place, unless He meets him as a righteous judge, meets 
man in the cross of Christ ; He meets him on Calvary and not 
on Sinai. And the first act of submission, the first act in which 



206 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

man recognises God as the Giver of the true life, ts, and must 
be there. 

But this is only the beginning of the work. The purchase of 
forgiveness in Christ is the purchase of a new life ; and all addi 
tional blessings flow through Him. Man is to be detached from 
his own centre in the matter of forgiveness ; and from the same 
centre, which is Self, in everything else. As every good thing 
really comes from God ; so every good thing must be received 
and recognised as coming from him in the exercise of faith. 
Here we see the necessity of inward crucifixion, and the princi 
ples on which it must be conducted. The soul must be detached 
from everything on which it rests out of God. 

There are two great, principles on which this result depends ; 
that by which, in the language of Madame Guyon, we become 
nothing in ourselves, and give ourselves to God entirely ; and the 
other is, that we fully believe in God as accepting the offering 
which we have thus made. And here often we find the exercise 
and trial of our faith. Strong faith is requisite. Relying simply 
upon the promise, given and pledged to all those who are fully 
consecrated, we are to receive God as our God and portion, for 
the present and the future, in all that He now is, and in all that 
He can be to us in time to come ; in the plan of salvation, in the 
administration of His providences, and in the " daily bread " of 
His grace, dispensed to us moment by moment. And He be 
comes to us in this way, not only all that He is in fact, but all 
that we can desire Him to be ; because, relying on His promises, 
we find our desires already fulfilled by anticipation ; although 
His present administration in respect to us may be, in some 
respects, mysterious and trying. 

At this point Madame Guyon describes accurately and minutely, 
the further progress of inward crucifixion. She draws chiefly 
from what she herself had passed through, and had witnessed in 
other cases. 

And what is particularly worthy of notice is, that she shows, 
in souls that are prepared for it by Divine grace, how the prin 
ciple of Faith develops itself step by step, and in higher and 



OF MADAME GUYON. 207 

higher degrees, in precise accordance with the process of inward 
crucifixion. Just in proportion as the soul is sundered from the 
ties which bound it inordinately to the earth, it increases in the 
strength of its faith, and rises into harmony with God. She 
describes the progress of the inward life, not merely by degrees 
of crucifixion, but chiefly and especially by degrees of faith. 

The soul, in the first degree of faith, has a true life in God, 
but not a full or perfect life. The soul, in this degree, loves God, 
but it adheres too strongly and takes too much delight in the 
gifts of God, considered as separate from God himself. It recog 
nises and loves, in general, the providences of God ; but when 
they become personally very afflictive, it is apt to show some 
thing of restlessness and unsubmission. Combined with a dis 
position to do the will of God, there is too much of " empresse- 
ment" or undue eagerness to do it, and not enough of that 
humility and quietness of spirit, which waits for His time of 
doing it. 

In the second and other higher degrees of faith, the soul be 
comes detached from these faults and sins. But there still re 
main others. The soul, for instance, in this stage of its progress, 
rests more or less upon a human arm ; human opinions, which 
are adverse to its course, cause it trouble ; human approbation 
and human applause sometimes give it strength, which would be 
better if it came directly from God. But God, operating by 
outward processes, takes away one prop after another, till the 
soul (which it cannot do, without an increase of faith correspond 
ing to the facts and process of such inward crucifixion) rests 
solidly upon the great Centre, and upon that centre alone. 

Such are some of the doctrines of this interesting work. The 
terms in which she describes the successive steps of a thorough 
inward crucifixion, remind one strongly of her own personal his 
tory. She describes in a great degree, though not exclusively, 
from, herself. And this, while it contributes to the interest of 
the work, constitutes in reality one of its defects, considered as 
a work to be read and followed by others. It would not be 
entirely safe to take the experience of any individual in all its 



208 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

particulars, as the precise mode of the Divine operation in all 
other cases. It may be proper to add further, that she was con 
stitutionally imaginative. Consequently, viewing things in a 
clear and strong light, she expresses herself more strongly than a 
person with less imagination would be likely to do. Her ex 
pressions, therefore, especially when compared with what she 
says, from time to time, in other places, may sometimes justly be 
received in a modified sense. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

Leaves Thonon Mount Cenis Her feelings Persons that accompanied her Circum 
stances which led her to go to Turin Marchioness of Prunai Her journey through the 
Pass of Mount Cenis, and reception and labours at Turin Religious feelings Corre 
spondence Advice to a young preacher Ot Dreams The Dream of the sacred 
island. 

SHE decided, for various reasons, to attempt to reach Turin, 
the capital of Piedmont, situated one hundred and thirty-five 
miles south-east from Geneva, and a little more from Thonon. 
Its site is on a vast plain at the foot of the Alps, on the Italian 
side, and at the confluence of the rivers Doria and Po. 

The route would be, I suppose, from Thonon to Chambery, 
through Geneva and Anneci, and from Chambery through Mont- 
meillant, to the celebrated Alpine pass of Mount Cenis, and 
thence to Susa and Turin. 

Mount Cenis was not passable then, as it has since been ren 
dered by the efforts of the French Government, for carriages ; 
but those who went over it were obliged to go on foot or on 
mules, or were carried in litters borne by porters. A journey 
along frightful precipices, and over mountains piled to the 
clouds, accompanied too by the reflection that those who were 
prosecuting it had no home, no resting-place, must have been 
exceedingly trying to any one whose mind was not sustained by 
strong faith. 



OP MADAME GUYON. 209 

" The words," she says, " which are found in the Gospel of 
Matthew, were deeply impressed upon my mind. i The foxes 
have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of 
man hath not where to lay his head. 

" This I have since experienced in all its extent, having no 
sure abode, no refuge among my friends, who were ashamed of 
me, and openly renounced me at the time when there was a 
great and general outcry against me ; nor among my relations, 
the most of whom declared themselves my adversaries, and were 
my greatest persecutors ; while others looked on me with con 
tempt and indignation. My state began to be like that of Job, 
when he was left of all. Or perhaps I might say with David, 
* For thy sake I have borne reproach ; shame hath covered my 
face ; I am become a stranger to my brethren, and an alien unto 
my mother s children ; a reproach to men, and despised of the 
people. " 

She was accompanied by Father La Combe, her spiritual 
director ; by another ecclesiastic of high standing and merit, 
who had been for fourteen years a teacher in theology, whose 
name is not given ; and a young lad from France, who had 
been apprenticed to some mechanic trade. The females in this 
little company were Madame Guyon and her little daughter, 
and one of the maid-servants who came with her from France, 
a poor and humble girl, but rich in that unchangeable faith 
which rests upon inward renouncement ; who recognised in 
Madame Guyon a spiritual mother, and with something of a 
martyr s spirit shared in her wanderings and labours, and suf 
fered with her in her long imprisonments. 

The men went through the mountain passes on mules, the 
females on litters. She who but a few years before had resided 
amid the ease and elegancies of the capital of France, was now 
a wanderer, with the precipice at her feet and the avalanche 
above her head. But God is the God of the rock and of the 
mountains, as well as of the cultured field and valleys ; and she 
saw in these mighty and terrific piles, which the lightnings had 
smitten but not destroyed, which the thunders had struck but 

O 



210 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

never removed from their places an emblem of the strength of 
that arm on which her soul rested. 

God had prepared her a refuge in Turin. There was at that 
time in the city of Turin a lady of distinguished rank, the 
Marchioness of Prunai, distinguished alike by her position in 
society, her powers of mind, and her sincere piety. Her brother 
was at that time the principal Secretary of State to the Duke of 
Savoy. The Marchioness had been a woman of sorrow, having 
been left a widow at an early period of life. She had quitted 
the noise and splendour of the Court for the more silent satis 
faction of a retired life. " This lady," says Madame Guyon, 
" was one of extraordinary piety. With many things in her 
situation which might have furnished inducements to a different 
course, she nevertheless continued a widow, notwithstanding 
repeated offers of marriage. Her great object in doing this was, 
that she might, with less distraction, consecrate herself to Christ 
without reserve." 

There was a similarity in their respective situations which 
could not fail to interest her. The position of Madame Guyon 
touched the chord of heart-felt sympathy. Having heard of her 
sickness at Thonon, and the troubles likely to await her there, 
she sent her a letter by express, conveying her Christian and 
friendly sympathy, and inviting her to come to Turin and reside 
with herself. In a subsequent letter, which repeated the invita 
tion more strongly, she included Father La Combe. 

" As the invitation was given," says Madame Guyon, " with 
out any anticipation of it, and any design on our part, it was 
natural and reasonable for us, under the circumstances of the 
case, to believe that it was God s will for us to go. And we 
thought it might be the means of His appointment, seeing our 
selves chased on the one side and desired on the other, to draw 
us out of the reproach and persecution under which we laboured." 

This little company, with the world s curse and with God s 
blessing, were winding their way through the valleys of the 
Maurienne, and over the cliffs of Mount Cenis, and along the 
banks of the Doria. The Lord, who casts up a highway for 



OF MADAME GUYON. 213 

His ransomed people to walk in, directed their steps. They 
were received at Turin by the Marchioness with all that kind 
ness and Christian affection which her letters had led them to 
expect. La Combe remained but a short time. He received 
an invitation from the Bishop of Verceil, a considerable town of 
Piedmont, about forty miles from Turin. To this he thought 
it his duty to accede. 

Turin was not regarded by Madame Guyon as a permanent 
field of labour. It was a place of refuge and of rest ; but still 
in some degree a place of religious effort. Her labours seem to 
have been chiefly with persons who held a position of influence 
in the religious world. 

" It pleased God," she says, " to make use of me in the con 
version of two or three ecclesiastics. Attached to the prevalent 
views and practices, their repugnance to the doctrines of faith 
and of an inward life was at first great. One of these persons 
at first vilified me very much. But God at length led him to 
see his errors, and gave him new dispositions." 

The writings of Madame Guyon, all in French, have been 
published in their collected form, in forty volumes. Some of 
her works, published separately, particularly her Life, have 
passed through numerous editions. The ease, vivacity, and the 
effect of what she wrote upon numerous persons, were remark 
able. At Paris, at Gex, at Thonon, at Turin, at home and 
abroad, in the convent and the prison, her pen was constantly 
employed. It is hardly possible to name a period during her 
life, when she did not keep up a wide correspondence. All 
classes of persons shared in her labours in this way, if there was 
any prospect of doing them good. Five printed volumes remain 
to us. She received many letters from Paris during her resi 
dence at Gex ; especially from persons who had a reputation for 
holiness. 

Among her correspondents we find, beside her spiritual Direc 
tors, M. Bertot and Father La Combe, the names of Poiret, a 
man celebrated for his knowledge, especially in the mystic or 
experimental theology, the Abbe de Wattenville of the city of 



212 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

Berne, Mademoiselle de Venoge of Lausanne, M. Monod, a roan 
of some distinction both in science and in civil life, the Baron 
Metternich, the Marquis de Fenelon, who for some time was the 
French ambassador in Holland, and Fenelon, Archbishop of 
Cambray. To these, among many others now unknown, we 
may add the four daughters, all of them duchesses in rank, of 
the celebrated Colbert, together with two of their husbands, the 
Dukes of Chevreuse and Beauvilliers. 

From time to time we propose to give portions of her corre 
spondence. Dates and names are sometimes gone ; but that 
doee not essentially alter its value. Her letters generally relate 
to experimental religion. 

" When the heart is once gained," she says, speaking of 
preachers, " all the rest is soon amended. But when, instead 
of faith in Christ and the renovation of the heart, they direct 
their hearers to the practice of outward ceremonies chiefly, but 
little fruit comes of it. If priests were zealous in inculcating 
inward instead of outward religion, the most desirable results 
would follow. The shepherds, in tending their flocks, would 
have the spirit of the ancient Anchorites. The ploughman, in 
following the plough, would hold a blessed communion with 
God. The mechanic, fatigued with his labours, would find rest, 
and gather eternal fruits in God. Crimes would be banished ; 
the face of the Church would be renewed ; Jesus Christ would 
reign in peace everywhere. the inexpressible loss which is 
caused by a neglect of inward religion ! What a fearful account 
will those persons be obliged to render, to whom this hidden 
treasure has been committed, but who have concealed it from 
their people ! " 

A letter, addressed to a young man when he was about enter 
ing the ministry, is as follows : 

" SIR, The singleness of spirit and the candour with which 
you have written, please me much. You are about to preach the 
Gospel of Christ. I will avail myself of the confidence you havr 
placed in me, and endeavour to make one or two suggestions. 



OF MADAME GUYON. 213 

" In the first place, a person in the responsible and solemn 
situation to which you are called, should never preach ostenta 
tiously ; in other words, with the purpose of showing your intel 
lectual power, your learning, and eloquence. Preach in a plain, 
simple manner ; and let me add, that the matter is still more 
important than the manner. Be careful what you preach, as 
well as how you preach. Preach nothing but the Gospel, the 
Gospel of the kingdom of God. And, it is exceedingly desirable, 
that you should preach it as a kingdom near at hand ; as some 
thing not a great way off, but to be received and realized now. 
Aim at the heart. If men seek the kingdom of God within 
them, in the exercise of faith and in right dispositions, instead 
of outward ceremonies and practices, they will not fail to 
find it. 

" Always remember that the soul of man was designed to be 
the Temple of the living God. In that temple, framed for eter 
nity, He desires to dwell much more than in temples made with 
human hands. He himself built it. And when, in the exercise 
of faith, we permit Him to enter, He exercises there a perpetual 
priesthood. God, therefore, is ready to come, and to take up 
His abode in the heart, if men are desirous of it. But men 
themselves have something to do. Teach those to whom you 
preach, to disengage their minds from the world, to be recollected 
and prayerful, and with sincerity and uprightness to seek, in the 
language of the Psalmist, the Lord and his strength, to seek 
his face evermore. 1 (Ps. cv. 4.) 

" Again, to render your preaching truly effective, it must be 
the product of love, and of entire obedience to the Spirit of God ; 
flowing from a real inward experience ; from the fulness of a 
believing and sanctified heart. And, if this be the case, your 
sermons will not, I think, partake of a controversial spirit, which 
is much to be avoided. Men who are controversial, led away 
by strong party feelings, are apt to utter falsehoods, when they 
think they are uttering the truth. Besides, nothing, so far as I 
can perceive, so much narrows and dries up the heart as con 
troversy. 



214 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

" Shall I be permitted to make one other suggestion ? It is 
very desirable, in the earlier part of your ministry especially, 
that you should spend a portion of your time, and that perhaps 
not a small portion, in communion with God in retirement. Let 
your own soul first be filled with God s Spirit ; and then, and 
not otherwise, will you be in a situation to communicate of that 
Divine fulness to others. No man can give what he has not ; 
or if a man has grace, but has it in a small degree, he may, in 
dispensing to others, impart to them what is necessary for him 
self. Let him first make himself one with the great Fountain, 
and then he may always give, or be the instrument of giving, 
without being emptied. 

" How wonderful, how blessed are the fruits, when the preacher 
seeks the Divine glory alone, and lets himself be moved by the 
Spirit of God ! Such a preacher can hardly fail of gaining souls 
to Him who has redeemed them with His blood. Preach in 
this manner, and you will find that your sermons will be bene 
ficial, to yourself as well as to others. Far from exhausting 
you, they will fill you more and more with God, who loves to 
give abundantly, when, without seeking ourselves, and desirous 
of nothing but the promotion of His own glory, we shed abroad 
what He gives us upon others. 

" And, on the other hand, how sad are the effects, when men 
preach with other views, and on other principles ; men wJu) 
honour God with their lips when their hearts are far from Him. 
They are not more injurious to others, than they are miserable 
in themselves. I close with my supplication, that God may not 
only instruct you in these things, but, moreover, place you in a 
situation which will be most accordant with the Divine glory 
and your own good. 

" JEANNE M. B. DE LA MOTHE GUYON." 

I believe it is a remark of no less a philosopher than Presi 
dent Edwards, that we may profitably notice our dreams, in 
order to ascertain from them, in part, our predominant inclina 
tions. Still they are not to be considered as of much account. 



OF MADAME GUYON. 215 

And accordingly, but little has been said of them hitherto. One 
will now be given, which occurred in this period of her life. 

" It was about this time," she relates, " I had a dream, which 
left a sweet impression on my mind. I seemed to see the wide 
ocean spread out before me. Many were its shoals and breakers, 
and its stormy waters roared. In the midst there arose an island, 
lofty and difficult of access where it touched the water ; but in 
the interior, where it arose again into a lofty summit, it was full 
of beauty. To this, I was in some way mysteriously carried. 
They said it was called Lebanon. Forests of cedars, and all 
beautiful trees, grew there. In the wood there were lodges, 
where those who chose might enter ; and couches of repose were 
spread for them. Here, in this place of Divine beauty, all 
things were changed from what we see them in the natural 
world. All was full of purity, innocence, truth. The birds sang 
and sported among the branches, without fear that insidious foes 
would watch and destroy them. The lamb and the wolf were 
there together in peace ; so that I was reminded of that beauti 
ful prophecy of Isaiah, l The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, 
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid ; and they shall not 
hurt nor destroy in all my Holy Mountain. 

" As I thus contemplated, who should appear but that beloved 
one, the spouse of holy souls, the SAVIOUR OF MEN I He con 
descended to come near me, to take me by the hand, and to 
speak to me. When we had looked round upon this Divine 
work, this new Paradise, He directed my attention to the wide 
waters which surrounded us, to its rocks and foaming breakers, 
and pointed out to me here and there one who was struggling 
onward, with more or less of courage and hope, to this island 
and mountain of God. Some appeared to be entirely over 
whelmed in the waves, but not yet wholly gone, and the Savi 
our directed that such, in particular, should receive from me 
whatever sympathy and aid I could give them. The sweet im 
pression which this dream left upon my spirit continued many 
days." 

Such a dream was calculated to console her, and to confirm 



216 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

her in her conviction that her great business was to aid sou la 
amid the multiplied perils which beset them. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Her return to France State of things in Italy Some account of Michael de Molinos 
Opposition to his views 111 treatment of his followers Course of the Count and 
Countess Vespiniani Imprisonment of Molinos, and death Her return from Turin to 
Grenoble Reasons Advice of a friend Her domestic arrangements Remarkable re 
vival of religion at Grenoble Dealings of God with some individuals Conversion of 
a Knight of Malta Her labours with the Sisters of one of the Convents of the city- 
Establishment of an hospital for sick persons. 

MADAME GUYON looked upon Turin as a place of refuge rather 
than a field of permanent labour. During these few months she 
found something to do, and her labours were not without effect. 
But whether it was owing to Italian usages and manners, so dif 
ferent from those to which she had been accustomed, or the 
difference of the language of the country, which, although she 
undoubtedly had command of it, must have been employed by 
her with some embarrassment, or some other reasons, she found 
that her mind turned back to France. France was the place of 
her birth ; but, above all, Providence seemed to her to indicate 
that her labours and her sufferings would be there. 

Certainly it was difficult, under the existing state of things, 
for the true light to shine much in Italy. The people of the 
Italian states have been subject to a yoke of ceremonial bondage, 
exceedingly adverse to a life of faith. In France, although the 
difficulty has been the same in kind, it has been less in degree. 

To illustrate and confirm this we may mention a few facts. 
About this period Michael de Molinos, a Spaniard, of a respect 
able family and blameless life, made his appearance in Italy as 
a religious teacher and reformer. He published his views in a 
work entitled the Spiritual Guide, which in a few years passed 
through twenty editions in different languages. The principles 
of the book, which have been much misrepresented and mis 
understood, were similar in many respects to those of Madame 



OF MADAME GUYON. 217 

Guyon. He maintained the high doctrine of present and effec 
tive sanctification. He attached comparatively but little value 
to ceremonial observances, but insisted much upon the religion 
of the heart, and upon faith as its constituting principle. His 
doctrines were received with great joy by many pious persons, in 
various parts of Italy. But this state of things continued only 
for a short time. 

The watchful eye of Roman Catholic authority noticed this 
movement. Molinos was seized and shut up in prison with some 
hundreds of persons; some of them eminent for learning and 
piety, others distinguished for rank. Among these last were the 
Count and Countess Vespiniani. The Countess, strong in that 
power and life of faith of which by God s grace she had become 
the possessor, answered the judges of the Inquisition with a 
firmness and decision which quite astonished them. She averred 
that she had been betrayed by the priests to whom she had made 
confession ; and declared openly and boldly, with all the terrors 
of an ignominious death before her, that she would never confess 
to a priest again, but to God only. 

The Inquisitors, confounded at her boldness, and not daring 
to act with rigour against persons of such high rank, set the 
Countess and her husband at liberty, with some others. But 
Molinos, whose irreproachable life and profound piety had made 
a general impression, was not permitted to escape. The doctrines 
of the Spiritual Guide were formally examined and condemned. 
A circular letter, emanating from the highest ecclesiastical 
authority, was addressed to the prelates of Italy, apprizing them 
that secret assemblies were held in their dioceses, where inad 
missible and dangerous errors were taught. It was enjoined to 
pursue to justice such as should be found adopting novelties. 
All suspected persons were closely examined ; the books of 
Molinos, when found in their possession, were taken away ; nor 
were they allowed to retain any other writings of a similar cha 
racter ; such, in particular, as the Easy Method of the Inward or 
Contemplative Life by Francis Malaval,* and the Letters, on the 

* This work was translated from the French into the Italian by Lucio Labacci. 



218 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

same subject, of Cardinal Petrucci. Efforts were made to save 
Molinos, but they were ineffectual. He died in the dungeons of 
the Inquisition, after many years of close confinement, in which 
he exhibited the greatest humility and peace of mind. 

It does not appear that Madame Guyon knew much of the 
progress and results of this movement at this time. The greater 
number of those who were interested in it, resided in other parts 
of Italy. But she saw enough in the inordinate attachment to 
the existing forms, and the prevalent deadness to the life of reli 
gion in the soul, to convince her that there was but little hope 
of much success in the labours of one like herself, a woman, a 
stranger in a strange land, unfriended and comparatively un 
known. Some years after, her writings were denounced as 
equally heretical ; and the ecclesiastical condemnation of the 
propositions of the Spanish priest was urged as one of the reasons 
for treating hers in a like manner. 

Under these circumstances she began to experience, more dis 
tinctly than she had previously done, the inward consciousness 
that God designed to use her as an instrument to effect His pur 
poses. And she could hardly fail to see, possessing powers the 
strength of which she had learned from the conflicts in which she 
had been engaged, that her labours would probably no longer be 
in obscure and remote places, and among peasantry. A mere 
instrument as she was, and felt herself to be, she began, never* 
theless, to feel the greatness of her personal responsibility, and 
the importance of the mission to which God had called her, 
which was designed to recall her people from the sign to the 
thing signified, the semblance to the possession, the ceremonial 
to the substance. 

In the autumn of 1684 she left Turin for France. Here she 
came to the conclusion to go to Grenoble, about twenty-five 
miles from Montmeillant ; and unless she returned again to 
Thonon and Geneva, as she could not now do with much pro 
priety, she could hardly avoid visiting it. 

She was intimately acquainted with a lady residing at 
Grenoble, who was so situated as to give her some aid and 



OF MADAME GUYON. 219 

advice. This lady she speaks of as " an eminent servant of 
God." 

Grenoble, which is about one hundred miles north-west of 
Turin, is an ancient and populous city of France, situated on the 
river Isere, and rendered important by its position, its numbers, 
and its local influence. The lady advised her, for religious 
reasons and with a full knowledge of her objects, to go no 
further, but to take up her residence for a time in that city. Her 
thoughts were occupied with the subject before this time ; so 
much so, that the reflections of the day had sometimes given 
existence and character to the dreams of the night. " Before I 
arrived at Grenoble," says Madame Guyon, " my friend saw in 
a dream, that our Lord gave me a great number of children, all 
uniformly clad, and bearing in their spotless dress the emblem of 
their innocence and uprightness. Her first impression was, that 
God might in His providence establish me at Grenoble, for the 
purpose of taking care of the children of the hospital. But as 
soon as she told it to me, it seemed to me that another interpre 
tation, more appropriate and likely to be fulfilled, could be given 
to it. The impression left upon my own mind was, that God 
might so far bless my labours as to give me a number of spiritual 
children ; the little ones of the Gospel ; children character 
ized by a new heart, by innocence, simplicity, and upright 
ness." 

It appeared to Madame Guyon that she should stop for a time 
here ; and thinking it not best to rely upon the offices of private 
friendship for the accommodations necessary for her, she made 
arrangements to place her little daughter and the pious maid 
servant, her constant attendant, as boarders in one of the con 
vents of the city. She herself took retired rooms in the house 
of a poor widow. 

She did not visit and make acquaintances in the first instance. 
It had not been her custom. Her unalterable conviction, that 
it indicates a want of religious wisdom and faith to run in ad 
vance of the Divine providences, required her to wait and to 
watch, as well as to pray and to act. And the result showed 



220 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

that those who trust in the Lord will find Him all that their 
faith expected and required Him to be. 

She sat in her solitary room in the city of Grenoble, in silent 
communion with God ; a stranger almost unknown. But God 7 
who gives all things to him who is so poor in spirit that he 
may be said to have nothing, honours and loves the sanctified 
heart. The language of Him in whom they trust is, " The 
battle is not yours, but God s. Fear not, nor be dismayed ; for 
the Lord will be with you." (2 Chron. xx. 15, 17.) 

Although, with the exception of a single family, she had 
scarcely a personal acquaintance at Grenoble, it was soon gene 
rally known that Madame Guyon was in the city. The result 
was, (and she speaks of it as something quite unexpected,) 
that within a very few days some of the most pious persons in 
the city came to see her. The fact that she was already re 
garded and denounced by many as a fugitive and heretic, did 
not prevent the sympathy of pious hearts. And many of those 
who thus visited her, came not merely to express their respect 
and sympathy, but to receive that religious instruction which 
they regarded her as eminently qualified to give. Here, as in 
a greater or less degree at Paris, at Gex, at Thonon, and at 
Turin, the Spirit of God attended her. 

Those who thus came to her, impressed by the profound truths 
which she uttered, announced to others the light and the spiri 
tual blessings they were thus receiving. And accordingly, the 
number rapidly increased. 

" People," says Madame Guyon, " flocked together from all 
sides, far and near. Friars, priests, men of the world, maids, 
wives, widows, all came, one after another, to hear what was to 
be said. So great was the interest felt, that for some time I 
was wholly occupied from six o clock in the morning till eight 
in the evening, in speaking of God. It was not possible to aid 
myself much in my remarks by meditation and study. But God 
was with me. He enabled me, in a wonderful manner, to un 
derstand the spiritual condition and wants of those who came to 
me. Many were the souls which submitted to God at this time ; 



OF MADAME GU1TON. 221 

Crod only knows how many. Some appeared to be changed as it 
were in a moment. Delivered from a state in which their hearts 
and lips were closed, they were at once endued with gifts of 
prayer, which were wonderful. Marvellous, indeed, was this 
work of the Lord." 

A member of one of the religious orders at Grenoble, visited 
her Conferences, and seems also to have sought private inter 
views. He was one of those persons, not unfrequently found, 
who, with the most favourable dispositions to become religious, 
fail, nevertheless, in the requisite fidelity and courage. In this 
conflict and vacillation of mind, he came and " laid open," as 
she expresses it, " all the trials of his heart to her like a little 
child." She gave him such instructions as seemed applicable ; 
and God made her the instrument of great blessings to him. 
" I felt," she says, " that this person, who was emptied of self 
in proportion as he received of the Divine fulness, was truly 
one of my spiritual children, one of the most faithful and closely 
united." 

A number of his companions were all, in like manner, led to 
see their need of an interest in Christ, and to the experience of 
repentance. But this result, so auspicious and glorious, was 
incidentally the occasion of some trouble. The Superior of the 
Religious House to which these brethren belonged, and the Master 
of the Novitiates, were very much offended. 

" They were grievously chagrined," says Madame Guyon, 
" that a woman should be so much flocked to and sought after. 
For, looking at the things as they were in themselves, and not 
as they were in God, who uses what instrument He pleases, 
they forgot, in their contempt for the instrument, to admire the 
goodness and grace manifested through it. The good brother, 
however, first converted, persevered in his efforts, and after a 
time persuaded the Superior of the House to come, and at least 
to thank me for the charities of which he knew I had been the 
agent. He came. We entered into conversation. The Lord 
was present, and was pleased so to order my words, that they 
reached his heart. He was not only affected, but was at last 



222 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

convinced and completely gained over to the views which he at 
first opposed. So much so, that he bought quite a number of 
religious books at his own expense, and circulated them widely. 

" Oh, how wonderful art thou, my God ! In all thy ways 
how wise ! In all thy conduct how full of love ! How well 
thou canst frustrate all the false wisdom of men, and triumph 
over all their vain precautions I 

" In this Keligious House there was a considerable number of 
persons as Novitiates. The new spirit of religious inquiry, based 
upon the principle that man is a sinner, and that he must be 
saved by repentance and faith in Christ, and that faith in God 
through Christ subsequently is, and must be the foundation of 
the inward life, reached the eldest of the Novitiates. It was a 
marked case. As he gave his attention to the subject, he be 
came more and more uneasy, so much so that he knew not what 
to do. He could neither read nor study, nor go through in the 
usual manner the prescribed forms of prayer, nor scarcely do any 
of his other duties. The member of this Religious House in 
terested first, brought this Novitiate to me. We conversed to 
gether for some time. I was enabled, with Divine assistance, to 
judge very accurately of his inward state, and to suggest views 
appropriate to it. The result was remarkable. God s presence 
was manifested in a wonderful manner. Grace wrought in his 
heart ; and his soul drank in what was said, as the parched 
ground of summer drinks in the rain. Before he left the room, 
the fears and sorrows of his mind departed. So far as could be 
judged at the time, he was a new man in Christ. 

" He now studied and prayed readily and cheerfully, and dis 
charged all other duties in such a manner that he was scarce 
known to himself or others. He was not only changed, but he 
was rejoiced to find that there was in him a principle of life 
which made the change permanent. God gave him his daily 
bread spiritually, as well as temporally ; imparting what he 
could not obtain before, whatever pains he might take for it. 
Desiring to do good to others, he brought to me, from time to 
time, all the other Novitiates. All were affected and blessed, 



OF MADAME GUYON. 223 

though in different degrees. The Superior of the House and the 
Master of the Novitiates, ignorant of the instrumentality em 
ployed, could not forbear expressing their feelings at the change 
in those under their charge. Conversing one day with a person 
connected with the house, and expressing their surprise at the 
great change in the novitiates, this person said to them, My 
Fathers, if you will permit me, I will tell you the reason. It is 
owing to the efforts of the lady against whom, without knowing 
her, you formerly exclaimed so much. God has made use of her 
efforts for all this. 7 

" This, added to the favourable influences already existing, 
could not fail to have a very marked effect. Both the Superior 
and the Master were advanced in years ; but they condescended, 
with great humility, to submit to such advice and instruction as 
I was enabled to give them. It was at this time, for the parti 
cular benefit of those whose minds were affected in the manner 
related, that I wrote the little book entitled A Short Method of 
Prayer. 

" They experienced so much benefit from it, that the Superior 
said to me, * I am become quite a new man. Prayer, which 
was formerly burdensome to me, and especially after my intel 
lectual faculties became exhausted and dull, I now practise with 
great pleasure and ease. God, who formerly seemed to be a 
great way off, is now near ; and the communion I have with 
Him, which is frequent, results in great spiritual blessings*. 

" The Master of the Novitiates said, * I have been a member 
of a Eeligious House these forty years, and have practised the 
form of prayer, and perhaps in something of its spirit ; but I can 
truly say, that I have never practised it as I have done since 
I read that little book. And I can say the same of my other 
religious exercises. Among the other persons experimentally 
interested, were three monks, men of ability and reputation, 
belonging to another monastery, the members of which were in 
general very much opposed to me. 

" God also made me of service to a great number of nuns, 
virtuous young women, and even men of the world. Among 



224 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

those was a young man of the Order of the Knights of Malta. 
Led to understand something of the peaceful nature and effects 
of religion, he abandoned the profession of arms for that of a 
preacher of the gospel of Christ. He became a man constant in 
prayer, and was much favoured of the Lord. I could not well 
describe the great number of souls, of whose spiritual good God 
was pleased to make me the instrument. Among the number 
were three curates, one canon, and one grand- vicar, who were 
more particularly given to me. Generally speaking, those who 
sought religion did not seek it in vain. There was one priest, 
however, for whom I was interested, and for whom, in my 
anxiety for his salvation, I suffered much. He desired religion, 
while he felt the power of other and inferior attachments. He 
sought it, but with a divided heart. The contest was severe ; 
and it was with painful emotions that I saw him, after all his 
desires and efforts, go back again to the world. 

" I ought to add, perhaps, that those who were the subjects 
of this remarkable work, generally remained steadfast in the 
faith. In the severe trials which followed, some of them were 
shaken for a time, but returned again. The great body were 
stead fast immovable." 

These things took place, for the most part, in the spring and 
summer of 1685. The following is one of a number of incidents 
connected with this state of things. " There was a sister in one 
of the convents of the city, who for eight years had been in a 
state of religious melancholy. No one seemed to understand her 
case, or was able to give relief. I had never been in that con 
vent ; for I was not in the habit of going into such places unless 
I was sent for, as I did not think it right to intrude, but left 
myself to be conducted by Providence. Under these circum 
stances, I was not a little surprised that, near the close of a long 
summer s day, after setting of the sun, a message was suddenly 
sent to me from the Prioress, requesting me to visit this House, 
On my way thither, I met one of the sisters, who told me the 
occasion of my being thus suddenly summoned was the afflicted 
and insane state of this poor woman. She had made an attempt 



OF MADAME GUYON. 225 

to kill herself. Her earnest desire to obtain reconciliation with 
God, and her deep conviction of the impossibility of securing it 
by ceremonial observances alone, had produced such a conflict 
in her mind, that its very foundations were shaken ; but not so 
much so as to deprive her of the power of correct perception for 
the most part of the time. 

" A person coming in to see her about this time, who had 
known something of iny personal history, advised her to converse 
with me. Being thus made to understand the general facts of 
the case, I laid it inwardly before the Lord, who enabled me to 
understand it more fully. For many years, compelled as it were 
by the doctrine and discipline which ascribed the highest results 
to austerities and ceremonial observances, she had struggled 
against those inward convictions, which assured her that there 
is a better way. I endeavoured to explain to her that this 
resistance must cease ; that she must no longer rely upon ob 
servances, or trust to personal merits, but must trust in Christ, 
and resign herself to Him alone. God was pleased to bless 
these efforts. Being a woman of great capacity, she appreciated 
at once the riews which were presented. Submitting herself to 
God through Christ, and willing to leave all things in His 
hands in faith, she entered at once into the peace of Paradise. 
She was so much changed, that she became the admiration of 
the Religious Community. God s presence was with her con 
tinually, and her spirit and power of prayer were wonderful." 

But the work did not stop here. A considerable number of 
persons in the Convent gave attention to these great truths. It 
was something new, with those who had practised observances 
and austerities so long, to hear of reconciliation with God, by 
the simple and scriptural method of faith in Christ alone. And 
the announcement, corning though it did from woman s lips, but 
attended with what gives the true power to every announce 
ment, namely, the Saviour s blessing, brought consolation to 
many a mourning heart. The thorough reformation of one of 
the inmates in particular, whose ungovernable dispositions had 
for many years given trouble, attracted great notice. The won- 

p 



226 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

derful change thus wrought in others, and particularly in this 
individual, was the means of establishing an intimate friendship 
between the Prioress and herself. 

Her labours were not limited to religious instruction. The 
efforts so happily made at Thonon to establish an hospital for 
the sick, were followed by similar efforts at Grenoble. She 
mentions it incidentally, in a subsequent period. " I believe 
T forgot to say, in the proper place, that the Lord condescended 
to make use of me to establish an hospital in Grenoble. Some 
expense was necessarily incurred in the beginning ; but it was 
established without permanent or vested funds, on the principle 
of being supplied by voluntary contributions from the fund of 
Providence. My enemies afterwards made use of this bene 
volent effort, as an occasion for speaking ill of me, alleging that 
I had taken property for the founding of such institutions, which 
had been settled on my children. This was not true. My 
children not only fully received what was settled upon them, 
but shared also in what was assigned to me. As to the hospitals, 
instead of ascribing their support to me or any one else, it would 
be better to say that they are supported only on the fund of 
Divine Providence, which is inexhaustible. But so it has been 
ordered for my good, that all the Lord has enabled me to do for 
His glory, has ever been turned by man s malignity into trials 
and crosses for me. Many of my trials I have omitted to parti 
cularize, for the number of them has been so great." 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

Origin of the Monastery of the Grande Chartreuse Visited by Madame Guyon The ap 
proach to it Conversation between Father Innocentius and Madame Guyon Opposition 
at Grenoble Her method of prayer in religious conferences Commences Commentaries 
on the Bible Of her spiritual state Her Commentary on the Canticles Her s-ympatbv 
with King David when occupied in writing on the book of Kings The Short Method of 
Prayer Its originOn the writing of books as a means of good. 

EIGHT miles north of Grenoble is the celebrated monastery of 
the Grande Chartreuse. In the year 1084, Bruno, a native of 



OP MADAME GUYON. 227 

Cologne, founder of the Order of Carthusian monks, a man of 
learning and piety, came to Grenoble, and requested the bishop 
to allow him to establish himself, for religious purposes, in some 
place of retirement within his diocese. Hugh, bishop of the 
city, strongly recommended him, and the few pious persons with 
him, as a place suitable to their purposes, the neighbouring de 
sert of the Chartreuse a place effectually precluded from intru 
sion by frightful precipices and almost inaccessible rocks. The 
proposition was readily accepted. Delighted with the prospect 
of separating themselves from the world, they went into this re 
markable retreat; and removed almost from the possibility of 
worldly interruptions, they built their places of prayer. Such 
was the origin of the monastery of the Grande Chartreuse. 

The original rule did not allow the visits of women, but was 
subsequently relaxed to some extent ; but however this may be, 
we find that Madame Guyon, impelled by motives of a religious 
nature, visited this celebrated place. This, to a woman at least, 
was no small undertaking, although the distance was not great. 

As the traveller approaches the Grande Chartreuse, he emerges 
from a long and gloomy forest, abruptly terminated by immense 
mountains. The pass, through which the ascent of the moun 
tains is commenced, winds through stupendous granite rocks. 
At the end of this terrific defile the road is crossed by a romantic 
mountain torrent, over which is a rude stone bridge. The road 
no sooner leaves the bridge, than it turns suddenly in another 
direction, and thus presents at once before the traveller a lofty 
mountain, on the flattened summit of which the Carthusian 
monastery is situated, enclosed on either side by other mountain 
peaks still more elevated, whose tops are whitened with per 
petual snows. 

" No sooner is the defile passed," says a traveller who passed 
through it a few years before the period of which we are now 
speaking, " than nothing, which possesses either animal or vege 
table life, is seen. No huntsman winds his horn in these dreary 
solitudes; no shepherd s pipe is allowed to disturb the deep 
repose. It is not permitted the mountaineers ever to lead their 



228 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

flocks beyond the entrance of the defile; and even beasts of 
prey seem to shrink back from that dreaded pass, and instinc 
tively to keep away from a desert which neither furnishes sub 
sistence nor covert. Nothing, as we passed upward, met the eye 
but tremendous precipices and huge fragments of rock, diversi 
fied with glaciers in every possible fantastic form. 

" Sometimes the rocks, jutting out above, overhung us, till 
they formed a complete arch over our heads, and rendered the 
path so dark that we could scarcely see to pick our way. Once 
we had to pass over a narrow pine plank which shook at every 
step. This was placed, by way of bridge, over a yawning chasm, 
which every moment threatened to engulf the traveller in its 
marble jaws. We often passed close by the side of abysses so 
profound as to be totally lost in darkness ; while the awful 
roaring of the waters struggling in their cavities, shook the very 
rocks on which we trod." 

Such are the terms in which the learned and justly celebrated 
Port Koyalist, Claude Lancelot, speaks of his journey through 
these sublime rocks and over these rugged ascents and precipices. 
From the bridge at the termination of the defile to the level 
opening on the top of the mountain where the monastery is 
situated, the ascent is a little more than two miles. The mon 
astery itself is a very striking object, venerable alike by its 
massive strength and its high antiquity. Although correctly 
described as situated on the summit of a mountain, it is never 
theless enclosed on two sides by stupendous rocks and peaks, of 
still greater height, which reach far above the clouds, and almost 
shut out the light of the sun. Here dwell a company of monks, 
about forty in number, under a General or Prior ; they have a 
large library ; many of them are men of extensive information 
and learning ; their duties and austerities are subjected to strict 
rules ; their mode of living is simple ; and much of their time is 
spent in acts of devotion. 

About a third of a mile below the monastery, in a little 
opening on the side of the ascent, is a building which may be 
regarded as an appendage to it, though separate from it in some 



OF MADAME GUYON. 229 

respects. The principal building at this place, and the cells 
around it, are occupied by lay brethren and other persons, who 
wish to be connected with the members of the Chartreuse, and 
to be under their direction, without wholly conforming to the 
severity of their rule. To this place, probably, and not the 
monastery proper, Madame Guyon ascended. The learned and 
venerable Prior, Father Innocentius, attended by his monks, 
came down to meet her. The conversation turned upon the sub 
ject of religious faith. She proclaimed, not authoritatively or in 
any way inconsistent with female modesty and propriety, the 
indispensable necessity, riot only of justification by faith, but of 
faith as the foundation of the whole inward Christian life. 

Christian candour compels us to think favourably of the reli 
gious professions and hopes of these good brethren. But the 
broad annunciation of faith as the foundation of everything, a 
doctrine which excludes all claims of personal merit, we may 
well suppose, extracted from them, notwithstanding their habits 
of quietude and silence, marked ejaculations of doubt and asto 
nishment. Many were their ceremonial observances. Eight 
months of the year, if we may believe their statements, they 
fasted in the stricter sense of the term ; and the rest of the time 
they ate no meat ! Was all this to go for nothing ? But it 
was the doctrine of Faith, in connexion with its thoroughly sane* 
tifying results, which particularly attracted the notice of the Prior. 

" Some six or seven years ago," says .Father Innocentius, in 
allusion to this interview, " Madame Guyon found her way 
upward to our solitary home in the rocks. Although contrary 
to our usual custom, I thought it an occasion on which I might 
be excused for conversing with this lady. I took with me, how 
ever, a number of the brethren, as witnesses of what passed be 
tween us. And they will now bear me testimony, that, aftei 
the conversation, and when Madame Guyon had left us, I im 
mediately expressed my suspicions, in very strong terms, of the 
soundness of her views."* It was not long before his suspicions 

* La Vie deMessire Jean d Aranthon D Alex, Liv. in., chap. iv. This work wag published 
anonymously, but the author of it was Father Innocentius himself. 



230 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

ripened into convictions, and he became one of the leading 
writers in opposition to her. Probably never before nor since 
have those solitary rocks listened to the voice of woman, coming 
among them under such circumstances, and announcing to their 
inmates such salutary truths. 

Not long after this visit she experienced the beginnings of 
that practical opposition from which she had suffered in other 
places. " The lady, who was my particular friend," she says, 
" began to conceive some jealousy on account of the applause 
which was given me ; God permitted that she should be thus 
tempted and afflicted, in order that she might know herself, and 
become more thorouglily purified. Also some of those persons 
who sustained the office of Confessors in the Church, began to 
be uneasy, saying, that I had gone out of my place, and that it 
was not my proper business to aid in this manner, in the in 
struction and restoration of souls. 

" It was easy for me," she adds, " to see the difference be 
tween those Confessors who seek nothing but God s glory, and 
those who make their office subservient to their own interests. 
Those of the first class came to see me, and approved of my 
labours, and greatly rejoiced in the grace of God bestowed on 
their penitents. The others, on the contrary, seemed to despise 
the good, because they contemned the instrument of it ; and tried 
in a secret manner to excite the town against me." 

The appearance of an opposition, at first comparatively feeble, 
but continually increasing in violence, did not compel her imme 
diately to remit her labours. She still continued her assemblies 
for conversation and prayer. She conversed much, but not 
without supplication mingled with it. When persons were col 
lected together, before entering upon conversation, and from time 
to time when especial Divine communion seemed to be necessary, 
it was her practice to pray in silence. Such had been her devo 
tional babits, that she entered into this state in a remarkable 
manner. The mind turned inward upon itself. Her closed or 
uplifted eye, her hands clasped together, her serene countenance 
abstracted from worldly influences but lighted up with a Divine 



OF MADAME GUYOlJ. 231 

ray, left the conviction upon those who were present with her, 
that her soul was in a communion with the Eternal, too deep for 
the utterance of words. Such a conviction could hardly fail to 
react upon themselves, to check the current of their worldly 
affections, and to produce the most salutary religious impressions. 
The Holy Ghost has a language outward, as well as inward. 
Within, it gives holy dispositions ; without, it shows itself in the 
natural signs and expressions of peace, love, forbearance, purity, 
desire for the good of others ; all elevated and sanctified by that 
holy confidence, which results from the knowledge of God s un 
changeable friendship. A countenance, purified and irradiated 
by the Divine power of this inward illumination, necessarily has 
something in it which is more angelic than human. 

" There is a light around her brow, 
A holiness in those calm eyes, 
Which show, though earth may claim it now, 
Her spirit s home is in the skies." 

Before the glance of that eye, the illuminated expression of that 
peaceful countenance, jealousy, pride, malice, impurity, revenge, 
selfishness, and every evil thing, stand rebuked and condemned. 

At Thonon, Madame Guyon wrote the Spiritual Torrents. At 
Grenoble, she commenced her Commentaries on the Bible, which 
are, for the most part, experimental and practical. A critical 
and exegetical commentary cannot be written to much purpose, 
without a knowledge of the Hebrew language and of other dia 
lects related to it in origin. To this knowledge she made no 
pretensions ; though, having some knowledge of the Latin, she 
was able to avail herself of some important helps in that lan 
guage, as well as of commentaries in French and Italian. 

Her method, for the most part, was this, She placed the 
Bible before her, and studied it, both in the Latin and French 
translations, to ascertain, in the first place, what meaning it 
would present to a mind, humbly and honestly directing itself to 
the pursuit of the truth. In addition to this, she adopted the 
idea, not only that the Old and New Testaments are parts of 
one system, but that the import of the one can, in many cases, 



232 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

best be reached and understood by a comparison of tne related 
topics and passages of the other. And accordingly she studied 
them together, and interpreted the one by the other. But this 
was not all. The Holy Scriptures are full of truths which can 
not well be received and appreciated, except in connexion with 
an inward experience corresponding to them. Not unfrequently 
the light of the mind, inspired by the inward agency of the 
Spirit of truth, throws light upon the outward letter. If 
Madame Guyon had less of that form of exegetical knowledge, 
which is derived from an access to the original tongues of the 
Scriptures, than some others, she had more, much more, of that 
inward, spiritual insight, which, to say the least, is equally valu 
able. " I wrote my Commentaries on the Scriptures," she says, 
" for the most part, in the night ; in time taken from sleep. 
The Lord was so present to me in this work, and kept me so 
under control, that I both began and left off writing just as He 
was pleased to order it ; writing when He gave me inward light 
and strength, and stopping when He withheld them. I wrote 
with very great rapidity, light being diffused within me in such 
a manner, that I found I had in myself latent treasures of 
perception and knowledge, of which I had but little previous 
conception." 

Her Commentaries on the Bible have all been published ; 
those on the Old Testament in twelve small octavo volumes, and 
those on the New Testament in eight. A part only were written 
at Grenoble. Of these volumes, the most remarkable is the 
work on the Canticles. Taking the view adopted by the greater 
number of the earlier critics, Madame Guyon regards this re 
markable poem, in its higher or spiritual sense, as a conversation 
between the truly sanctified soul and Christ. In the concluding 
part of her Commentary, she brings out very fully her views of 
the union of the soul with Christ, and with God through Christ. 
This work indicated so distinctly and fully the doctrine of a 
heart wholly delivered, if not from everything which requires 
penitent humiliation and the application of Christ s blood, yet at 
least from all known voluntary sin, as a doctrine to be taught, 



OF MADAME GUYON. 233 

believed, and realized, that it became the subject of special criti 
cism and rebuke. 

One passage, illustrative of the operations of her mind in the 
preparation of her Commentaries, may be given here. " In 
writing my Commentaries on the Books of Kings, when I gave 
attention to those parts which had relation to king David, I felt 
a very remarkable communion of spirit with him, as much so 
almost as if he had been present with me. Even before I 
had commenced writing, in my previous and preparatory con 
templations, I had experienced this union. By a remarkable 
operation upon me, I seemed to comprehend very fully the great 
ness of his grace, the conduct of God over him, and all the cir 
cumstances of the states through which he had passed. In his 
capacity of leader and pastor of Israel, I was deeply impressed 
with a view of him, as a striking type of Christ. The Saviour 
and His people are one. And it seemed to be nothing less than 
that pure and holy union, which I had previously experienced in 
connexion with the Saviour, which now extended itself to the 
king of Israel, His antitype, and embraced him and also other 
saints. It was in the experience of this intimate union with 
Christ and with those who are like Him, that my words, whether 
written or spoken, had a wonderful effect, with God s blessing, 
in forming Christ in the souls of others, and in bringing them 
into the same state of union." 

She says further : " A considerable part of my comments on 
the Book of Judges happened by some means to be lost. Being 
desired by some of my friends to render the book complete in 
that part which was wanting, I wrote over again the places 
which were missing. Afterwards, when the people of the house 
where I had resided were about leaving it for some reason, 
the papers which had been mislaid were found. My former and 
latter explications were found on comparison to be conformable to 
each other with scarcely any variation, which greatly surprised 
persons of knowledge and merit who examined them." 

She makes the following statement in regard to the publica 
tion of the book: A Short Method of Prayer. "Among my 



234 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

intimate friends was a civilian, a counsellor of the Parliament 
of Grenoble, who might be described as a model of piety. See 
ing on my table my manuscript treatise on Prayer, he desired 
me to lend it to him. Being much pleased with it, he lent it 
to some of his friends. Others wanted copies of it. He resolved, 
therefore, to have it printed. The proper ecclesiastical permis 
sions and approbations were obtained. I was requested to write 
a Preface, which I did. 

" Under these circumstances this book, which within a few 
years, passed through five or six editions, was given to the 
world. The Lord has given a great blessing to this little trea 
tise ; but it has caused great excitement among those who did 
not accede to its principles, and has been the pretence of various 
trials and persecutions which I have endured." 

Books are God s instruments of good as well as sermons. He 
who cannot preach may talk ; and he who cannot do either, may 
perhaps write. A good book, laid conscientiously upon God s 
altar, is no small thing. How abundant is the evidence of this. 
Doddridge s Rise and Progress of Religion, Baxter s Saint s 
Rest, the Imitation of Christ, and many other works which 
might be mentioned, have exerted a wide influence of the most 
salutary kind, felt in every part of the world, and perpetuated 
from generation to generation. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

Analysis of The Method of Prayer The word Those without the spirit of prayer invited to 
seek it Directions to aid persons Additional directions Higher religious experience- 
Entire consecration to God The test of consecration Inward holiness the true regulator 
of the outward life Of gradual growth The knowledge of our inward sins The manner 
of meeting temptations The soul in the state of pure love The prayer of silence The 
true relation of human and Divine acti vity The nature and conditions of the state of 
Divine union Appeal to pastors and teachers. 

As the work on Prayer is frequently referred to, and was con 
sidered so important as to be made the subject of ecclesiastical 
condemnation, I give a concise analysis of it. 



OF MADAME GUYON. 235 

1. Remarks in explanation of the use of the term Prayer. 

St. Paul (1 Thessalonians v. 17) has enjoined upon us "to 
pray without ceasing. Our Saviour (Mark xiii. 33) requires 
us " to take heed, to watch, and to pray." But what is that 
prayer? It is obviously something more than the formal offer 
ing up of specific petitions. The prayer of which I speak, is 
that state of the heart in which it is united to God in faith and 
love. 

A man who has this heart, may pray at all times. It is the 
natural, the spontaneous flowing out of the heart, in the issues 
of its own moral and religious life. All classes of persons, in 
all ages and in all situations, may pray. If they have the 
spirit of prayer, how can they help praying? 

Prayer, then, and religion, are the same thing. 

2. All without the spirit of prayer are invited to seek it. 
Come, ye famishing souls, who find nought whereon to feed, 

come, and ye shall be satisfied ! Come, ye poor afflicted ones, 
who groan beneath your load of wretchedness and pain, and ye 
shall find ease and comfort ! Come, ye sick, to your Physician, 
and be not fearful of approaching Him, because ye are filled 
with diseases. Expose them to His view, arid they shall be 
healed ! Children, draw near to your Father, and He will em 
brace you in the arms of love. Come, ye poor, wandering sheep, 
return to your Shepherd ! Come, sinners, to your Saviour I 
Let all, without exception, come ! for Jesus Christ hath called 
all. Yet, let not those come who are without a heart ; those 
who are without a heart are not asked ; for there must be a 
heart, in the natural sense of the term at least, in order that 
there may be LOVE. But of whom can it be said, that he is 
really without a heart ? 

3. Directions to a person very ignorant and without religion 
in respect to the manner in which he may properly seek it. 

I will suppose that they hardly know anything, or are hardly 
capable of knowing anything, except the Lord 1 s prayer. And 
this is my direction : let them begin with what they are supposed 
to know, namely, the Lord s Prayer. Let them say, OUR 



236 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

FATHER, and stop there ; remaining in respectful silence and 
meditation; pondering a little upon the meaning of the words, 
and especially upon the infinite willingness of God to become 
their Father. And before they go further, let them utter the 
petition, that He may become to them individually what He is 
so willing to be. 

Let them proceed, then, to the petition, THY KINGDOM COME. 
And delaying upon this as before, until they can imbibe its 
spirit, which is one of the most important things in this pro 
cess, let them apply the petition, as in the preceding instance, 
to themselves ; beseeching this King of glory to reign in them, 
and endeavouring with Divine assistance, to yield to Him the 
just claim He has over them, and to resign themselves wholly 
to His Divine government. 

Then let them take another petition ; THY WILL BE DONE ON 
EARTH AS IT is DONE IN HEAVEN. And here let them humble 
themselves before God, and earnestly supplicate, that God s will, 
His whole will, may be accomplished in their hearts, in them 
and by them for ever. And knowing that God s will is accom 
plished in us when we love Him, it is the same thing if they 
should pray God to enable them to love Him with all their heart. 
And in doing this, however sinful and unworthy they may be, 
let them be calm and peaceable ; not disturbed and agitated, 
as if there were no Saviour, no Divine Shepherd, who is the 
daily nourishment of His people, and feeds His flock, as it were, 
with Himself; not fearful and distrustful, as if God were not 
merciful or might not be true to His promises, when He pledges 
forgiveness for Christ s sake. 

4. Additional directions for those who are beginning to seek 
religion. 

Persons are not to overburden themselves with frequent repe 
titions of set forms of prayer. Our Saviour says, When ye pray, 
use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do ; for they think they 
shall be heard for their much speaking. Begin with the Lord s 
Prayer as the simplest and best. Go over it slowly, calmly, 
believingly ; not being in a hurry to go over the whole and then 



OF MADAME GUYON. 237 

to repeat it, as if the result depended on the repetition, and the 
number of repetitions ; but delaying upon each petition. 

A second remark is, that you are to place God before you as 
the Being to whom you are to be reconciled, and from whom 
you are to receive all good. But be careful not to form any 
image of the Deity. The idea of God, whatever may be some 
times thought, can never be represented and set forth by any 
thing which the eye beholds or the hand touches, by anything 
which exists in sculpture and painting. " God is a Spirit," 
says the Saviour, " and they that worship Him must worship 
Him in spirit and in truth. 7 

A third remark is this, do not forget Him who is the way, 
the truth, and the life, the Saviour, the second person in the 
ever blessed Trinity. He is the way. Enter to God through 
Him. Behold Him in the various states of His Incarnation. 
You are a man, with all of man s feebleness and temptations ; 
behold Him assuming humanity in order that He may sym 
pathize with you. You are a sinner ; behold Him upon the 
cross, dying that you might live. In the Lord s Prayer, God 
offers Himself to you. Uttering that prayer in Christ, who is 
the mediatorial way, you receive God ; and in receiving Him, 
you receive the true and everlasting life. 

Persevere in this way, asking for few things, and such as are 
very essential, found in the Lord s Prayer ; pausing upon each 
with a calm and silent looking up to God through Christ ; ceas 
ing from your own strength in order that you may find strength 
in the Saviour by faith. 

5. Directions applicable to persons of some degree of know 
ledge and education. 

Those who have more knowledge, men of reading, may very 
properly avail themselves of their intellectual position in further 
ing this great object. The directions already given are exceed 
ingly important to them. But in addition, let them read books 
on experimental religion, delaying upon the most important 
truths, and praying over them, till the power which is in them, 
being made alive by the Holy Ghost, is felt in the heart. 



238 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

Meditation also, as distinct from reading, is to be practised 
on similar principles. In retirement, endeavour, by a lively act 
of faith, to realize the relations in which you stand to God, and 
place yourself, as it were, in His immediate presence. In 
general, this is the first great thought upon which the mind 
should be occupied ; God is ; God is present ; God is our 
Father ; to Him we owe all. Let the mind repose calmly and 
believingly upon these great truths, and other important religious 
truths, in which there is substance and food for the inquiring 
mind, such as our lost condition by nature, Christ our Mediator, 
God the inward Teacher of men in the person of the Holy 
Ghost ; dwell quietly and humbly, with the senses and thoughts 
withdrawn from the circumference to the centre. Thus wait 
upon the Lord with strong desire, but without agitation. 

6. Of an increased or higher degree of religious experience. 

The soul has at first but a little realizing sense of God. It 
says, my Father, it is true, but says it very tremblingly. But 
after a time it gains strength. It begins to see more and more 
distinctly how God, whom as a sinner it feared, can be fully 
reconciled. It believes more fully in God, because it believes 
more fully in Christ, who is the only way of access. 

In this advanced state the soul begins to recognise the great 
truth, that our love to God should be without selfishness, and 
that our will should be perfectly united in His will. The ser 
vant, who only proportions his diligence to the hope of reward, 
renders himself unworthy of all reward. We must learn to seek 
God in distinction from His gifts, and God is in His WILL. Sup 
posing, then, that God should smite you with afflictions without 
and temptations within, and should leave the soul in a state of 
entire aridity, do what God requires you to do, and suffer what 
He requires you to suffer ; but in everything be resigned and 
patient ! With humility of spirit, with a sense of your own 
nothingness, with the reiterated breathings of an ardent but 
peaceful affection, and with inward submission and quietness, 
you must wait the return of the Beloved. In this way you will 
demonstrate that it is God himself alone and His good pleasure 



OP MADAME GUYON. 239 

which you seek, and not the selfish delights of your own sensa 
tions. 

7. Of abandonment or entire consecration to God in all things. 

But this cannot well be done without the principle of aban 
donment; by which I mean that act in which we resign, abandon, 
or consecrate ourselves entirely to God. Those who are con 
secrated, have given their own wills into the keeping of God s 
will. Such a soul is resigned in all things, whether for soul or 
body, whether for time or eternity ; by leaving what is past in 
oblivion ; by leaving what- is to come to the decisions of Provi 
dence ; and by devoting to God, without any reserve, the present 
moment; a moment which necessarily brings with it God s 
eternal order of things, and in everything, excepting sin, is a 
declaration to us of His will as certain and infallible, as it is 
inevitable and common to us all. 

8. Of the test or trial of consecration. 

God will give us opportunities to try our test, whether it be a 
true one or not. No man can be wholly the Lord s, unless he is 
wholly consecrated to the Lord ; and no man can know whether 
he is thus wholly consecrated, except by tribulation. That is the 
test. To rejoice in God s will, when that will imparts nothing 
but happiness, is easy even for the natural man. But none but 
the renovated man, none but the religious man, can rejoice in 
the Divine will, when it crosses his path, disappoints his ex 
pectations, and overwhelms him with sorrow. Trial, therefore, 
instead of being shunned, should be welcomed as the test, and 
the only true test, of a true state. 

Beloved souls ! There are consolations which pass away ; but 
ye will not find true and abiding consolation except in entire 
abandonment, and in that love which loves the cross. He who 
does not welcome the cross, does not welcome God. 

9. Inward holiness the true regulator of the outward life. 
When we have the true life within, we may reasonably be 

expected to have the truly regulated life without. " LOVE," 
says St. Augustine, " and do what you please" If we have 
love without selfishness, it will riot fail to work itself out in 




md right ianes. Tfee iiioidmate action of the 

::T-; .-_j> :": _: :. -f rrr.rs ..:. : . v ::-.--:.-?. :.? ::" :ie 
Mortify the inward man; and joa can hardly 
&Q to mortify and ngokfe tfe ooftward man. 

TV* ml fcOr give* mp m fifth ami bve, afltonkhed to fnd 

- -.-I r?-i:.:> ---r ;-:i>r~ .- ::i:.$---_ \, \ r _- : . r : : .. r 

off growtn in paaj> is a tendency to cease from ov- 
order that God himael^ in tke operalioQ of Ike Holy 

- . r" _ . . ~ -".-:./.. i :..:.: M-. 

A aool in tnxs state is prepared for afl times, places, and 
h far wwdiin, for outward action. When, 
of pnpoae, or want of fiatk, we liiirmaa, as it 
it of immediate importance to tern again 
gently and sweetly in ward ; aad thus bring the soul into har- 
dwoK* of God The more the sool 





:. .:.~ : i 5;rr~= - i ? i; . .-: v. ; r - 
raDy it feels His amarting power. 
*r nawrrf JBV vAaiJt2f art m Mi 

If & sad, in this hitiwrlr nearness with God, slnxild be left 
to dl into any enor or sm, it wooU be nnmediately thrown into 
- .-:- .-.-: ;:L:_- :. .:. . _- ..: : : : lirZii.,::. i. -T -i _,;.:_vr 
tke aiiiaiiai examiner of the soul; but stffl in such a way, 
Ait the son], mofieg m the Dirine light, can see and rraaima 
: - .-5- -. .:. 

When we H into errors, and even undoubted sins, the roles 
of inward holy firing uqeiiu as not to TCI and disquiet our- 
riv; box simply in deep hmwQiation and penitence, to tarn 
:-- - .~ - - T- T~.L^.V. .-.__-_-. : ri7 iL ^ ~.:_ i: ^_\:..::i. :: 
Him who iagitia wiQingiy, to that cross of Christ, where it 
can be troly said, tnat wow^ed souls are heakd. Great agita 
tion and vexation of mind are eot I liHiiilyjMwrftninf nor the 
7-- 1: : J -- ..:-_- :: .-- -:_r7 :- :^-:> : 

12. Of Ae ujMur m wtidb we are to meet and 



OF MADAME (HTTO9I. 241 

Temptations may be resisted in two warn One way is to 
resist them in a dSree* mferf. The other method is, to tern 
away the miiKi from the cootemplatiOT of the erfl in ha ootward 
form, and to keep it fixed, if possible, stffl more iliasij and 
watchfully upon God. A Uttk child, on pereerrmg a monster, 
does not wait to fight with it. and wiH scarcely ton its eyes to 
ward it; bat niit1j ihmiii into the bosom of its mother, m 
entire rimMrmrr of safety; so likewise should the son] torn 
firo the dangers of temptation to her God. "Godfcmthe 
midst of her," saith the Psalmist, "she shall not be 
God shan help her, and that right early." (Psalm xlrt 5.) 

If in oar weakness we attesapft to attack oar 
nrquentfy be woroded, if not totally defeated; baft by 
umselfcs into the simple presence of God, in the 
faith, we shall find instant supplies of strength for oar 
ThiswasthesnccoiirsoaghtforbyDrTid. "IhaTeset/ 
he, "the Lord always before me; because He is aft my right 
hand I shall not be mored. Therefore my heart V glad, and 
my gk^rejoiceth;--my flesh also shall rest in nope," (Psahn 
rrL8,9.) And ift is sad m Exodns, tt The Lord shell %hftfcr 
JOB, and ye shall hold your peace." 

13. Of t*e soul im testate of p*rc or 

When we have giren oonelres to God in 
hare exercised faith in God that He does mam, and that He will 
ever receive us sad make us one with TfisMiir then God be 
comes central in the soul, and all which is the opposite of God 
gradually diinhiii itsdf, if one may so speak, and passes 
-:--- 

SELF is now destroyed. .The soul, -"- T ^ God as its 
centre, is filed with a love, which, as ift places God first, and 
everything eke in the proper relation to Him, may be regarded 
asjwre. It is noft vntfl we arrxre at tiiis statej in the entire 
destruction and loss of sel^ that we acknowledge, in the highest 
and truest sense, God s supreme existence ; stffl less db we, or 
ant we, have God at a lift vitkt* n. 

In experimental religion there are two great aad 

Q 



242 LIFE AMD RELIOIOUS EXPERIENCE 

views perhaps there are none more important which are ex 
pressed by the single terms, the ALL and the NOTHING. We 
must become Nothing in ourselves, before we can receive the AH 
or Fulness of God. 

14. Of the practice of the prayer of silence. 

When the soul has reached this degree of experience, it is dis 
posed to practise the PRAYER OF SILENCE, so called, not merely 
because it excludes the voice, but because it has so simplified its 
petitions, that it has hardly anything to say, except to breathe 
forth, in a desire UNSPOKEN, Thy will be done. This prayer, so 
simple and yet so comprehensive, may be said to embody the 
whole state of the soul. And believing that this prayer is and 
must be fulfilled moment by moment, the constant fruition crowns 
the constant request, and it rejoices in what it has, as well as in 
what it seeks. 

The soul in this Divine prayer acts more nobly and more ex 
tensively than it had ever done before ; since God himself is its 
mover, and it now acts as it is acted upon by the agency of the 
Holy Ghost. When St. Paul speaks of our being led by the Spirit 
of God, it is not meant that we should cease from action ; but 
that our action should be in harmony with and in subordination 
to the Divine action. This is finely represented by the prophet 
Ezekiel s vision of the wheels, which had a living spirit ; and 
whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went ; they ascended 
and descended as they were moved ; for the spirit of life was in 
them, and they returned not when they went. 

We promote the highest activity, by inculcating a total de 
pendence on the Spirit of God as our moving principle ; for it is 
in Him, and by Him alone, that " we live and move and have 
our being." 

15. Of the true relation of human and Divine activity. 

In the early periods of his Christian experience man is re 
quired to labour much, strive much, act much, obviously to con 
quer himself, to smite and annul his own selfishness, to restrain 
and regulate his own multiplied and unholy activity, in order 
that he may be rendered submissive and quiet before God. 



OF MADAME GUYON. 243 

While the tablet is unsteady, it is obvious that the painter is 
unable to delineate a true copy. 

It is thus in the inward life. Every act of our own unsub 
dued and selfish spirit, even while God is operating upon it, is 
productive of false and erroneous lineaments. 

" If any man be in Christ," says the apostle Paul, " he is a 
new creature. Old things are passed away ; behold, all things 
are become new." But this state of things can be made to exist 
only by our dying to ourselves and to all our own activity, except 
so far as it is kept in subordination to Divine grace, in order that 
the activity of God may be substituted in its stead. Instead, 
therefore, of prohibiting activity, we enjoin it ; but we enjoin 
it in absolute dependence on the Spirit of God ; so that the 
Divine activity, considered as antecedent in action, and as giving 
authority to action, may take the place of the human. " Jesus 
Christ," we are told, "hath the life in Himself;" and nothing 
but the grace which flows through Him is, or can be, the moral 
and religious life of His people. 

16. Of the nature and conditions of the state of Divine union, 
or union with God. 

The result of all religion is to bring us into union with God. 
We are made one with Him in understanding, when by renounc 
ing our own wisdom, we seek continually and believingly for 
wisdom from on high ; one in affection, when we desire and love 
what He desires and loves ; one in will, when our purposes are 
aa His are. 

The Divine WILL never varies and never can vary, from the 
line of perfect rectitude on the one hand, and of perfect love on 
the other. This is the law of its movement, unchangeable as 
the Divine existence. 

There can be no true moral union between God and man, 
until the human will is brought into harmony with the Divine. 

And this life of union, which is the highest and most glorious 
result of our being, is the gift of God. A fundamental condi 
tion of it is, that we shall resign ourselves to Him, that we may 
be His in all things, and that we may receive this and all other 



244 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

blessings at His hand. God alone can accomplish it. Still, the 
creature must consent to have it done. God loves His creatures ; 
God is the source of light to them ; God in Christ is the true 
Saviour. But man must, at least, recognise his alienation, and 
in becoming willing and desirous to be saved, must expand his 
soul to the Divine operation. The creature, therefore, must open 
the window ; it is the least he can do ; but it is the sun himself, 
the Eternal Sun, that must give the light. 

17. Of false pretensions to a state of sanctification and Divine 
union. 

But some will say, that persons may feign this state who do 
not possess it. A person may just as well feign this state and 
no more, as the poor suffering man, who is on the point of perish 
ing with hunger, can for a length of time feign to be full and 
satisfied. There he is, no matter what his pretensions may be; 
his looks, his countenance, show his condition. Men may pre 
tend to be wholly the Lord s, by harmony of affection and will, 
and by being in entire moral union with Him ; but if they are 
not so, there will certainly be something in look, in word, or in 
action, which will show it. 

18. Appeal to religious pastors and teachers. 

" The cause," she says, " of our being so unsuccessful in re 
forming mankind, especially the lower class, is our beginning 
with external matters;" in this way, if we produce any fruit, 
it is fruit which perishes. We should begin with principles, 
which reach the interior, arid tend to renovate the heart. This 
is the true and the ready process ; to teach men to seek and to 
know God in the heart by affections rather than by forms. 
Thus we lead the soul to the fountain. 

Impressed with the importance of the religion of the heart, I 
beseech all, who have the care of souls, to put them at once into 
the spiritual way. Preach to them Jesus Christ. He himself, 
by the precious blood He hath shed for those intrusted to you, 
conjures you to speak, not to that which is outward, but to 
the heart of His Jerusalem. ye dispensers of His graces, ye 
preachers of His word, ye ministers of His sacraments, labour to 



OF MADAME GUYON. 245 

establish Christ s kingdom ! As it is the heart alone which can 
oppose Christ s sovereignty, so it is by the subjection of the 
heart that His sovereignty is most highly exalted. Employ 
means, compose catechisms, and whatever other methods may 
be proper, but aim at the heart. Teach the prayer of the heart, 
and not of the understanding ; the prayer of God s Spirit, and 
not of man s invention. 

We have not followed precisely the language of the original, 
but have given the idea with some slight variations of the 
original arrangement. The Method of Prayer is a work remark 
able, in that age, as coming from a woman, and still more re 
markable, when contrasted with the prevalent views and practices 
of her Church. Its doctrines are essentially Protestant ; mak 
ing Faith, in distinction from the merits of works, the founda 
tion of the religious life, and even carrying the power of faith in 
the renovation of our inward nature beyond what is commonly 
found in Protestant writers. She, however, always insisted that 
the doctrines which she advanced were the true Catholic doc 
trines. Her work, entitled Justifications de la Doctrine de 
Madame de la Mothe Guyon, shows how well qualified she was 
to defend her position. 



CHAPTEK XXXI. 

Increased opposition Conversation with a distinguished preacher Effect of tne publication 
of the Short Method of Prayer Conversation with a poor girl Increased violence Her 
feelings Advised to go to Marseilles Descends the Rhone Incidents in the voyage 
Arrives at Marseilles Excitement occasioned Kind treatment of the Bishop of Mar 
seilles Opposition from others Conversion of a priest Acquaintance with a Knight of 
the Order of Malta Her interviews with M. Francois Malaval Leaves for Nice Dis 
appointed in going from Nice to Turin Sails for Genoa Reflections on her exposure on 
the ocean Troubles at Genoa Departs for Verceil Met by robbers Other trying in 
cidents. 

THE opposition in Grenoble increased, and assumed different 
shapes. In some cases persons came to her to expose her views 
and counteract them by argument. At one time she was visited 



246 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

by a distinguished preacher of the city, a man of profound 
learning. She says, " he had carefully prepared himself on a 
number of difficult questions, which were to be proposed to me 
for my answer. In some respects they were matters far beyond 
my reach ; but I laid them before the Lord, and He enabled 
me to answer them promptly and satisfactorily, almost as much 
so as if I had made them the subjects of long study. This per 
son was apparently convinced and satisfied, and went away with 
a perception and experience of the love of God such as he had 
not known before." 

The excitement against her arose partly from religious con 
ferences and other religious efforts, and partly from her book on 
Prayer. This work had hardly been published, when some pious 
persons purchased fifteen hundred copies, and distributed them 
in the city and its neighbourhood. The effect was very great. 
" God," she says, " had made me the instrument of great good ; 
but Satan, who takes no pleasure in God s works, was greatly 
enraged. I saw clearly that the time had come when he would 
stir up a violent persecution against me. But it gave me no 
trouble. Whatever I may be made to suffer by his attacks, I 
am confident that all will ultimately tend to God s glory." 

" Among the subjects of the Divine operation, was a poor 
girl, who earned her livelihood by her daily labour ; a girl of 
great truth and simplicity of spirit, and one who, in her inward 
experience, was much favoured of the Lord. She came to me 
one day, and said, * my mother, what strange things have I 
seen ! I have seen you like a lamb in the midst of a troop of 
fierce wolves. I have seen a frightful multitude of people of 
all ranks and robes, of all ages, sexes, and conditions, priests, 
friars, married men, maids and wives, with pikes, halberts, and 
drawn swords, all eager for your instant destruction. On your 
part, you stood alone, but without surprise or fear. I looked on 
all sides to see whether any would come to assist and defend 
you, but I saw not one. 

" Some days after, those persons, who through envy were 
raising private batteries against ie, broke forth furiously. In- 



OF MADAME GUYON. 247 

jurious and libellous statements began to be circulated. Some 
individuals, without any personal knowledge of me, wrote against 
me. Some said that I was a sorceress, and by some magic power 
attracted souls, and that everything in me was diabolical. Others 
Baid, that if I did some charities, it was because I coined false 
money ; with many other gross accusations equally false, ground 
less, and absurd. 

" But, amid all this, my soul, full of earnest desires, thirsted, 
if I may so express it, for the salvation of my fellow-beings. 
When I could not speak, I wrote ; and when I could not write, 
nor impart rny strong desires in any other way, my system was 
overcome in the strength of my feeling, and I sank under it." 

But the providences of God seemed to indicate that her mis 
sion at Grenoble, which had been so strikingly characterized by 
manifestations of the Divine power, was ended. So violent was 
the tempest of indignation, that even her tried friends, anxious 
for her personal safety, advised her to leave. Camus, Bishop of 
Grenoble, a man of learning and piety, was friendly to her. He 
was a Doctor of the Sorbonne, and not long after was appointed 
Cardinal by Pope Innocent II.; but he was not able, though 
obviously of favourable dispositions, to restrain the hostile move 
ment which now existed. 

His Almoner advised her strongly to leave the city and seek 
refuge in Marseilles, till the storm should be over ; giving as a 
reason that Marseilles was his native place, that there were 
many persons of merit there, and that he thought, from his know 
ledge of the situation of things, she would be favourably received. 

Leaving her daughter under the care of her favourite maid 
servant, in the Religious House where she was placed on their 
first arrival, and taking with her another girl, she left the city 
as secretly as possible ; influenced, in leaving in this manner, by 
a desire to defeat the machinations of her enemies, and by a fear 
of being burdened with the visits and lamentations of her friends. 
Early in 1686, she thus finished her mission at Grenoble. Ac 
companied by two females, and by the Almoner of Bishop 
Camus, and another very worthy ecclesiastic, she took the route 



248 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

along the banks of the river Isere, till it mingles with the Rhone, 
a little above the ancient city of Valence. There they all em 
barked upon the Khone in one of the numerous boats employed 
in navigating its waters. 

About three miles from the city, they became satisfied that 
the boat (which they had taken in the expectation of overtaking 
another larger one) would not answer their purpose, and thej 
were under the necessity of returning. As the boat was heavily 
laden, and it was difficult to ascend the river with it, the passen 
gers all left it and went back on foot, except Madame Guyon, 
who was unable to walk so long a distance, and a young lad 
who was supposed to be competent to take the boat back. Owing 
either to the violence of the river, or his want of skill and 
strength, he found it a very difficult thing to do it. At one time 
he ceased his efforts entirely ; and leaving the boat to the mercy 
of the waves, sat down and burst into tears, saying that they 
must both be drowned. Madame Guyon, seeing the imminent 
hazard to which they were exposed, went to him ; and by re 
monstrating with him and encouraging him, induced him to 
resume his efforts. After four hours of hard labour, they reached 
the city ; and her companions having arrived by land, they 
immediately took another boat more suited to their purpose. 

Nothing is said of their stopping at any of the numerous towns 
and cities which adorn the banks of the Khone. Beaucaire and 
Tarascon with their wealth and activity, Avignon with its bene 
volent institutions, Aries with its amphitheatre and obelisk and 
other remains of high antiquity all ceased to have attractions 
for those who felt that they had no home in any place where 
Christ, preached in His simplicity, was likely to be excluded. 

The navigation of the Rhone, which is one of the most rapid 
rivers in Europe, is quite difficult. At one place the boat ran 
upon a rock with such violence as let in the water in such a 
manner as greatly to endanger them. There was great conster 
nation on board ; but she speaks with devout satisfaction and 
thankfulness of the peace and joy of mind with which God sus 
tained her in this threatening danger. The Almoner was as- 



OF MADAME GUYON. 249 

tonished to see that there was no sudden emotion of surprise, and 
no change on her countenance. 

They passed down, with great diligence and rapidity, nearly 
the whole navigable length of the Khone, and then leaving the 
mouth of the river, and coasting a few miles along the shores of 
the Mediterranean, they reached the ancient and celebrated 
Marseilles ; a city so well and so favourably known, even in the 
time of Cicero, that he styled it the "Athens of the Gauls." 
But this great and learned city furnished no refuge for this 
fugitive praying woman. If an army had come among them, it 
would scarcely have caused greater consternation. " I arrived 
at Marseilles," she says, " at ten o clock in the morning ; and 
that very afternoon all was in uproar against me." 

The occasion of this very sudden movement was this. She 
had a letter of introduction to a Knight of the Order of Malta, 
at Marseilles, written by one of her intimate friends in Grenoble, 
a man of rank, but eminently pious. Accompanying the letter, 
he sent the little book, entitled, A Short Method of Prayer. 
Although a devout man himself, the knight had a chaplain, 
whose opinions were not only in opposition to those of Madame 
Guyon, but who felt unusually zealous in exhibiting that opposi 
tion. He had probably heard of the book before, and migh f 
perhaps have known what was in it. At any rate, be examined 
it for a few moments, and perceiving, as he supposed, its heresies, 
he at once went away to stir up a party both against the doc 
trines of the book and its author. 

Some went almost immediately to the bishop, stating to him 
that it was necessary to banish at once the author of a book 
which contained things so much at variance with what the 
Church considered the truth. The bishop, however, before pro 
ceeding to extremity, thought it necessary to examine the book 
for himself, which he did in company with one of his prebends, 
and he said that he liked it very well. 

He took the pains also to send for individuals in whose judg 
ment and piety he had confidence, among others for M. Franois 
Malaval, a man of great piety and of some literary eminence, 



250 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

and also for a Father of the Recollets, both of whom had known 
Madame Guyon by reputation, and had called upon her very 
soon after her arrival at Marseilles. They frankly stated to him 
their favourable opinions of her character and writings, and also 
what they knew of the nature and extent of the violent opposi 
tion which she experienced. " The bishop testified much un 
easiness," says Madame Guyon, " at the insults which were 
offered me. He also expressed a strong desire for a personal 
acquaintance ; so much so, that I was obliged to go and see him. 
He received me with extraordinary respect, and begged my ex 
cuse for what had happened. He invited me to stay at Mar 
seilles ; and assured me notwithstanding the unpleasant circum 
stances existing that he would do all in his power to protect 
me. He even asked me where I lodged, that he might come 
and see me." 

" The next day," she adds, " the Almoner of the Bishop of 
Grenoble, and the other ecclesiastic who had accompanied us, 
went to see him. He received them kindly, and testified to them 
also his sorrow for the insults which had been offered me." 

It was obvious, however, that a party was formed against her, 
with such elements of strength and violence in it, that she could 
not long remain in quiet. " Among other insults," she says, 
" these persons wrote to me the most offensive letters possible, 
though they did not know me. It seemed to me, with these 
indications of His providence before me, that the Lord was be 
ginning in earnest to take from me every place of abode." 

She remained at Marseilles eight days only. Short as was the 
time, and stranger as she was, she was enabled to do something 
for that cause which was dearer to her than reputation or even 
life. One day she entered into a church, in which some reli 
gious services were being performed. The priest, who had the 
direction of them, observed her ; and after they were concluded, 
went immediately to the house in which she lodged, and stated 
to her, with great simplicity and frankness, his inward trials and 
necessities. " He made his statements," she remarks, " with as 
much humility as simplicity. In a very short time he was filled 



OF MADAME GUYON. 251 

with joy, and thankful acknowledgments to God. He became 
a man of prayer, and a true servant of God." Madame Guyon 
remarked that in all places where she had been subject to ill 
treatment and persecution, God had sustained her by some such 
striking manifestations of His love and grace. 

During her short stay, she became acquainted with many 
pious persons, among others the knight to whom she brought a 
letter of introduction. Though a member of a military Order, 
like the Roman centurion in the Acts he was a " devout man, 
and one that feared God." " Since I have known him per 
sonally," she says, " I have esteemed him as a man whom our 
Lord designed to be of great service to others. I expressed my 
opinion to him, that it would be desirable for him to reside at 
Malta in closer union with those with whom he was associated, 
and that God would assuredly make use of him to diffuse a 
spirit of piety into many of them." In accordance with this 
advice, he soon after went to Malta ; and such was the acknow 
ledged excellence of his character, that he was almost imme 
diately placed in a position of high authority and influence. 
But we find nothing more said of him. 

Her interviews with M. Frai^ois Malaval must have been 
interesting, if he were the author, as I suppose, of the Treatise 
on the Inward or Contemplative Life,* already mentioned. He 
was a man obviously of great intellectual power ; but laboured 
under the disadvantage of having been blind, or nearly so, from 
an early period of life. But God compensated for the want of 
outward light by inward illumination. 

He is frequently mentioned and criticised with earnestness 
and apparent severity, in the controversial writings of Bossuet, 
who was too conscious of his own vast strength to be likely to 
enter the lists with foeble antagonists. 

Satisfied from various indications that Marseilles was not to 
be the field of her labours, and not knowing whither to go, it 
occurred to her that she might properly seek a place of refuge 
again with the Marchioness of Prunai. This lady, who still 

* Entitled in French, Pratique Facile pour t lever FAme d la Contemplation, 



252 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

resided at Turin, or its neighbourhood, retained a strong friend 
ship for Madame Guyon. Turin was a nearer and easier place 
of refuge than any other which now presented itself. 

Accompanied by the same persons, except the Almoner, who 
seems to have returned to Grenoble, she left Marseilles, on the 
ninth day after she arrived there, for Nice. This ancient and 
pleasant city, situated near the Mediterranean, on the banks of 
the river Var, lies in the direction of Turin, and about eighty 
miles distant, and at a little distance from the Maritime Alps. 

" I took a litter at Marseilles," says Madame Guyon, " for 
the purpose of being conveyed once more to the residence of the 
Marchioness of Pruuai. I supposed that I could reach her re 
sidence by passing through Nice. But when I arrived at Nice, 
I was greatly surprised to learn that the litter, for some reasons, 
could not pass the mountains which intervened. In this state 
of things I knew not what to do, nor which way to turn. My 
confusion and crosses seemed daily to increase. Alone, as it 
were in the world, forsaken of all human help, and not know 
ing what God required of me, I saw myself without refuge or 
retreat, wandering like a vagabond on the face of the earth. I 
walked in the streets ; I saw the tradesmen busy in the shops ; 
all seemed to me to be happy in having a home, a dwelling- 
place to which they could retire. I felt sadly that there was 
none for me." 

This was a season of trial and temptation ; but we are not to 
infer from these expressions that her faith was shaken. Faith 
is tested by trial ; and oftentimes shines most brightly amid 
tears. " In this uncertainty," she adds, " a person came to me, 
and told me that one of the small vessels which traded between 
Nice and Genoa, which usually reached Genoa within twenty- 
four hours, would sail the next day. He added that the captain 
would land me, if I chose, at Savona, twenty miles this side of 
Genoa, but so situated that I could readily find a conveyance to 
the Marchioness ( f Prunai s house. To this I consented, as I 
could not be furnished with any other means of getting there. 

" As I embarked upon the sea," she says, " I could not help 



OF MADAME GUYON. 253 

experiencing emotions of joy. * If I am the dregs of the earth, 
I said to myself, if I am the scorn and the offscouring of nature, 
I am now embarked upon an element which, in its treachery, 
shows no favour. If it be the Lord s pleasure to plunge me in 
the waves, it shall be mine to perish in them. There came 
upon us a tempest, in a place which was somewhat dangerous 
for small vessels ; and what rendered our situation the more 
trying, the mariners seemed to be very wicked men. But still, 
as the irritated waves dashed around us, I could not help ex 
periencing a considerable degree of satisfaction in my mind. I 
pleased myself with thinking that those mutinous billows, under 
the command of Him who does all things rightly, might pro 
bably furnish me with a watery grave. Perhaps I carried the 
point too far in the pleasure which I took, in thus seeing myself 
beaten and bandied by the swelling waters. Those who were 
with me, took notice of my intrepidity ; but knew not the cause 
of it. I asked of thee, my Lord, if such were thy will, some 
little cleft to be placed in, a small place of refuge in some rock 
of the ocean, there to live separate from all creatures. I figured 
to myself that some uninhabited island would have terminated 
all my disgraces, and put me in a condition of infallibly doing 
thy will. But, my Divine Love, thou didst design me a 
prison far different from that of the rock, and quite another 
banishment than that of the uninhabited island. Thou didst 
reserve me to be battered by billows more irritated than those 
of the sea. Calumnies proved the outrageous, unrelenting waves 
to which I was to be exposed, in order to be lashed and tossed 
by them without mercy. 

" Instead of a short day s passage to Genoa, we were eleven 
days in reaching it. But during all this time, how peaceable 
was my heart in so violent an agitation around me ! The 
swelling of the sea, and the fury of its waves, were, as I thought, 
only a figure of that swelling fury which all the creatures had 
against me. I said to thee, my Love, arm them all ; make 
use of them all as instruments to humble me for my infidelities. 
I seemed to behold thy right hand armed against me ; but 



254 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

knowing that thy will was never at variance with the utmost 
rectitude and benevolence, I loved more than my life the strokes 
it gave me." 

Owing to the storm probably, she was carried to Genoa. 
About a year before, the French, irritated by some proceedings 
of the Genoese, had bombarded their city. A large naval force, 
under the command of the celebrated Admiral Duquesne, " re 
duced to a heap of ruins," as it is given in the language of 
Voltaire, " a part of those marble edifices, which have gained for 
Genoa the name of the Superb. Four thousand soldiers being 
landed, advanced up to the gates of the city, and burned the 
suburbs of St. Peter d Arena." The Genoese, from that time, 
had been exceedingly irritated against the French. And when 
Madame Guyon and her little company landed, being recognised 
at once as people from France, they were exposed to the marked 
insults of the angry populace. 

She thought it necessary, therefore, to leave Genoa as soon as 
possible ; but she was met with another trial. The Doge had 
recently left the city ; and, with his attendants, had taken all 
the litters which could be had. She was obliged to remain there 
several days at excessive expense ; the charges being very much 
higher than at Paris. She had but little money left ; but did 
not forget that her store in Providence could never be ex 
hausted. 

After a few days and much inquiry, a sorry-looking litter was 
brought her, supported by two lame mules. But as she did not 
know precisely whether the Marchioness of Prunai resided at 
Turin or in the vicinity, the owner of the litter refused to 
make a bargain ; but offered to take her to Verceil, which was 
somewhat nearer than Turin, being only two days journey 
distant, but in a little different direction. She adopted this alter 
native as the one especially presented in Providence, as she 
had, some time before, been repeatedly and earnestly invited by 
the Bishop of Verceil to come there. She thought it proper, 
however, to send him notice of her coming, by the ecclesiastic 
who had attended her from Marseilles, who set out first ; leaving 



OF MADAME GUYON. 255 

Madame Guyon and her two female assistants to come by 
themselves. 

" Our muleteer," she says, " was one of the most brutal of 
men. Seeing he had only women under his care, there was 
scarcely any bounds to his insolence and rudeness." Before they 
had completed the first day s journey, they passed through a 
large forest, which had the reputation of being infested with 
robbers. 

" The muleteer was afraid, and told us, if we met any of 
them on the road, we should be murdered, for they spared no 
body. Scarcely had he uttered these words, when there appeared 
four men well armed. They immediately stopped the litter. 
The muleteer was exceedingly frightened. I was so entirely 
resigned to Providence, that it was all one to die this way or 
any other, in the sea or by the hands of robbers. The robbers 
approached the litter and looked in. I smiled upon them and 
made a slight bow of the head. In a moment God made them 
change their design. Having pushed off each other, as if each 
were desirous of hindering the others from doing any harm, they 
respectfully saluted me, and with an air of compassion, retired. 
I was immediately struck to the heart, my Lord, with a full 
conviction, that it was thine own especial influence, a stroke of 
thine own right hand, who had other designs over me than thus 
to make me die by the hands of robbers. 

" How wonderful, my God, at this, as at many other times, 
has been thy protection over me ! How many perils have I 
passed through in going over mountains, and on the edges of 
steep and terrible cliffs ! How often hast thou checked the foot 
of the mule, already slipping over the precipice ! How often 
have I been exposed to be thrown headlong from frightful 
heights into hideous torrents, which, though rolling in chasms far 
below our shrinking sight, forced us to hear them by their hor 
rible noise ! Thou, God, didst guard me in such imminent 
dangers. When the dangers were most manifest, then was my 
faith in thee strongest. In thee my soul trusted. I felt that 
if it were thy will that I should be dashed headlong down the 



256 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

rocks, or drowned in the waters, or brought to the end of ray life 
in any other way, it would all be well ; the will of God, what 
ever it might be in relation to me, making everything equal." 

At the close of this day s journey, she found still further occa 
sion for the trial of her faith and patience. " The muleteer," she 
says, " seeing me attended by only two young women, thought 
he might treat me in any manner he pleased ; perhaps expecting 
to draw money from me. We were approaching the village 
where we expected to remain, at the village inn, during the 
night. What was our surprise, then, to hear the muleteer pro 
pose to us to stop at a mill, about a mile and a quarter short of 
the village a place at which the muleteers sometimes stopped, 
but at which no female resided. In the mill there was only a 
single chamber, though there were several beds in it, in which 
the millers and muleteers lodged together. In that chamber, and 
in such company, these persons proposed to have me and my 
maid-servants stay. I remonstrated ; and endeavoured by every 
possible argument to induce the muleteer to carry us to the inn, 
but without effect. 

" At ten o clock at night, therefore, in a strange place, we 
were constrained to leave our conveyance, and set out on foot, 
carrying a part of our clothes in our hands. The night was dar*, 
the way unknown, and we were obliged to pass through the end 
of a forest, said to be the resort of plunderers. The muleteer, 
disappointed in his evil designs upon us, hooted after us. I 
bore my humiliation resignedly and cheerfully, but not without 
feeling it." 

They arrived safely at the inn. The good people of the house, 
seeing them come at this late hour of the night, on foot, with 
their clothes in their hand, treated them very kindly. " They 
assured us," says Madame Guyon, " that the place we left was 
a very dangerous one ; and did all in their power to recover us 
from the fatigue we had undergone." 

The next morning, in consequence of an arrangement made 
by the muleteer, they left the litter and took passage in the post- 
chaise or post-waggon, which conveyed the public mails. They 



OF MADAME GUYON. 257 

reached Alexandria, one of the principal towns between Genoa 
and Verceil. " When the driver, according to his usual custom," 
says Madame Guyon, " took us to the post-house, I was exceed 
ingly astonished, when I saw the landlady coming out to oppose 
his entrance. She had heard that there were women in the 
carriage, and taking us for a different sort of persons from what 
we were, she protested against our coming in. The driver was 
determined to force his entrance in spite of her. The dispute 
rose so high between them, that many officers of the garrison, 
together with a vast mob, collected together at the noise. I 
spoke to the mail carrier, and suggested that it might be well 
to take us to some other house ; but, obstinate upon carrying 
his point, he said he would not. He assured the landlady that 
we were not only persons of good character, but persons also of 
piety, the evidences of which he had seen. At last, by means 
of his statements and urgency, he obliged her to come and see 
us. As soon as she had looked upon us she relented at once, 
and admitted us. 

" No sooner had I alighted than she said to us, * Go, shut 
yourselves up in that chamber, and do not stir, that my son may 
not know you are here ; for as soon as he knows it, he will kill 
you. She said this with so much emphasis, which was repeated 
by the maid who attended her, that if death had not possessed 
many charms for me, I should have been ready to die with fear. 
The two girls were under frightful apprehensions. When they 
heard any one stirring in the house, and especially persons coming 
to open the door of the chamber for any purpose, they thought 
they were coming to cut their throats. In short, they continued 
in a dreadful suspense between life and death till the next day, 
when we learned that the young man had sworn to kill any 
woman who lodged at the house. The reason of his taking this 
extraordinary course was this. A few days before, an event had 
happened which came near ruining him. A woman of bad 
principles and life had lodged at his house. While there she 
had privately murdered a man of some standing. Beside 
other evils, a heavy fine was imposed upon the house ; and the 

B 



258 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

young man was exceedingly afraid of any more such persons 
coming." 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

Arrives at Verceil Interviews with La Combe With the Bishop of Verceil His kindness 
With one of the Superiors of the Jesuits Sickness Decides to return to Paris La 
Combe selected to attend her Departure Visdt to the Marchioness of Prunai Crosses 
the Alps for the third time Meets her half-brother, La Mothe, at Chamberri Reception 
at Grenoble From Grenoble for Paris At Paris, after a five years absence, July 1686. 

SHE arrived safely at Verceil, a pleasant and flourishing town, 
on the Sessia, one of the tributaries of the Po. Having stopped 
at one of the public inns, she sent notice of her arrival to Father 
La Combe, who had come there soon after he left Thonon. At 
Verceil, La Combe was highly esteemed. God had made use of 
him as an instrument, in addition to other successful labours, 
in converting several of the officers and soldiers stationed at that 
place, who, from being men of scandalous lives, became patterns 
of piety. 

With no small emotion he met Madame Guyon again. The 
feeling of satisfaction, however, was mingled with the fear that 
a meeting so unexpected, and to many so inexplicable, might 
furnish new occasion for calumnies. 

As soon as the Bishop of Verceil heard of Madame Guyon s 
arrival, he sent his niece, who took her to her own house. As 
soon as he conveniently could, he came himself to see her. 
With some difficulty Madame Guyon conversed in Italian, and 
the Bishop s knowledge of French was imperfect. The first 
interview, however, was a pleasant one ; and the satisfaction 
which he felt in making her acquaintance was subsequently 
much increased. 

" The Bishop," says Madame Guyon, " loved God ; and it 
was but natural that he should love those who had similar dis 
positions. He could hardly have conceived a stronger friendship 
for me, if I had been his own sister He wrote to the Bishop 



OF MADAME GUYON. 259 

of Marseilles to thank him for having protected me in the per 
secution, and, with similar views, to Bishop Camus of Grenoble ; 
and in various ways expressed his interest and the affectionate 
regard he felt for me. He would not listen to my going, at 
present, to see the Marchioness of Prunai, but wrote to her to 
come and settle with me at Verceil. He even sent Father La 
Combe to exhort her to come ; assuring her that he would 
unite with some other pious persons, in a select Religious 
Society or Congregation, established for permanent religious 
objects. Neither the Marchioness nor her daughter, who was 
consulted, disapproved of the plan ; but she was prevented by 
ill health. 

" I was visited," she adds, " by one of the superior officers or 
rectors of the Jesuits resident at Verceil. His knowledge on 
theological subjects was much greater than mine. We con 
versed together on topics of this nature ; and he proposed to me 
several questions which he wished me to answer. The Lord 
inspired me to answer them in such a manner, that he went 
away not only surprised, but apparently satisfied ; so much so 
that he could not forbear speaking of it afterwards." 

Soon after her arrival she was attacked with sickness. " When 
the Bishop," she says, " saw me so much indisposed, he came to 
see me with assiduity and charity, when at leisure. He made 
me little presents of fruits and other things of that nature." 
When, however, he proposed to her the matter of a permanent 
residence at Verceil, she says that she had a presentiment that the 
plan would not succeed, and was not what the Lord had required 
of her. Still, being under great obligations to him, she thought 
it best to let him take what measures he might think proper for 
the present ; being assured that the Lord would know well how 
to prevent arrangements which should not be in accordance with 
His will* The plan was entirely frustrated, by its being ascer 
tained that the air of the place was exceedingly injurious to her, 
and that, in the opinion of the physicians consulted, it would 
not be possible for her to remain there. The Bishop, although 
much afflicted, did not hesitate to acquiesce, remarking that he 



260 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

would much rather have her live somewhere else than die at 
Verceil. 

Her friends decided that, considering the influence she was 
capable of exercising, it was best for her to return to Paris, as 
a field of labour more appropriate to the powers God had given 
her, than those remote and rude villages where she had expected 
to spend her days. As soon as it was settled, after suitable 
deliberation and prayer, " the Lord," she says, " wrought in my 
mind the conviction, that I was destined to experience yet 
greater crosses than hitherto. Father La Combe had the same 
convictions. Nevertheless he encouraged me to resign myself 
to the Divine will, and to become a victim offered freely to new 
sacrifices." 

During the few months residence at Verceil, she did not 
engage much in her public labours. Her health was not ade 
quate to it. She continued, however, the work of writing ex 
planations on the Scriptures. Her remarks on the Apocalypse 
were written at this time. She was enabled also to keep up an 
extensive correspondence. At this time her correspondence 
commenced with the Duchess de Chevreuse. 

When Madame Guyon travelled, she was generally attended 
by some ecclesiastic. That was the custom of the times for 
religious persons in her situation in society. It was obviously 
necessary, for the most part, that she should have some male 
attendant ; and a regard to public opinion seemed to require 
that he should be one who, both by profession and character, 
should be above suspicion. In leaving Verceil, she selected 
La Combe, in accordance with the opinion of her friends, to go 
with her. There was a special reason for this selection, addi 
tional to his high personal character, his ecclesiastical calling, 
and the fact of his being her spiritual Director. Some arrange 
ments of the Religious Order to which he belonged, which were 
carried into effect by their Superintendent, required his presence 
at Paris. The suggestion, therefore, was favourably received 
by the General of the Order, as a thing not only proper in itself, 
but because the expenses of his journey thither, being of course 



OF MADAME GUYON. 261 

paid by her, would exempt the House of that Order at Paris, 
which was already poor, from an assessment to meet them. As 
it was necessary, however, that La Combe should attend to some 
business at the intermediate places, he set out some days before 
her, and waited for her at the entrance of the passage over the 
Alps, as a place where attendance and assistance would be indis 
pensably necessary. 

After a stay, therefore, of a few mouths, pleasant in every 
respect with the exception of the state of her health, she set out 
on her return by the usual route of Turin and Mount Cenis. 
" My departure," she says, " was a season of trial to the Bishop 
ofVerceil. He was much affected. He caused me to be at 
tended at his own expense, as far as Turin, giving me a gentle 
man and one of his own ecclesiastics to accompany me." 

Under these circumstances, she closed her mission abroad a 
mission not more interesting in its results than it was novel in 
its nature ; and commenced her return to Paris. La Combe, 
before he left, wrote a letter for her encouragement under the 
trials which he foresaw ; in which he said, " Will it not be a thing 
very glorious to God if He should make us serve, in the great 
city of Paris, for a spectacle to angels and men ?" "I de 
parted," she says, " in the spirit of sacrifice ; ready to offer 
myself up to new varieties and kinds of suffering. All along 
the road, something within me repeated the very words of St. 
Paul, * I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the 
things which shall befall me there, save that the Holy Ghost 
witnesses, saying, that bonds and afflictions abide me ; but none 
of these things move me ; neither count I my life dear unto 
myself, so that I might finish my course with joy. I found it 
my duty to hold on my way, and to sacrifice myself for Him 
who first sacrificed Himself for me." 

In her way to Turin, she turned aside to visit the Marchioness 
of Prunai. " She was extremely rejoiced," says Madame Guyon, 
" to see me once more. Nothing could be more frank and 
affectionate than what passed between us." Leaving with the 
Marchioness her sweet words of encouragement in relation to 



262 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

her benevolent labours, especially for the poor and the sick, and 
bidding her, after a few days tarrying, a final adieu, she went 
on her way. 

Travelling the usual route along the Doria to Susa, she met 
La Combe again, at some place near the foot of the Alps. 

No doubt, as she looked down from those vast heights on the 
land of the Po and the Adige, she breathed forth the fervent 
prayer of her heart for its spiritual renewal. This prayer con 
tinually arose from her heart, for all lands and all nations : 

Ah, reign wherever man is found, A thousand sorrows pierce my soul, 
My Spouse, beloved and Divine ! To think that all are not thine own ; 

Then am I rich, and then abound. Ah, be adored from pole to pole ; 
When every human heart is thine. Where is thy zeal ? Arise Be known. 

At Chamberri, the principal town of Savoy, she met her half- 
brother La Mothe, whom she had not seen for a number of 
years. Business of an ecclesiastical nature had called him 
thither at this time. The meeting was apparently cordial, 
although there was too much reason to think that he was deter 
mined to take a course injurious to Madame Guy on. La Combe 
thought it expedient to consult one who sustained so near a rela 
tion, on the propriety of the arrangement which required him 
to attend Madame Guyon to Paris ; expressing an entire will 
ingness and even desire to resign his place to some other person. 
La Mothe approved of the arrangement, and expressed a strong 
desire that it should be carried through. 

From Chamberri she proceeded to Grenoble, to which one of 
the females who attended her into Italy belonged. Here she 
met her daughter, now ten years of age, and the maid-servant, 
with whom she had left her. When it was understood in the 
city, that she had returned, a great number of persons, whom 
she had been the instrument of spiritually benefiting, visited her, 
and were filled with joy at seeing her again. But their joy was 
changed into sorrow, when it was understood that she must soon 
leave them. 

Camus, bishop of the city, manifested great kindness during 
her stay. Public opinion had so much changed, that she was 



OF MADAME GUYON. 263 

now requested to remain, to be employed in connexion with one 
of the hospitals of the city. 

The Bishop wrote a letter a year or two after in her behaltj 
when he had been raised to the Cardinalship, to his brother. 

To Madame Guyon he wrote the following : 

" MADAME, It would give me great satisfaction if I had more 
frequent opportunities of showing you how great is the interest 
which I feel in your welfare both temporal and spiritual. I am 
truly grateful that the suggestions I made in relation to your 
spiritual concerns have been found serviceable. In respect to 
your temporal affairs, I shall use my best endeavours to engage 
my brother, the Lieutenant Civil of Paris, to see that entire 
justice is rendered to you. Trusting that you will continue to 
entertain the fullest confidence in my favourable dispositions 
towards you, I remain, Madame, very truly and affectionately 
yours, THE CARDINAL CAMUS." 

She spent about a fortnight in Grenoble ; and then, with 
Father La Combe, her daughter, and female assistants, she set 
out for Paris. There is some uncertainty in the dates which 
are given in this period of her life. 

She arrived at Paris the 22d of July I686 }| /?ve years after 
her departure from the city. 

She returned ; but not to lay down her armour and to take 
her rest. She knew not what the Lord had before her, and 
what He designed for her, either in doing or suffering. She 
was now in the thirty-ninth year of her age ; young enough, 
with God s assistance, to do effectual work in His cause, and old 
enough to have gained wisdom from experience, and strength 
from trial. But in every situation, she had one unalterable con 
viction, which was the true source of her power, that she had 
nothing in herself, but all in God. 



264 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

Domestic arrangements Finds it necessary to form new associations Character of them 
Duchess de BeauvilHers Duchess de Chevreuse Character of the Duke de Chevreuse 
Begins to labour in this higher class of society Labours of La Combe His doctrines 
Opposition against him by La Mothe The doctrines of Michael de Molinos The case of 
La Combe brought before M. de Harlai, Archbishop of Paris ; and Louis xiv. La Combe 
writes to Madame Guyon Is scut to the Bastile Sympathy for him by Madame Guyon 
Their correspondence. 

OF the domestic history of Madame Guyon, for some years 
subsequent, we know but little. She hired a house in the city ; 
and once more collected her little family, consisting of her 
daughter and two sons. Her reputation for piety necessarily 
separated her from fashionable society. 

Many of those, with whom she had been acquainted before 
she left Paris, had now gone. Her own circumstances were 
much altered ; and it was almost a matter of necessity, that the 
associations which she was now called to form, would be new. 

She never forgot the humble and the poor ; but the indications 
of Providence seemed to call her to labour with another class of 
people a class more elevated in the view of the world, but not 
easily accessible to religious influences. It is true, not " many 
mighty and not many noble are called." Their position is in 
some respects averse to the reception of the humbling doctrines 
of the Gospel. And yet in the city of Berea there were some 
" honourable women," and in Thessalonica also there were "not 
a few of the chief women" who believed. 

Among the acquaintances which Madame Guyon formed was 
the Duchess of Beauvilliers, a daughter of the great Colbert. 
Inheriting no small share of her father s intellectual power, she 
was one of those rare women who combine fervour of piety with 
strength of intellect. By descent and marriage in an eminent 
position in French society, she was still more truly eminent by 
her faith in God, her alms and good works. 

The Duchess of Chevreuse resided a short distance out of 
Paris. Madame Guyon visited her soon after her return ; and 
there met a number of persons, drawn together by that instinct 



OF MADAME GUYON. 265 

of piety which never fails to seek the company of those who are 
characterized by similar dispositions. Madame Guyon formed 
a little association of ladies of rank, among whom were the 
Duchess of Beauvilliers, the Duchess of Bethune, and the 
Countess of Guiche, with whom she met from time to time for 
religious objects. It was interesting to see some of the most 
distinguished ladies of the capital of France recognising the 
truths of religion, and rejoicing in the experimental power of 
piety. 

These ladies were not ignorant of the reputation of Madame 
Guyon. That which was spoken comparatively in secret was 
uttered afterwards upon the house-tops. The voice which was 
uttered at the foot of the Jura and the Alps, in the cottages of 
the poor, and amid the solitary and inaccessible cliffs of the 
Chartreuse, was repeated from province to province, till it 
reached the high and public places of Paris. It was but na 
tural, therefore, that they should wish to know her. And from 
this time we find her name associated, either in union or in 
opposition, with some of the most distinguished names of France. 

The Dukes of Beauvilliers and Chevreuse, who held some of 
the highest offices in the State, sympathized with their wives in 
their religious tendencies. They formed a personal acquaintance 
with Madame Guyon ; made themselves familiar with her reli 
gious views and experience, and valued and sought her society. 
But this could not easily have taken place, if she had been a 
person of inferior talent, of rude and unpolished manners, or of 
doubtful piety. In the anonymous Life of Fenelon, published at 
the Hague in 1723, we find the Duke of Chevreuse spoken of 
in the following terms : 

" He had a rare stock of knowledge, an easy eloquence, and a 
mind so fertile in resources as to be capable of remounting in 
everything to the first principles, and of forming the greatest 
designs. He had also the courage to execute the designs which 
he formed. In his temper he was sweet and affable ; in his 
manners, polite and unaffected. He was naturally a person of 
great vivacity of spirit ; but had such a control of himself that 



266 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

he always appeared equal and calm. He lived in his family 
with his children like a good friend, as well as a good father. 
In a word, piety had united in him the virtues human and 
divine, to such a degree, that he was at the same time a good 
Christian, a good citizen, and a perfect friend." 

Of the other, a learned writer, M. de Bausset, Bishop of Alais, 
speaks as follows : " The spirit of party may refuse to the 
Duke de Beauvilliers the character of a great genius, because 
his extreme modesty and his natural reserve rendered him habi 
tually circumspect ; but M. de St. Simon, whom no one will 
accuse of being prodigal of praise, and who lived in habits of inti 
macy with the Duke de Beauvilliers, says of him that he had a 
very superior mind. 11 It was at the suggestion and request of 
Beauvilliers, who had nine daughters, that Fenelon wrote his 
celebrated treatise on the Education of Daughters. 

These distinguished persons, who were above Madame Guyon 
in worldly rank, recognising the spiritual relation which God 
had established between them, were ready to take their appro 
priate position in things which related to the religious life, and 
to become her disciples. 

Nor was it this class of persons alone who valued and sought 
her society. The aged and pious Abbe ie Gaum on t, whose 
whole life had been one of prayer, visited her house ; and among 
her personal friends was a Doctor of the Sorbonne, M. Bureau, 
a man distinguished for learning and piety. 

In the meantime, La Combe, her spiritual Director, laboured, 
in different situations and under different circumstances, to effect 
the same great objects. The religious views and experience of 
La Combe had become the dearer to him the longer he lived. 
His efforts, originating in sincere and fervent belief, and sus 
tained by a high degree of learning and eloquence, were not 
without effect ; so that the poor as well as the rich the lowly 
as well as the noble might be said to have the gospel preached 
to them. This state of things could not long exist without ex 
citing much attention. It soon began to be said, " Those that 
have turned the world upside down have come hither also." 



OF MADAME GUYON. 267 

In a city like Paris, where the attention of men was continually 
arrested, then as now, by a thousand novelties which have the 
least possible connexion with religion, the impression must have 
been profound and extensive, in order to have attracted so much 
notice in so short a time. 

They made FAITH the foundation of the religious life. They 
did not object, it is true, to ceremonial observances and austeri 
ties when carried to a certain degree ; but, on the contrary, 
regarded them at times as exerting a favourable influence in 
restraining the appetites, and in breaking up injurious habits. 
But they did object very strenuously to any system of observances, 
to any and every form and degree of labour and suffering, as 
having any atoning merit, and as furnishing a justification for 
past sins ; insisting that salvation is by the cross of Christ, and 
by faith alone. It was another and still greater ground of 
offence when they added, that Christ, received by faith, can save 
not only from the penalty of past sins, but from the polluting 
and condemning power of present sins ; that He has power not 
only to make us holy, but to keep us holy. 

A little more than a year had elapsed, when La Combe was 
arrested and shut up in the Bastile. Father La Mothe was an 
agent in this transaction. Jealous of the relation which La 
Combe sustained with his sister as her spiritual Director, and 
offended at the religious sympathy between them, he became an 
enemy and a persecutor. 

Madame Guyon intimates, that one cause of La Mothe s 
jealousy, was the uncommon popularity of La Combe as a 
preacher. 

A short time before this, the doctrines of Michael de Molinos, 
already mentioned as a religious reformer in Italy, had been 
subjected to an ecclesiastical examination, and had been con 
demned. Sixty propositions selected from his writings were 
pronounced heretical. La Mothe and others took the ground, 
that the sentiments of La Combe were similar to those of 
Molinos, and were equally dangerous. We find in the Memoirs 
of D Angeau this remark : 



268 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

" 1685, July 10th. I am informed that a Jesuit, named 
Molinos, has been put into the Inquisition at Rome, accused of 
wishing to become the chief of the new sect called Quietists, 
whose principles are somewhat similar to those of the Puritans 
in England" 

But Molinos went further than was common among the puri 
tanical writers ; making faith the foundation not only of justifi 
cation but of sanctification, and insisting also upon the entire 
sanctification of the heart, resting upon faith as its basis in dis 
tinction from mere works, as the duty and privilege of every 
Christian. 

Upon this basis, a hostile party, headed by La Mothe, com 
menced and prosecuted measures against La Combe. They ap 
peared before M. de Harlai, the Archbishop of Paris, a man of 
great capacity and energy. The accounts given of the private 
character and habits of the Archbishop are various and conflict 
ing. Of his zeal there can be no doubt. He examined the 
subject with a promptness and personal interest which showed 
that dissenters from the established views had but little to ex 
pect from him ; and having made up his mind, he laid it before 
Louis XIV. 

During these proceedings, attempts were made, as is usual in 
such times of excitement, not only to take away the personal 
liberty of La Combe, but to injure and destroy his religious and 
moral character. These attempts, which involved to some ex 
tent Madame Guyon, signally failed. But he knew too well the 
dispositions of his opposers, and especially the exceeding jealousy 
of the king in relation to everything which looked like a devia 
tion, from the established faith, to take much encouragement. In 
a letter which he wrote to Madame Guyon at this time, he says, 
" The times look heavy. The storm gathers in the sky. I know 
not when the thunder which threatens me will fall. But recog 
nising, as I do, the Divine will in all my trials, I am confident 
that all will be welcome to me from the hand of God." Not 
long after, meeting her, he said, "I feel entirely resigned to 
those reproaches and ignominies which I have no doubt I am 



OF MADAME GUYON. 269 

about to suffer. I am desirous that you should have the same 
feeling of resignation ; and it is my wish, therefore, that you 
should sacrifice me to God, as I am going to sacrifice myself to 
Him." 

Louis XIV. listened to the statements against La Combe ; 
but without giving the accused an opportunity to answer them. 
As he believed him to be heretical, the well-known instrument 
of tyranny, the lettre de cachet, which preceded cases of im 
prisonment under such circumstances, was issued. La Combe 
was suddenly arrested at dinner, on the 3d of October 1687, and 
immediately shut up in the Bastile. 

It was not enough to put an end to his labours as a preacher. 
His work, entitled An Analysis of Mental Prayer, written origin 
ally in Latin, and translated into French, was submitted to the 
Inquisition at Home, and condemned by a formal decree, Sep 
tember 4, 1688. How long La Combe remained in the Bastile, 
which has been well described as the " abode of broken hearts," 
is not precisely known. u In one of the dungeons of that great 
prison," says Madame Guyon, " he was incarcerated for life. 
But his enemies having heard that the officers of the Bastile 
esteemed him and treated him kindly, they took measures to 
have him removed to a much worse place." He was sent by the 
direction of the king, to a place of confinement in the town of 
Lourde, in the distant department of the Upper Pyrenees. He 
was subsequently imprisoned in the well-known castle of Vin- 
cennes near Paris, and at a later period transferred to the castle 
of Oleron. His imprisonments in various places extended 
through twenty-seven years. Thus terminated his earthly 
labours and hopes ; at least so far as they were connected with 
his preaching the doctrines of faith. The only favour which 
he obtained from his persecutors was that of being placed, just 
before he died, in the hospital of Charenton, in the year 1714. 

This was a heavy blow to Madame Guyon ; and the more so 
because one of the principal instruments in it was a member of 
her own family. She had known La Combe at an early period 
of life ; she had been, in a very great degree, the instrument, in 



270 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

God s hands, of his conversion and religious growth ; and had 
seen him, in the maturity of his powers, ably defending, in his 
sermons and in writings, the doctrines so dear to her. The 
result of a religious devotedness so thorough and single-hearted, 
was a prison, and that too without any hope of release. 

Speaking of him at this time, she says, " God will reward 
e\ r ery one according to his works. There is something in me 
which tells me that he fully recognises the will of God ; he 
knows who is at the head of events, whatever may be the sub 
ordinate instrumentality, and is satisfied." 

And again she remarks, " One must not judge of the servants 
of God by what their enemies say of them, nor by their being 
oppressed under calumnies without any resource. Jesus Christ 
expired under pangs. God uses the like conduct towards His 
dearest servants, to render them conformable to His Son, in whom 
He is always well pleased. But few place that conformity where 
it ought to be. It is not in voluntary pains or austerities, but 
in those which are suffered in a submission ever equal to the will 
of God, in a renunciation of our whole selves ; to the end that 
God may be our all in all, conducting us according to His views, 
and not our own, which are generally opposite to His. In 
fine, all religious perfection consists in this entire conformity to 
Jesus Christ ; not in shining and remarkable things, whatever 
they may be, which men are so disposed to esteem and to publish 
abroad. It will be seen only in eternity who are the true friends 
of God. Nothing pleases Him but Jesus Christ, and that which 
bears His mark or character." 

It was not, however, in her nature, and still less in her reli 
gious principles, to forget one whose piety and sufferings so justly 
rendered him dear to her. At no small risk on her part, she not 
only furnished him with money and books, to render his situa 
tion as comfortable as possible, but continued to write to him. 
At one time she was obliged to use great concealment ; and 
having written him a letter without any signature, and with the 
authorship concealed in other respects as much as possible, he 
returned the following answer : 



OP MADAME GUYON. 271 

" To MADAME GUYON, I hope my unknown correspondent, 
or rather my correspondent without a name, will be assured that 
I respond with all my heart to the honour which has been done 
me. The letter, which came to me under such peculiar circum 
stances, was not more kind than it was religiously instructive 
and edifying. I rejoice, in all sincerity, in the holy friendship 
which you testify for me ; and it is no small satisfaction to know 
that one who thus feels for the exile and the prisoner is herself 
advancing in the life and ways of God. I can truly say, it 
would be difficult to increase the happiness which I feel in know 
ing that the heart which dictated those consoling lines to me is 
filled with a faith without fear, and a love without selfish 
ness. It is such a heart which is a * Temple of the Holy 
Ghost. 

" The letter is without a name, but not without a character. 
The image of its author, in its religious outlines, is too deeply 
engraven upon my heart, not to be recognised. Accept, from 
the shades and sorrows of my prison, my sincere and affectionate 
gratitude. I look upon you as one fully united in God ; and it 
is in God that my heart embraces you. 

" In my present situation, correctly supposing me to be unable 
to do much else for the cause we love, you propose to me to 
meditate and to write. But, alas I can the dry rock send forth 
flowing fountains ? I never had much power or inclination for 
such efforts ; and this seclusion from the world, this imprison 
ment, these cold and insensible walls, seem to have taken from 
me the power which I once had. The head, not the heart, seems 
to have become withered and hard, like the rock upon which it 
has leaned so many years. My harp hangs unstrung ; the 
sound of my viol is silent. Like the Jews of old, I sit down by 
the waters of my place of exile, and hang my harp upon the 
willows. It is true, there has been some mitigation of my state. 
I am now permitted to go beyond the walls of my prison into the 
neighbouring gardens and fields, but it is only on the condition of 
my labouring there without cessation from morning till evening. 
What then can I do? How can I meditate? How can I 



272 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

think ? except it be upon the manner of subduing the earth, 
and of cultivating plants. 

" I will add, however, that I have no choice for myself. All 
my desires are summed up in one, that God may be glorified ir, 
me. And to this end, may I be permitted once more to ask the 
prayers of one who can never cease to command my highest re 
spect, or my warmest Christian affections. 

" FRANCIS DE LA COMBE." 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

Designs of those who had imprisoned La Combe, in relation to Madame Quyon They pro 
pose to her to reside at Montargis She refuses Desire of La Mothe to become her 
spiritual Director Her opposition Tranquillity Remarkable inward experience Her 
labours for souls, and success Conversation with La Mothe His efforts to compel her to 
leave the city Her reply Her case before Louis xiv. Position of Louis Her impri 
sonment, Jan. 1688, in the Convent of St. Marie Treatment experienced Separation 
from her daughter Poetry. 

THE objects of those who had thus put a stop to the labours 
of La Combe, would not have been accomplished, if Madame 
Guyon had been permitted to prosecute her labours in quiet. 
She was in fact considered the head of the new spirituality ; and 
it would have been hardly consistent to have prosecuted, with 
so much promptness and severity, the subordinate agents, with 
out especially noticing the principal. But they had no design 
to involve in doubt their character for consistency ; and had 
already begun upon Madame Guyon their attack, before they 
had completed it upon La Combe. 

La Mothe knew very well how constant were her labours and 
how great her influence. He seems to have taken his measures, 
for the most part, in concurrence with the Archbishop of Paris, 
and proposed to her, as the readiest means of quieting the ap 
prehensions which existed, to take up her residence at Montargis, 
the place of her birth. A proposition of this kind she could not 
hesitate to refuse. What security could she have, that she, who 



OF MADAME GUYON. 273 

had already been hunted from Paris to Gex, and from Gex to 
Thonon, and from Thonon to Grenoble and Marseilles, would 
not experience at Montargis the same system of rigid scrutiny 
and violent oppression? And besides, to flee under such cir 
cumstances, would have been an implied confession, either that 
her conduct had been wrong, or her principles untenable. 

This, however, was the first mode of attack. And it was not 
difficult to foresee, if this should fail, that others would be re 
sorted to. 

" La Mothe," she says, " insisted on my taking himself for 
my spiritual Director a proposition to which I could not possibly 
assent. Disappointed in this, he decried me wherever he went ; 
and wrote to others, associated with him, to do the same. These 
persons wrote to me very abusive letters ; and particularly in 
sisted, that if I did not place myself under his direction, I could 
not fail to be ruined. 

" These letters I have still by me. One Father, a member 
of the Order of the Barnabites, whose dispositions were not 
wholly unfavourable, advised me to take the proposed course, as 
the best which could be done, and to make a virtue of necessity. 
Others advised me to put myself under his direction in pretence 
merely a course entirely abhorrent to my feelings, for I could 
not bear the thought of disguise or deceit. But I felt deter 
mined not to hazard my liberty or peace by assenting to any 
such plan. 

" Amid the various trials and temptations to which I was ex 
posed, I bore everything with the greatest tranquillity, without 
taking any care to justify or defend myself. Having faith in 
God, I left it with Him to order everything as He should see best 
in regard to me. And in taking this course, He was graciously 
pleased to increase the peace of my soul, while every one seemed 
to cry out against me, and to look upon me as an infamous crea 
ture, except those few who knew me well by a near union of 
spirit. As I was once seated in a place of worship, I heard 
some persons behind exclaim against me, and even some priests 
say, * It was necessary to cast me out of the Church. 7 At thia 

s 



274 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

trying time I left myself to God without any reserve; and 1 
did not look to earthly friendships or earthly wisdom for support. 
I chose to owe everything to God, without any dependence for 
help on any creature. I would not have it said, that any but 
God had made Abraham rich. (Gen. xiv. 23.) To lose all for 
Him is my best gain ; and to gain all without Him would be 
my worst loss." 

During all this time she calmly but unremittingly laboured in 
the good cause. The outcry against her was general. There 
was no end to what was said of her novelties and heresies, 
followed up by attacks, as ungenerous as unfounded, against her 
private character. But notwithstanding this unfavourable state 
of things, " God," she says, " did not fail to make use of me to 
gain many souls to Himself. He was pleased to regard me in 
great kindness. In the poverty and weakness of His poor hand 
maid, He gave me spiritual riches. The more persecution raged 
against me, the more attentively was the word of the Lord 
listened to, and the greater number of spiritual children were 
given me." 

Some of these persons were involved in the trials she endured. 
A number were banished from the city, chiefly on the ground 
of having attended religious conferences at her house or with 
her. One was banished, she states, against whom nothing further 
was alleged than his having made the remark, that her little 
book, meaning probably her book on Prayer, was a good one. 

Under these circumstances, she met one day, in one of the 
churches of Paris, La Mothe, whose agency in these transactions 
had been conspicuous, though partially concealed in regard to 
herself under the garb of friendship. " My sister," he said, " the 
time has come. It is necessary for you to decide to flee from 
the city. There are allegations against you of such a nature, 
that there seems to be no other course. You are even charged 
with high crimes." 

Knowing as she did that the malevolence of her enemies 
would carry them to any extent, but conscious of her innocence, 
she replied, " If I am guilty of the crimes which are alleged, I 



OF MADAME GUYON. 275 

cannot be too severely punished. Let punishment come. I 
cannot flee, I cannot go out of the way. There are abundant 
reasons why I should remain where I am. I have made an open 
profession of dedicating myself to the Lord, to be His entirely. 
If I have done things offensive to God, whom I would wish to 
love, and whom I would wish to cause to be loved by the whole 
world even at the expense of my life, I ought by my punishment 
to be made an example to the world. I am innocent ; and shall 
not prejudice my claims to innocence by betaking to flight." 

La Mothe, who probably did not anticipate so much resolu 
tion of purpose, was angry, and turned away from her with 
violent threats. As her enemies had failed to banish her by 
artifice, the matter was left to take the usual course. The 
charges against her morals, fabrications without the slightest 
foundation, were given up ; her high purity and integrity of 
character were recognised ; but the excellence of her character 
did not remedy or mitigate the fact of her heresy. On the con 
trary, it seemed to render it the more dangerous. Accordingly, 
her case came before the Archbishop of Paris, who was clear 
and prompt in condemning her, and some time afterwards pub 
lished an Ordinance and Pastoral Instructions to that effect ; but 
he had not authority, without the king s order, to imprison her. 

He accordingly demanded and obtained from the king an order 
to secure her person. The charges, as they were laid before the 
king, were these : That she maintained heretical opinions ; 
That, for the purpose of inculcating these opinions, she held 
private religious assemblies, contrary to the practice and rules 
of the Church ; That she had published a dangerous book, con 
taining sentiments similar to those of the Spiritual Guide of 
Michael de Molinos, which had been condemned by a Papal de 
cree ; And that she kept up a written correspondence with 
Molinos, who was now imprisoned at Borne. It was contended, 
that it was not enough merely to stop the circulation of her 
writings by an ecclesiastical interdiction, but was necessary also 
to restrict her person, and to imprison her. 

Tired of heresy within his dominions, Louis had already 



276 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

revoked the Edict of Nantes, and had sent his dragoons to the 
various parts of France, for the purpose of breaking up and 
dispersing the religious assemblies of the Protestants. Not 
satisfied with purging France from heresies, he seems to have 
thought that it would be for his glory, as the eldest son of the 
Church, to do the same thing for Italy. With this feeling, he 
had employed the influence of France to hasten and secure the 
condemnation of Molinos. 

The Pope, Innocent XI., looking upon Molinos as a truly 
humble and pious man, whatever might be the errors of his 
opinions, was averse to taking extreme measures. The influence 
of the King of France decided the Pope to take the course 
which he did. And accordingly the accusers of Madame Guyon 
knew how easy it would be to excite the suspicions and the 
indignation of Louis, by connecting the doctrines which she 
advocated with those of Molinos. Indeed, although she had 
never seen Molinos, and still less had ever corresponded with 
him, it cannot be well denied that there was a similarity in their 
religious views. The real objection against both was that their 
doctrines, involving, as they did, a reliance upon faith in Christ 
alone as the true foundation of the Christian life in all its extent, 
tended to subvert some of the received ideas and practices of the 
Roman Catholic Church. 

Her accusers laid before Louis a letter, bearing the signature 
of Madame Guyon, which contained the following passage. It 
was a forged letter ; but the king was not aware of the fact at 
the time : 

" I have great designs in hand. But since the imprisonment 
of Father La Combe, I am not without fears that my plans may 
prove abortive. I am closely watched ; and as a matter of pre 
caution, I have left off holding religious meetings at my own 
house ; but it is my intention to hold them in other streets and 
houses." 

This letter, in which Louis thought he saw the germs of 
another Protestantism springing up in his own city and under 
his own eye, seems to have brought him to a decision. And 



OP MADAME GUYON. 277 

accordingly, without further deliberation, he issued the requisite 
lettre de cachet; and Madame Guyon, although but partially 
recovered from a severe sickness, was confined as a prisoner in 
the Convent of St. Marie, in the suburb of St. Antoine, little 
more than three months after the imprisonment of La Combe. 

It is not to be supposed that this sudden change occurred 
without any interest felt or any effort made in her behalf. A 
number of persons, some of them of considerable standing in 
society, were banished, in consequence of their sympathy in her 
views and in her trials. One of these was M. Bureau, who had 
visited her house a number of times with the Abbe de Gaumont. 
But under a government constituted as that of France, there 
was but little security for truth and justice, when powerful 
influences were arrayed against them. The measures against 
her were taken with so much skill and promptness, that they 
entirely baffled those who were ready and willing to aid her. 

" On the 29th of January 1688," she says, " I went to the Con 
vent of St. Marie, which was selected because the Mother Superior 
was known to be particularly zealous in the execution of the 
king s orders. I received the summons which required me to go 
thither, in the early part of the day. A number of hours were 
allowed me, before I left my house, in which I received the calls 
and sympathy of many friends. When I arrived at the convent, 
I learnt that I must be shut up alone in a small chamber which 
served as my prison ; and though I was feeble, I was not 
allowed a maid to render me assistance. The residents of the 
convent were prepossessed with such frightful statements in 
relation to me, that they looked upon me with a sort of horror. 
They selected for my jailer a nun, who, from the severity of her 
character, would treat me with the greatest rigour. Certain it 
is that the result verified their anticipations. 

" She not only regarded me as a heretic, but obviously looked 
upon me as an enthusiast, a hypocrite, and disordered in mind. 
God alone knows what she made me suffer. As she sought to 
surprise me in my words, I was very careful in all my expres 
sions ; but the more careful I was, the worse it was with mo. 



278 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

I made more slips, and gave her more advantages over me, in 
consequence of my care, besides the anxiety necessarily occa 
sioned in my own mind by it. I then left myself as I was, and 
resolved, though this woman should bring me to the scaffold, 
by the false reports which she was continually carrying to the. 
Mother Superior, that I would simply resign myself to my lot. 
And thus I entered into my former peaceful condition." 

Her family was again broken up. Amid various trials and 
labours, she had one consolation, which she valued much ; it 
was the society of her little daughter, now in the twelfth year 
of her age. Wherever she had travelled, and taken up her 
abode, she had listened to her young voice, and found a mother s 
hopes and joys some compensation for the sorrows she was not 
permitted to escape. She naturally expected to be separated 
from the other members of her family ; but she was desirous that 
her daughter might remain with her. 

" I thought," she says, " it would be consistent with the ob 
jects of my imprisonment, to permit my daughter to be left with 
me, and also one of my maid -servants. But in this I was dis 
appointed. My daughter was most at my heart ; having cost 
me much care in her education. I had endeavoured, with 
Divine assistance, to eradicate her faults, and to dispose her to 
have no will of her own, which is the best disposition for a child. 
My heart was deeply affected when she was taken away, I knew 
not whither. I requested that she might be permitted to stay 
in another part of the convent, which would be some satisfaction, 
although I should not see her. But this was not granted ; nor 
would they allow any person to bring any news of her. So that 
I was obliged to give her up, and to sacrifice her, as it were, 
as if she were mine no longer." 

It would be interesting to know something more of her place 
of imprisonment. It is not improbable that it was the place 
which was used as the prison of the convent ; it being sometimes 
necessary, in such institutions, to subdue the refractory members, 
by keeping them shut up. It was a small room in an upper 
story, entered by a single door that opened on the outside, and 



OF MADAME GUYON. 279 

was secured by being locked and by a bar across it. It had 
an opening to the light and air only on one side ; and this was 
BO situated, that the sun shone in upon it nearly the whole day, 
which rendered it exceedingly uncomfortable in summer. Here 
she was enclosed in solitary imprisonment for eight months. 

Madame Guyon has not said much of the place ; and hence 
we know more of the placid resignation of the prisoner than of 
the prison. She herself has told it in one of her own sweet 
songs, which is striking by its simplicity as well as its piety, 
and which we give to the reader in a nearly literal translation : 

A LITTLE BIRD I AM. 

A little bird I am, Thou hast an ear to hear ; 

Shut from the fields of air; A heart to love and bless ; 

And in my cage I sit and sing And, though my notes were e er so rude, 

To Him who placed me there; Thou wouldst not hear the less ; 

Well pleased a prisoner to be, Because thou knowest, as they fall, 

Because, my God, it pleases thee. That LOVK, sweet LOVK, inspires them all 

Nought have I else to do ; My cage confines me round ; 

I sing the whole day long ; Abroad I cannot fly ; 

And He whom most I love to please, But though my wing is closely bound, 

Dot* tsten to my song ; My heart s at liberty. 

He caught and bound my wandering wing, My prison walls can not control 

But still He bends to hear me sing. The flight, the freedom of the soul. 

Oh ! it is good to soar 

These bolts and bars above, 
To Him whose purpose I adore, 

Whose providence I lore ; 
And in thy mighty will to find 
The joy, the freedom of the mind. 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

Occupations in prison The history of her life Feelings in imprisonment Labours and 
usefulness there Letter to a religious friend Visited by an ecclesiastical Judge and a 
Doctor of the Sorbonne Examined Her feelings Poem. 

HER physical constitution was feeble, but her mental purpose 
was strong. Her full heart, strong in faith and love, sustained 
her suffering body. It did not follow, because she was a prisoner; 



LIFE AKD RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

***** * * idle. La Combe, before he had ceased to be her 
%^^ Director, had imposed on her the duty of putting in 
writing the incidents of her life. She had probably male a 
beginning before, but she now began this work in earnest. La 
Combe bad required her to be very particular ; and not suppos 
ing it would be teen by many beyond the circle of her personal 
friends, she was more minnte than wonld otherwise have been 

~7- 

Writing, too, almost solely from memory, and under great 
disadvantages, there is a want of exactness "in the arrangement, 
besides frequent repetitions, and it is therefore less valuable in 
itael^ than as furnishing materials for others. 

When die first received notice that she was to be shut up, God 
was pleased to give her not only entire resignation, but a trium 
phant and joyful peace ; so much so, that it shone on her coun 
tenance, and attracted the notice of the person who brought the 
king s order, and also of her friends. The same delightful 
peace continued after her imprisonment. 

The doctrines of Sanctification, to which she was so much 
trtched, involved principles peculiarly adapted to such a situa 
tion. They strike at the root of all earthly desire, as they do 
of all earthly support. They annihilate, times and places, pro- 
Bperities and adversities, fhendahipfi and enmities, by making 
them all equal in the will of God. So that to Joseph the prison 
and the throne are the same, to Daniel the lion s den and the 
monarch s palace are the same, because they have that in their 
believing and sanctified hearts, which subjects the outward to 
the inward, and because the inward has become incorporated by 
frith in that Eternal Will in which all things have their origin 
and their end. 

Her captivity was intended to be very strict ; but still persons 
were allowed to see her from time to time. And few visited her 
without being religiously impressed by her appearance and con- 
*ntion. Many of her poems also were written in this prison ; 
and probably no period of her life was reallv more useful than 

*ur_ 



OF MADAME GUYOBJ. - ; 1 

The following letter illustrates the nature of her efforts by 
means of correspondence, when she was not permitted to labour 
in any other way : 

"MADAME, I can assure TOO, that it is a great |iliMHii to 
me to witness the manifestations of God s mercy low-auk you, 
and to see the progress of your soul in religion. It is my prayer, 
that God may bring to a completion the work which He has 
begun within you. Ho doubt HA will, if JOB continue faithful. 
Oh, the mrilrM happiness, M adtmr, of MiMging ID Jam 
Christ ! This is the true balm, which sweetens the pains and 
sorrows that are inseparable from the present life. 

" . . . Ton will pardon me for saying, in the first place, that 
yon do not appear to me to be sufficiently advanced in inward 
experience, to practise silent prayer for a long time together. 
... I think it would be better to foaiMne ejaculatory prayer 
with silent prayer. Lei such ijarnlilinni as the following : 
Omy God, let me be whoUy tkme!Let me lave tkee p*re% 
for thyself, for thou art infinitely lovely I O my God, be do* 
my all! Let every&my else be as moOmmj m m*; and other 
i^irt ^jftr" 1 n1itTfrT ^r iVmr ITP lift 1 1 1 Tp fir^ 1^^ !** But 
I think that such ejaculations should be separated from each 
other, and intervened, if I may so express H, by short intervals 
of silence. . . . And in this way JOB wifl be gfailmilj farming 
and strengthening the important habit of silent prayer. 

"And this suggests another practical instil Ir When you 
are reading on reHgious subjects, you would do wefl to stop now 
and then for a few momenta, and betake jumself to s<lililiiii 
and prayer in silence ; especially when any |^iS of what you 
read touches and affects you. The object of this K to let the 
reading have its appropriate effect. Such lending wifl be very 
likely to edify and nourish the son! The soul needs nourish 
ment as well at the body. Its religious state, without HJBM Iliiiij, 
which is appropriate to its support, withers sad decays. 

" Do not resort to austerities or self-inflicted mortifications. 
They may do for others, but net for you. Tour feeble health 



282 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

does not allow of it. If you had a strong and sound body, and 
especially which is the great point in connexion with physical 
mortifications if you suffered yourself to be ruled by your appe 
tites, I should probably give different advice. 

" But there is another mortification, Madame, which I must 
earnestly recommend. Mortify whatever remains of your cor 
rupt affections and your disorderly will. Mortify your peculiar 
tastes, your propensities, your inclinations. Among other things, 
learn to suffer with patience and resignation those frequent and 
severe pains which God sees fit to impose upon you. Learn 
also, from the motive of love to God, to suffer all that may 
happen of contradiction, ill manners, or negligence in those who 
serve you. In a word, mortify yourself by bearing at all times, 
in a Christian temper, whatever thwarts the natural life, what 
ever is displeasing and troublesome to the natural sensibilities ; 
and thus place yourself in union and fellowship with the suffer 
ings of Christ. By taking these bitter remedies, you will honour 
the Cross. And especially if you mortify yourself, and die, in 
your inward experience, to everything which is remarkable and 
showy. Learn the great lesson of becoming a little one, of 
becoming nothing. He does well who, in fasting from other 
things which the appetites improperly crave, lives upon mere 
bread and water ; but he does better who, in fasting from his 
own desires and his own will, lives upon God s will alone. This 
is what St. Paul calls the circumcision of the heart. 

" I would advise you to receive the Eucharist as often as you 
conveniently can. Jesus Christ, who is presented to us in that 
ordinance, is the bread of life, which nourishes and quickens 
our souls. I shall not fail to remember you, when I am wor 
shipping before Him ; greatly desiring as I do, that He may 
set up His kingdom in your heart, and may reign and rule in 

yOU. J. M. B. DE LA MOTHE GlJYON." 

The monotony of her prison was varied by a number of inci 
dents. She had been in prison a short time, when she was 
visited by Monsieur Charon, a judge of the ecclesiastical court, 



OF MADAME GUYON. 283 

and Monsieur Pirot, a Doctor of the Sorbonne. They came to 
subject her to a formal examination, upon the results of which it 
seemed probable, that the continuance of her imprisonment would 
depend. With this object, although it is not improbable that 
the examinations had secret reference to the treatment of La 
Combe, as well as to herself, they repeated their visit four dif 
ferent times. We have the substance of what occurred at these 
interviews as follows : 

"Judge. Is it true that when you went from France to 
Savoy, you went with Father La Combe, and as an associate 
and follower? 

" Madame Guyon. When I left France, La Combe had not 
been in France for about ten years ; and therefore to have gone 
with him would have been an impossibility. 

" Judge. Was La Combe instrumental in teaching you the 
doctrines of the inward life ? 

"Madame Guyon. In the principles of religion, in their ex 
perimental form, [ had the happiness of being taught in child 
hood and early youth. I was not taught them by Father La 
Combe. I first knew La Combe in the year 1671, more than 
fifteen years ago, and long before I went to Savoy. He called 
at my house at that time, being introduced by my half-brother, 
Father La Mothe. 

" Judge,. Had not La Combe some participation in the 
authorship of the book entitled the Short and Easy Method of 
Prayer ? 

" Madame Guyon. He had not. I wrote it in Grenoble. 
La Combe was not there. I had no expectation that it would 
be printed. A counsellor of Grenoble, seeing it on my table, 
examined it, and thinking it would be useful, he asked my con 
sent to its being published. At his suggestion I wrote a Preface, 
and divided it into chapters. 

" Judge. Are we not to understand you in that book as dis 
countenancing the use of the prescribed prayers of the Church, 
and even of the Lord s Prayer ? 

" Madame Guyon. So far from discountenancing the use of 



284 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

the Lord s Prayer, I have explained the manner of using it to 
the best effect. I have discountenanced the use of the Lord s 
Prayer, and of all other prescribed prayers, as a mere matter of 
form, but for no other reason. It is not the mere repetition of 
prayers which renders us acceptable to God, but the possession 
of those dispositions of heart which the forms of prayer are in 
tended to express. 

" Judge. I have before me a letter, addressed to Father 
Francis, of the Order of Minims, in which you express your de 
termination to hold religious meetings ; and that finding it 
dangerous to hold them at your own house, you will hold them 
in other streets and houses, but in a private manner. 

"Madame Guyon. What I have done is probably well 
known. What I intend to do, is necessarily lodged in the bosom 
of Him whose will is my only law. But as for that letter, it 
is a forgery. 

"Judge. By whom was the letter written? And what 
reason have you to think that it is a forgery ? 

" Madame Guyon. I cannot speak of its authorship with 
certainty ; but I have my opinions. It was laid before our 
king Louis, and had its effect in my imprisonment. I suppose 
it was written by the scrivener Gautier, whose agency in these 
transactions is not unknown to me. It is not in my hand 
writing, as can be easily shown. Besides, it is addressed to 
Father Francis, as being in Paris. It is known, and can be 
proved, that he left Paris for Amiens on the 1st of September. 
The letter is dated on the 30th of October. The gentleman 
who has the charge of the education of my sons will aid me in 
obtaining proof on these points, if you wish it. 

"Judge. I suppose you are aware that your opinions, ex 
pressed in your writings and uttered on other occasions, are re 
garded as heretical. I will not go into particulars. I will not 
attempt to prove what has been said, either by quotations or by 
facts, but should be pleased to hear what you have to say on this 
charge, made in this general way. 

" Madame Guyon. To declare me a heretic, does not make 



OF MADAME GUYON. 285 

me one. I was born in the bosom of the Catholic Church, and 
brought up in its principles, which I still love. It is hardly ne 
cessary for me to say that I make no pretensions to learning ; 
that I am not a Doctor of the Sorbonne ; and it is possible that 
I have sometimes uttered expressions which require theological 
emendation ; and so far I readily submit myself to the correction 
of those who have the proper authority. I am ready to give my 
life for the Church. But I wish to say that I am a Catholic in 
the substance and spirit, and not merely in the form and letter. 
The Catholic Church never intended that her children should 
remain dead in her forms ; but that her forms should be the ex 
pression of the life within them, received through faith in Christ. 
In doing what I have done, I had no expectation or desire of 
forming a separate party. But I wished to see the great prin 
ciples of the inward life revived. It did not occur to me, that 
I was to be regarded as a heretic and separatist ; but I thought I 
might be permitted, in the sphere which Providence had assigned 
me, to labour for the revival of the work of God in the soul. 

" Judge. I understand that you have written commentaries 
on the Scriptures. I should be glad to see them, and have the 
opportunity of examining them. 

" Madame Guyon. I acknowledge that I have written such 
remarks or commentaries on various parts of the Scriptures. 
They are not here. I left them in the care of a person whom 
I do not wish to mention at present. When I am freed from my 
imprisonment, I will place them in your hands." 

Such was the substance, and for the most part the precise 
terms of these examinations, so far as they are briefly given by 
Madame Guyon. Monsieur Charon, who felt his official respon 
sibility, retired in silence. The Doctor of the Sorbonne, whose 
position perhaps allowed a little more freedom, dropped a word 
favourable to Madame Guyon. 

Sometimes darkness and sorrow settled in what may be termed 
the outside of her system, in her shattered nerves and bleeding 
sensibilities ; but faith unchangeable, which always brings God 
to those who have it. made light and joy in the centre. When 



286 LIFE AND KELIG1OUS EXPERIENCE 

none came to see her with whom she might converse, she wrote ; 
when tired of writing the incidents of her life, she corresponded 
with her absent friends ; when opportunities for doing good in 
this manner did not present themselves, she solaced the hours of 
solitude by writing poems. It is to this period that we are to 
ascribe the origin of the little poem, beginning, Si c est un crime 
que d aimer. The sentiment of this poem may be found in the 
following stanzas : 

LOVE CONSTITUTES MY CRIME. 

Love constitutes my crime ; And am I then to blame ! 

For this they keep me here, He s always in my sight; 

Imprison d thus so long a time And having once inspired the flame, 

For Him I hold BO dear ; He always keeps it bright. 

And yet I am, as when I came, For this they smite me and reprove, 

The subject of this holy flame. Because I cannot cease to love. 

How can I better grow ! What power shall dim its ray, 
How from my own heart fly ! Dropt burning from above ! 

Those who imprison me should know Eternal life shall ne er decay ; 
True love can never die. God is the life of love. 

Fea, tread and crush it with disdain, And when its source of life is o er. 

And it will live and burn again. And only then, twill shine no more. 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 

Views in relation to the continuance of imprisonment Inward peace and triumph Inward 
trials Forgiveness towards her enemies Attempts to involve her daughter in a marriage 
arrangement The King favourable, but requires Madame Guyon s consent The subject 
proj>osed to her by M. Charon Her reply Unfavourable state of things Writes to Pdre 
La Chaise Sickness Ilenewed trials Remarks on the dispensation of the Holy Ghost 
A Poem. 

" THE Prioress of the Convent," says Madame Guyon, " asked 
the ecclesiastical judge how the affair stood. He signified that 
things were in a favourable way, and that I should be discharged 
at an early period. And this became the common opinion in 
relation to it. But as for myself, I had a presentiment to the 
contrary. But this did not depress me. My mind was free. 



OF MADAME QUYON. 287 

The confinement of my body made me relish my mental liberty 
the better. The satisfaction, and even joy which I had in being 
a prisoner and in suffering for Christ, were inexpressible. 

" The 19th of March in particular, was a memorable day. 
On that day, the nun who acted as my jailer, granted me the 
liberty, as a special favour, of going into the garden attached to 
the Convent. In a retired part of the garden was a little Ora 
tory or place of prayer, which was the more calculated to favour 
devotional feelings by having a cross planted in it, with a carved 
image of the dying Saviour suspended upon it. It was there, 
as I was alone in acts of worship, that God was with me, and 
blessed me much. During the whole of that day, my mind 
had more of heaven than of earth in it. Language cannot 
express it." 

On the 25th of March, she records the existence of a very 
different state of mind, but perhaps not less profitable. God 
was pleased on that day, and for a number of days following, to 
leave her in a state of extreme destitution and depression. Her 
lonely situation, her separation from her daughter, the opposition, 
the apparent defeat of her plans and anticipations for the good 
of souls, could not fail to be present to her thoughts. The pains 
which she thus endured were probably enhanced by her physical 
sufferings, from which, although we have said but little respect 
ing them, she was not often exempt long together. These sug 
gestions and influences were permitted to gather around her so 
as to furnish occasion for temptations severe and heavy. God 
saw fit, in His wisdom and goodness, that Satan should try her 
once more. All human and all heavenly support, so far as it 
was perceptible and consolatory, was for some days taken away. 
She was in the greatest sorrow of spirit. But she believed and 
was triumphant. Satan fled discomfited ; and the calm peace 
and joy of her mind returned. 

" I was not insensible," she says, " to the sorrows which my 
persecutors occasioned me, nor ignorant, as I think, of the spirit 
by which they were actuated ; but I had no other feelings to 
wards them, so far as I can judge, than those of forbearance and 



288 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

kindness. The reflection, that they did only what God per 
mitted them to do, which enabled me always to keep God in 
sight, supported me much. When we suffer, we should always 
remember that God inflicts the blow. Wicked men, it is true, 
are not unfrequently His instruments; and the fact does not 
diminish, but simply develops their wickedness. But when we 
are so mentally disposed, that we love the strokes we suffer, re 
garding them as coming from God, and as expressions of what 
He sees best for us, we are then in the proper state to look for 
givingly and kindly upon the subordinate instrument which He 
permits to smite us." 

She was not even permitted to know, for a considerable time, 
where her daughter was placed. Her feelings, therefore, were 
greatly tried, when she learned, after some time, that interested 
individuals had got possession of her daughter s person, and were 
endeavouring to induce her, left as she was without the aid and 
advice of a mother, to pledge herself thus early in life to a mar 
riage. In the settlement of her father s estate, a considerable 
amount of property had been settled upon this child. The hope 
of getting possession of this property was one of the motives in 
this ungenerous movement. 

This beloved daughter was the child of Madame Guyon s 
religious, still more than of her natural expectations and hopes. 
Much had she laboured and prayed for the renovation and spiri 
tual perfection of her nature. Her sorrow, therefore, and her 
trial of mind, must have been greatly increased, when she learned 
that the individual thus proposed as her daughter s husband was 
a man who had scarcely a tincture of Christianity, being aban 
doned both in his principles of belief and in his morals. 

They brought the matter before the king, who frequently took 
a personal interest in the domestic arrangements of his subjects. 
He expressed a desire that the proposed betrothment should take 
place. He was willing, also, that his desire should have all the 
influence which would naturally result from it ; but he had so 
much remains of kingly pride as to insist that Madame Guyon s 
consent must first be obtained. 



OP MADAME GUYON. 289 

The king s views arid wishes were conveyed to Madame Guyon 
through M. Charon, the ecclesiastical judge. A number of per 
sons were present at this interview. Among others were the 
Mother Superior of the convent, and the guardian to Madame 
Guyon s children. Charon stated to her the arrangement pro 
posed ; urged the desirableness of it ; the wishes of the king ; 
and concluded with saying that, if she would consent to the be- 
trothment of her daughter to the Marquis of Chanvalon, she 
should be set free from prison within eight days. The reply of 
Madame Guyon is worthy of notice : " God allows suffering, but 
never allows wrong. I see clearly that it is His will that I 
should remain in prison, and endure the pains which are con 
nected with it ; and I am entirely content that it should be so. 
I can never buy my liberty at the expense of sacrificing my 
daughter." 

After this, things looked more unfavourably. Conversation, 
which had predicted her speedy release, suddenly assumed a 
different character. " I was now told," she says, " that my per 
secutors had the upper hand ; and that they had succeeded in 
convincing the king that I was guilty of everything which had 
been alleged against me. And hence I naturally thought that I 
must be a prisoner all the rest of my days." The influence of 
the Archbishop of Paris was very great and decisive in this 
matter, and was entirely against her. He declared openly, that 
there was no hope for her, except in the renouncement of her 
views, and in repentance for the course she had pursued. If 
she would confess herself wrong and criminal, and make 
retractions and confessions, she could be freed ; otherwise 
not. 

She was so entirely resigned to the yoke of God, whatever it 
might be, that she felt afraid to shake it off by means of any 
mere human instrumentality. Some of her friends could not 
understand fully this entire trust in God. " A friend of mine," 
she says, " urged me to write to Father La Chaise, telling me, 
that I ought not to wait for God to do everything, without doing 
myself what was proper. Such a course would be tempting 

T 



290 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

God." Out of deference, therefore, to others, she wrote the 
following letter : 

LETTER TO PERE LA CHAISE, CONFESSOR TO Louis XIV. 

" REVEREND FATHER, It is not frequently the case, that I 
bring- my troubles before others. And certain I am that, on the 
present occasion, if my enemies had limited their attacks to the 
liberty of my person and my reputation, I should have remained 
in silence. But they have not only shut me in prison, and at 
tempted to blast my honour, but they have insisted that I have 
failed in respect for the doctrines of the Church, and have de 
nounced me as a heretic. 

11 Permit me to say, Reverend Father, in soliciting your kind 
ness and protection, that I ask nothing which shall be found 
inconsistent with justice and the truth. The judge of the 
Ecclesiastical Court has been in my prison ; and has examined 
the statements and papers laid before him against me, and has 
pronounced them false. But these related chiefly to my private 
character. In regard to my doctrines, he required some explana 
tions ; but without taking the responsibility of pronouncing 
them heretical. On the contrary, he seemed rather to be satisfied 
with what I said. I offered also to submit to his inspection all 
my writings. 

" Have I not reason, then, to think that it is something be 
sides my alleged want of Catholic Orthodoxy, which keeps me 
in prison ? I am willing to submit myself to a disinterested 
tribunal ; but I have reason to think that my persecutors, some 
of them at least, have their private aims. Private interests have 
mingled in those proceedings which have brought me and which 
keep me here. I think, Reverend Father, that it would be easy 
for me to show by incontestable proofs, that this is the case, if 
I had the opportunity to do it. How can it be otherwise, when 
they come to me with menaces ? They ask my compliance and 
consent in transactions which my feelings as a Christian and a 
mother require me to resist ; and they threaten me with a con- 



OF MADAME GU? ON. 291 

tinuance of my troubles, if I refuse to do what my conscience 
compels me not to do. 

" Your position, Keverend Father, has led me to appeal to 
you. May I not ask that you will allow yourself to look into 
this subject, and to be thoroughly informed in regard to it. Ic 
proclaiming the selfish ends of some of my enemies, and in 
asserting my own innocence, I think I say no more than I shall 
be able to make evident. 

" I can only add, that I shall be extremely grateful for any 
attention and aid which you may be able to render me. 

" JEANNE MAKIE B. DE LA MOTHE GUYON." 

She says, " I never could find that the letter produced any 
good effect, but rather the reverse. It was natural that La 
Chaise should consult with the archbishop, who assured him 
that I was very criminal. Counterfeit letters and papers also 
were shown him, which had an unpropitious influence ; so that 
this effort came to nothing." 

A report was circulated that she was to be removed to another 
place of imprisonment, and placed under the immediate inspec 
tion of La Mothe, a severe man, and much incensed against her. 
" Some of my friends," she says, " wept bitterly at the hearing 
of it ; but such was my state of acquiescence and resignation, 
that it failed to draw any tears from me. An ignominious death, 
with which I have so often been threatened, makes not any 
alteration in me. Sometimes the idea crosses my mind, that it 
is possible, after all that has passed, that I may still be cast off 
from God s presence ; but even this thought, terrible and over 
whelming as it is, does not take away the deep peace and satis 
faction which I feel in connexion with the fulfilment of God s 
will." 

It was now the month of June 1688. " The air of the place," 
she says, " where I was enclosed, was so confined and heated, 
that it seemed like a stove." Her feeble constitution sank under 
it, and she was taken dangerously ill. The guardian, a coun 
sellor in law, stated her situation to the archbishop. Harlai 



292 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

offended at what he considered her obstinacy, received the appli 
cation with indifference and almost with ridicule. " Very sick," 
he exclaimed ; " very sick indeed, I suppose, at being shut up 
within four walls, after what she has done." He granted no 
thing. 

She was favoured, however, after a time, through the sym 
pathy of those who had the immediate charge of the Convent, 
with the assistance of a maid-servant, and a physician and 
surgeon. It was done, it is true, in violation of the orders of 
her imprisonment. But Madame Guyon remarks, " It was God 
who put it into their hearts, and gave them the determination 
to do it ; for had I remained as I was, without any proper 
attendance, I must have died. My enemies were numerous and 
clamorous. It was not merely death which was before me, but 
disgrace. My friends were afraid lest I should die ; for by my 
death my memory would have been covered with reproach, and 
my enemies would have triumphed ; but God would not suffer 
them to have that joy. After bringing me down, He was 
pleased to raise me up again." 

One of the charges brought against her was, that she did not 
worship the Saints, and particularly the Virgin Mary. On what 
principles she maintained the consistency of her Roman Catholic 
profession with her refusal to worship Saints and the Virgin, is 
not entirely obvious, but undoubtedly she was able to do it to 
her own satisfaction ; regarding, as she did, the Church at that 
time, as being in some things perverted and in others remiss, 
though not hopelessly so. She refers to the subject in the 
following terms : " One day," she says, " considering in my 
mind why it was that I could not, like others, call upon any of 
the saints in prayer, though closely united to them in God, the 
thought occurred to me, that domestics, in other words, those in 
a merely justified state, the beginners in the Christian life, the 
servants rather than the sows of God, might possibly have some 
need of the influence and intercession of the saints ; while the 
spouse obtains everything she needs without such helps. God, 
regarding such a soul as purchased by the blood of Christ, and 



OF MADAME GUYON. 293 

as brought into union with Himself, and sustained in union by 
Christ s merits, neither seeks nor accepts any other influence, or 
any other intercession. Oh I how little known is the holy 
Author of all good!" 

Soon after her recovery from sickness, she experienced another 
trial. The proposition of her daughter s betrothment was re 
newed. Again a number of persons were assembled in her 
room. She names Charon, Monsieur Pirot, La Mothe, and the 
guardian of her children. The terms of the proposition were 
the same as before ; but her answer was the same. They paid 
her the compliment of saying that her treatment of them, under 
circumstances so embarrassing, was characterized by the highest 
propriety and courtesy. 

An effort, also, was once more made to draw from her some 
retraction of her opinions. " They wanted such retractions and 
confessions," she says, " in order that they might serve as a 
proof of my guilt to posterity. Anything of this kind, under 
my own hand, would be an evidence, that they were right in 
imprisoning me. And that was not all. Any such papers, 
drawn up as they wished them to be drawn up, would tend to 
vindicate their sullied reputation in another respect, and to con 
vince the world that they had properly and justly caused the 
imprisonment of Father la Combe. They went so far as to 
make alluring promises on the one hand, and to use violent 
threats on the other, in order to induce me to write that La 
Combe was a deceiver. I answered that I was content to 
suffer whatever it should please God to order or permit ; and 
that I would sooner not only be imprisoned, but would rather 
die upon the scaffold, than utter the falsehoods they pro 
posed." 

" During the period," she says, " of the Old Testament dis 
pensation, there were several of the Lord s martyrs who suffered 
for asserting the existence of the one true God, and for trusting 
in Him. The doctrine of the one true God, in distinction from 
the heathen doctrine of a multiplicity of gods, was the test by 
which conflicting opinions were tried. 



294 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

" At a later period another great truth was proclaimed, that 
of Jesus Christ crucified for sinners. 

" At the present time, " she says, " there are those who are 
martyrs of the Holy Ghost. It is the doctrine of PURE LOVE, the 
doctrine of sanctification and of the Holy Ghost within us, as 
the Life of our own life, which is to be the test of spiritual per 
ception and fidelity in the present and in future times. The 
Spirit of God, in the language of the prophet Joel, is to be 
poured out upon all flesh. 

" Those, who have suffered for the doctrine of Jesus Christ 
crucified for the world s sins, have been truly glorious in the re 
proach arid sorrows they have endured ; but those who have suf 
fered, and are destined to suffer, for the doctrine of the coming 
and of the triumphant reign of the Holy Spirit in men s souls, 
will not be less so. The doctrine of Christ crucified as an aton 
ing sacrifice is essentially triumphant. Satan has ceased, in a 
great degree, to exercise his power against those who receive and 
believe it. But, on the contrary, he has attacked and will attack, 
both in body and in spirit, those who advocate the dominion of 
the Holy Spirit, and who have felt His celestial impulse and 
power in their own hearts. Holy Spirit, a Spirit of love ! let 
me ever be subjected to thy will ; and as a leaf is moved before 
the wind, so let my soul be influenced and moved by the breath 
of thy wisdom. And as the impetuous wind breaks down all 
that resists it, even the towering cedars which stand in opposi 
tion ; so may the Holy Ghost, operating within me, smite and 
break down everything which opposes Him." 

The recognition of God, as one God, gave rise to the inquiry, 
How does this one God, who in being one combines in Him 
self all that is good and true, and how must He, from His very 
nature, regard all sin ; and on what principles does He forgive 
it ? The question is solved in the announcement of the other 
doctrine to which she refers, namely, that of Christ crucified. 
" Without the shedding of blood there is no remission." " He 
was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniqui 
ties.^ God not only hates sin, but He punishes it. He has DO 



OF MADAME GUYON. 295 

more moral right 01 power to detach suffering from sin, than He 
has to detach peace arid joy from holiness. The connexion be 
tween them is fixed, inseparable, and can no more change than 
the Divine nature can change. Where there is sin, there must 
be suffering ; and suffering flowing from sin, and in consequence 
of sin, is something more than suffering ; it is PUNISHMENT. 
But in the mystery of the mission, person, and sufferings of His 
Son (a mystery which even the angels unavailingly desire to 
look into), God has so taken this suffering upon Himself, that, 
without any violation of the claims of unchangeable rectitude, 
He can now extend forgiveness to His rebellious creatures, take 
them once more to His bosom, and bid them live for ever. 

But there is another great truth ; namely, that of God, in the 
person of the inward Teacher and Comforter, dwelling in the 
hearts of His people, and changing them by His Divine opera 
tion into the holy and beautiful image of Him who shed His 
blood for them. Christ, received by faith, came into the world 
to save men from the penalty of sin ; but He came also to save 
them from sin itself. The voice has gone forth Put away all 
sin ; Be like Christ ; BE YE HOLY. 

We may introduce here, as illustrative further of her labours 
in prison, a few passages from her letters. 

EXTRACTS OF LETTERS FROM HER PRISON. 

" To . I have just received your kind letter ; and I can 

assure you, that it has comforted me in my place of exile. Some 
times I can apply to myself the expressions of the Psalmist : 
* Woe is me that I sojourn in Mesech ; that I dwell in the tents of 
Kedar my soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. 
(Ps. cxx. 5, 6.) While I am kept here by the power of my 
enemies, I cannot help thinking of those who need spiritual in 
struction. What a mysterious providence it is, which keeps me 
out of my place of labour, out of my element I It looks to me, 
as if there were great numbers of children asking for bread, and 
that there is scarcely any one to break it to them." 



296 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

" To -. It is no news to you, that I am a prisoner, and 

always kept under lock and key ; and that, except the woman 
who has charge of the room in which I am shut up, I am not 
permitted to speak to any one either within or without, unless it 
be by special arrangement. I am afflicted, although I have firm 
trust and rest in God. And will not one, who I know is not 
indifferent to my situation, impart to me the great consolation of 
knowing, that she has given her whole heart to the Saviour 1 

" Oh I how sad it is to see how much opposition there is to 
the religion of the heart ; I see and hear so much of it, that I 
am sometimes overwhelmed and confounded, and hardly know 
what I am saying or doing. I have, however, the consolation 
which is given to every heart that has truly found God. 

" In regard to yourself, you will permit me to say, that I some 
times feel a degree of solicitude on your account. I must confess 
that I have some fears, lest at your tender age you may be ex 
posed to temptations, and may turn away from God. But here, 
as everywhere else, I have but one resource ; I must resign 
you into God s hands, never ceasing to entreat Him, in the most 
earnest manner, for the good of your soul. Oh ! what a happi 
ness it is to be thoroughly resigned to Providence ! a resigna 
tion which constitutes the true repose of life. 

" I have one word more to say. When I came here, my 
daughter was taken from me. Those who took her do not allow 
me to know where she is. You will permit me, if you can obtain 
a knowledge of her situation, to ask your friendly interest in 
her behalf. If I were a criminal condemned to death, they 
could not easily give more rigorous orders concerning me." 

" To . It seems, then, that M. , of whom we had 

hoped better things, has become unstable. The temptations of 
the world have shaken, and have even overcome, his religious 
purposes. The more I see of the want of firmness and stability 
in men, the more I am bound and fastened, as it were, to God, 
who is without change. 

" I must confess, if the heart of her to whom I now write, 



OF MADAME GUYON. 297 

were not more fully fixed in God, I should be much concerned 
and grieved at it. my friend I aim higher and higher. What 
would I not suffer to see you wholly delivered from the inward 
power of sin ! Without ceasing I pray to God, that He may 
deliver you from the life of self in all its forms ; that He him 
self may be your WAY and TRUTH and LIFE, and that He may 
establish you in the blessedness of pure love. 

" . . . . Was not our beloved Saviour looked upon and de 
nounced in the same manner ? Is it a hard matter to walk in 
His footsteps, and to suffer as He suffered ? When I arn thinking 
upon these things, I sometimes find my heart, in its perplexity, 
looking up and saying, Judge me, God I and plead my 
cause. " 

We find the following memorandum, inserted in the eighth 
chapter of the Third Part of her Life : 

" Completed thus far, on this the 22d of August 1688. / am 
now forty years of age, and in prison ; a place which I love and 
cherish, as I find it sanctified by the Lord." 

The following poem, selected and rearranged from a longer 
one. is one of those translated by Cowper. 

GOD S GLORY AND GOODNESS. 

INFINITE GOD ! thou great, unrivall d One ! 
Whose light eclipses that of yonder sun; 
Compared with thine, how dim bis beauty seems 
How quench d the radiance of his goldeii beams ! 

O God ! thy creatures in one strain agree ; 
All, in all times and places, speak of thee 
Even I, with trembling heart and stammering tongue- 
Attempt thy praise, and join the general song. 

Almighty Former of this wondrous plan 
Faintly reflected in thine image, man ; 
Holy and just ! The greatness of whose name 
Fills and supports this universal frame ! 

Diffused throughout infinitude of space, 
Who art thyself thine own vast dwelling-place 
Soul of our soul ! whom yet no sense of ours 
Discerns, eluding our most active powers; 



298 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

Encircling shades attend thine awful throne ; 
That reil thy face, and keep thee still unknown : 
Unknown, though dwelling in our inmost part, 
Lord of the thoughts, and sovereign of the heart- 

Thou art my bliss ! the light by which I move ! 
In thee, O God ! dwells all that I can love. 
Where er I turn, I see thy power and grace, 
Which ever watch and bless our heedless race. 

Oh ! then, repeat the truth, that never tires ; 
No God is like the God my soul desires ; 
He, at whose voice heaven trembles, even He, 
Great as He is, knows how to stoop to me. 

Vain pageantry and pomp of earth, adieu ! 

have no wish, no memory for you ! 
Rich in God s love, I feel my noblest prido 
Spring from the sense of having nought beside. 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 

Efforts of her friends unavailing Madame de Miramion Visits the Convent Becomes ac 
quainted with Madame Guyou Makes known her ca.se to Madame de Maintenon, who in 
tercedes with Louis xiv. Madame Guyon released by the king s order, in October 1688 
Besides with Madame de Miramion Marriage of her daughter with the Count de Vaux 
Notices of his family Resides with her daughter Letters A Poem. 

HER prospects of an immediate release varied. Her friends 
seem to have done everything which propriety would warrant. 
As the ear of the king, however, was reached in other quarters, 
they were not able, at present, to effect anything in her behalf. 
Her imprisonment terminated in the following manner. 

There was a lady in Paris, Madame de Miramion, much dis 
tinguished for her piety and good works, who sometimes visited 
the Convent of St. Marie. The Prioress and the Nuns gave her 
a favourable account of Madame Guyon. Not satisfied, she 
sought her acquaintance, and learned from her own lips those 
lessons of the inward life upon which she herself had already 
entered. She needed no further evidence ; but felt that her 
piety rather than her crimes, had been the real source of the 



OF MADAME GUYON. 299 

aspersions cast upon her, and the secret cause which had brought 
her to a prison. 

This lady conversed with Madame de Maintenon, whose pecu 
liar but influential position is well known, in relation to the cha 
racter of Madame Guyon, and the treatment she had experienced. 
The account, which she gave, made a favourable impression, 
which was sustained and increased by Madame de Maisonfort, a 
distant relative of Madame Guyon, and also by the Duchesses 
Beauvilliers and Chevreuse. The influence of Madame de 
Maintenon with Louis XIV., to whom she was at this time, or 
at a somewhat later period, privately married, was very great, 
and she now felt it her duty to exert it in favour of Madame 
Guyon, as she had repeatedly done in other instances for those 
who had innocently suffered. Embracing the first favourable 
opportunity, she laid the subject before Louis; but she found 
his mind so fully possessed with the idea of the heresies of 
Madame Guyon, that she desisted for a time. 

With that clear discernment which characterized her, she 
sought another and more favourable opportunity. At this time, 
availing herself of all the information she had obtained, she suc 
ceeded in her efforts. The king, either convinced by her state 
ments, or yielding to her importunity, gave orders that Madame 
Guyon should be freed from imprisonment. The information 
was communicated to her by the Prioress. The guardian of her 
children was present at this interesting moment. They both 
testified great joy at this pleasing event. She was released early 
in October 1688; having been imprisoned a little more than 
eight months. 

Madame Guyon was not insensible to a change so propitious ; 
and while she blessed God on her own account, she sympathized 
deeply and sincerely in the joy of her friends. But her own joy 
was mitigated and tranquillized by the principles of her higher 
experience. Her enemies had gone just so far as God permitted. 
It was God who had imprisoned her ; it was God who had given 
her deliverance ; and as she entered her prison with calm peace 
and joy, so she left it with the same feelings. 



300 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

From the place of her imprisonment she went to the house of 
Madame de Miramion, who received her with a joy increased by 
the fact that God had made her an instrument in the event. 
She there met another distinguished lady, Madame de Mont- 
chevreuil. She was once more promptly received into the dis 
tinguished families with which she had been associated previously 
to her imprisonment. Those who had known her and loved 
her before her imprisonment, did not respect and love her the 
less afterwards. In a short time she had an interview at St. 
Cyr with Madame de Mairitenon, who expressed in strong terms 
the pleasure which she felt in seeing her at liberty ; and thus 
commenced an acquaintance which had some important results. 

Among the persons present at this interview were the 
Duchesses Bethune, Beauvilliers, and Chevreuse, and the Prin 
cess d Harcourt ; a circumstance which indicates more distinctly 
the class of society to which she was admitted, and some portion 
of the field of her religious influence. She was introduced to 
Madame de Maintenon by the Duchess Bethune, a lady personally 
known to her from childhood, and very friendly to her. 

Not long after, she had an interview with the Archbishop of 
Paris, who expressed a desire, as if not altogether satisfied with 
his own conduct, that she would say as little as possible of what 
had taken place. The opinion had already begun to prevail, 
that interested motives, as well as a regard for the Church, had 
exercised a share of influence with him. His own nephew, the 
Marquis of Chanvalon, had been proposed as the husband of 
Mademoiselle Guyon. 

As it was not convenient to re-establish her family imme 
diately, she took up her residence with Madame de Miramion. 
And as her imprisonment had neither broken her courage nor 
perplexed her faith, she immediately resumed her labours. The 
watchfulness of her opposers rendered it somewhat difficult for 
her to continue her religious conferences for prayer arid conver 
sation ; but, too devoted and persevering to be foiled by ordinary 
obstacles, she neither ceased to make efforts, nor did her efforts 
cease to be availing. 



OP MADAME GUYON. 301 

At this period her labours assumed a more limited and perhaps 
a more exclusive form. In the earlier periods, she had laboured 
to do good in various ways. But at this time the question of a 
higher inward life, the question of sanctification, was agitated 
very widely, and with great interest among many persons. Per 
sons in this situation especially sought the acquaintance and 
assistance of Madame Guyon. And such cases had become so 
much multiplied, that she now thought it her duty to give to 
them her special arid perhaps exclusive attention. 

" What sufferings," such is the import of some remarks which 
she makes, " have I not endured in labouring for the souls of 
others! sufferings, however, which have never broken my 
courage, nor diminished my ardour. When God was pleased to 
call me to Christ s mission, which is a mission of peace and love 
to the sinful and the wandering, He taught me that I must be 
willing to be, in some sense, a partaker in Christ s sufferings. 
For this mission, God, who gives strength equal to the trials of 
the day, prepared me by the crucifixion of self. 

" When I first went forth, some supposed that I was called 
to the work of gaining exterior proselytes to the Church. But 
it was not so. I had a higher calling. It was not a calling to 
build up a party, but to glorify God ; it was not a designation 
to make Catholics, but to lead persons, with God s assistance, 
to a knowledge of Christ. 

" And now I think I can say further, that God does not so 
much design me, in my labours hereafter, for the first conversion 
of sinners, as to lead those who are already beginners in the 
Christian life, into what may be perhaps called a perfect con 
version." 

She remained at the house of Madame de Miramion, as nearly 
as can now be ascertained, till the early part of the year 1690. 
At this time her daughter was married to Louis Nicholas Fou- 
quet, Count de Vaux. She had formed an acquaintance with 
him at the residences of some of her distinguished friends ; and 
such was the favourable impression she received of his character 
and morals, that she thought her daughter might be safely in- 



302 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

trusted to his hands. They were married at the house of Madame 
de Miramion, who sympathized with Madame Guyon in an event 
of so much interest. As her daughter was quite young, being 
scarcely in her fifteenth year, she thought she consulted her 
duty, as well as her personal happiness, in leaving her present 
residence, and in residing with her a little distance out of the 
city. 

Of the family and personal history of the Count de Vaux we 
know but little. He was connected, however, with the family 
of the Duchess of Charost. His father was Nicholas Fouquet, 
Marquis of Belle-Isle ; a man of distinguished ability, who at 
the early age of thirty-eight held the important post of Superin 
tendent of the Finances of France. Falling for some reasons, 
public and private, under the displeasure of his monarch, he was 
arrested, tried, and condemned to perpetual banishment. This 
was afterwards exchanged for imprisonment in the citadel of 
Pignerol. The common statement is, that he died in this citadel 
in 1680. But Voltaire, who has given a few interesting parti 
culars of him, says that he was assured by his daughter-in-law, 
the Countess de Vaux, that he was released before his death, 
and permitted to retire to an estate belonging to his wife. Of 
his wife, who was a woman of piety, and of merit, in other re 
spects, we have a short notice in Dangeau. 

Fouquet, it seems, had resided for some time at Vaux, where, 
in the days of his prosperity, he had large possessions, and had 
built a splendid palace. Madame Guyon became acquainted 
with Monsieur Fouquet, uncle of her son-in-law, who subse 
quently showed her various acts of kindness, and with whom 
she kept up a correspondence by letter. He was not more dis 
tinguished by his position than for his ardent piety. Under 
standing Madame Guyon s views fully, he approved and de 
fended them ; and may be said not only to have lived in them, 
but to have died in them. We shall have occasion to refer to 
him again. 

Of the surviving sons of Madame Guyon, the eldest, Armand 
Jacques Guyon, settled at Bloip The second received, about 



OF MADAME GUYON. 303 

this time, an appointment as an officer in the French Guards; 
so that there was less necessity than there had formerly been 
for her keeping up a separate family establishment. 
The following is extracted from one of her letters : 

TO ONE WHO HAD THE CARE OF SOULS. 

" SIR, The great thing to be kept in view by religious pastors 
at the present time, is the distinction between outward or cere 
monial religion, and inward religion or that of the heart. Ke- 
ligion, in its full development, is the same thing with the inward 
kingdom or the reign of God in the soul. And certain it is, 
that this inward or spiritual reign can never be established by 
outward ceremonies and observances alone. 

14 It can be nothing new to you, sir, when I remark, that the 
religion of the primitive disciples of Christ was characterized by 
being inward. It was the religion of the soul. The Saviour 
made an announcement of unspeakable importance, when He 
said, It is expedient for you that I go away ; for if I go not 
away, the Comforter will not come unto you. He seems to have 
intended by this announcement, in part at least, to turn their 
attention from outward things, and to prepare their hearts to 
receive the fulness of the Holy Spirit, which He looked upon as 
the one thing necessary. 

11 The form is merely the sign of the thing. I may, perhaps, 
give offence in saying it, and am certainly liable to be misunder 
stood ; but still it seems to me, that there may even be such a 
thing as outward praying, or praying in the form without the 
spirit. It is true the Saviour gave a form of prayer, which is a 
very wonderful one. Nevertheless, He rebukes long and osten 
tatious prayers, and disapproves of frequent repetitions. He tells 
the disciples, that they are not heard for their much speaking ; 
and assigns as a reason, that their heavenly Father knows what 
they want before they ask Him. He says, When thou prayest, 
enter into thy closet, and pray to thy Father who seeth in secret, 
and thy Father who seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 



304 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

" Oh, sir ! how much it is to be desired, that all persons, 
getting beyond mere outward supports, may have their Ufa from 
God and in God ! Such a day will certainly come to pass. We 
see already some evidences of its approach in the lives of those 
who, in having no will but Christ s will, live by faith ; whose 
whole joy is in having dispositions that are/rom God and with 
God ; and who regard all outward things as the mere transient 
signs and incidents, and not the reality of life. 

" It is with earnestness, therefore, that I conjure yon, sir, to 
aid souls to the utmost of your power, in their spiritual progress ; 
so that they may not stop short of God s inward reign. The 
subjection of human selfishness by holy love, and the subjection 
of the human will by union with the Divine will, may be said 
to make Christ within us. Christ will come visibly in the clouds 
of heaven. But in the spiritual sense, and in some respects in 
the more important sense, He may come NOW ; He may come 
TO-DAY. Oh ! let us labour for His present coming ; not for a 
Christ in the clouds, but for a Christ in the affections ; not for 
a Christ seen, but for a Christ felt ; not for a Christ outwardly 
represented, but for a Christ inwardly realized. l Thou sendest 
forth thy Spirit, they are created ; and thou renewest the face 
of the earth: (Ps. civ. 30.) 

" On this subject it is difficult for me to express my feelings, 
so strong are the desires which exist in me. When will men 
renounce themselves that they may find God ? Willingly, full 
willingly, I would shed my blood, I would lay down my life, if 
I could see the world seeking and bearing Christ s holy image. 
I remain yours in our Lord, 

" JEANNE MARIE B. DE LA MOTHE GUYON." 

She had a brother, Gregory de la Mothe, apparently a sincere 
and pious man, connected with the Carthusians. To him she 
writes : 

TO M. GREGOIRE BOUVIERES DE LA MOTHE. 

" MY DEAR BROTHER, It is always with the greatest pleasure 
that I receive any tidings from you; but your last letter gave 



OF MADAME GUYON. 305 

me more satisfaction than any previous ones. You are the only 
surviving member of our family who appears to understand the 
dealings of God with me, and to appreciate my situation. I 
receive your letter as a testimonial of Christian union and 
sympathy. 

" The Lord has seen fit to bless me much in the labours for 
a revival of inward religion, especially in Grenoble, where the 
work was very wonderful. 

" I speak to you, my dear brother, without reserve. And, in 
the first place, my soul, as it seems to me, is united to God in 
such a manner that my own will is entirely lost in the Divine 
will. I live, therefore, as well as I can express it, out of myself 
and all other creatures, in union with God, because in union 
with His will. ... It is thus that God, by His sanctifying grace, 
has become to me ALL in ALL. The self which once troubled 
me is taken away, and I find it no more. And thus God, being 
made known in things or events, which is the only way in which 
the I AM, or Infinite Existence, can be made known, everything 
becomes, in a certain sense, God to me. I find God in every 
thing which is, and in everything which comes to pass. The 
creature is nothing ; God is ALL. 

" And if you ask why it is that the Lord has seen fit to bless 
me in my labours, it is because He has first, by taking away my 
own will, made me a nothing. And in recognising the hand of 
the Lord, I think I may well speak of God s agency physically 
as well as mentally ; since He has sustained me in my poor 
state of health and in my physical weakness. Weak as I have 
been, He has enabled me to talk in the day, and to write in the 
night. 

" After the labours of Hie day, I have, for some time past, 
spent a portion of the night in writing commentaries on the 
Scriptures. I began this at Grenoble ; and though my labours 
were many and my health was poor, the Lord enabled me, in 
the course of six months, to write on all the books of the Old 
Testament. 

" I am willing, in this as in other things, to commit all to 

u 



306 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

God, both in doing and suffering. To my rnind it is the height 
of blessedness to cease from our own action, in order that God 
may act in us. 

" And this statement, my dear brother, expresses my own 
condition, as it is my prayer that it may express yours. 

" In such a state, riches and poverty, and sorrow and joy, 
and life and death, are the same. In such a state is the true 
heavenly rest, the true Paradise of the spirit. 

" In the hope and prayer that we may always be thus in the 
Lord, I remain, in love, your sister, 

" JEANNE MARIE B. DE LA MOTHE GUYON. 

"Deo. 12, 1689." 

GOD THE FOUNTAIN OF LOVE TO HIS CHILDREN. 
[From her Poems, Churchill s Edition.") 

1 LOVB my God, but with no love of mine, 

For I have none to give ; 
I love thee, Lord ; but all the love is thine, 

For by thy love I live. 
I am as nothing, and rejoice to be 
Emptied, and lost, and swallow d up in thee. 

Thou, Lord, alone, art all thy children need, 

And there is none beside ; 
From thee the streams of blessedness proceed ; 

In thee the bless d abide. 
Fountain of life, and all-abounding grace, 
Our source, our centre, and our dwelling-place. 



CHAPTER XXXVIII. 

F6nelon Character Early designs Interesting letter Sent by Louis xiv. as a missionary 
to Poitou Learns something of the religious labours of Madame Guyou On his return, 
in 1688, passes through Montargis, and makes inquiries Meets her for the first time at 
the country residence of the Duchess of Charost, at Beine They return to Paris together 
Letters. 

AT this period, Madame Guyon s history becomes interwoven 
with that of Fenelon, Archbishop of Cambray, in a remarkable 



OF MADAME GUYON. 307 

manner. The remarks, however, of the Chancellor D Agues- 
seau on Fenelon, in the Memoirs of the l^ife of his Father, seem 
to me so striking as well as just, that I am tempted to quote 
them here. 

" Fenelon," says the Chancellor, " was one of those uncom 
mon men who are destined to give lustre to their age ; and who 
do equal honour to human nature by their virtues, and to litera 
ture by their superior talents. He was affable in his deportment, 
and luminous in his discourse ; the peculiar qualities of which 
were a rich, delicate, and powerful imagination ; but which 
never let its power be felt. His eloquence had more of mild 
ness in it than of vehemence ; and he triumphed as much by 
the charms of his conversation as by the superiority of his 
talents. He always brought himself to the level of his company ; 
he never entered into disputation ; and he sometimes appeared 
to yield to others at the very time that he was leading them. 
Grace dwelt upon his lips. He discussed the greatest subjects 
with facility ; the most trifling were ennobled by his pen ; and 
upon the most barren he scattered the flowers of rhetoric. The 
peculiar, but unaffected mode of expression which he adopted, 
made many persons believe that he possessed universal know 
ledge, as if by inspiration. It might, indeed, have been almost 
said, that he rather invented what he knew than learned it. He 
was always original and creative ; imitating no one, and himself 
inimitable. A noble singularity pervaded his whole person ; 
and a certain undefinable and sublime simplicity gave to his 
appearance the air of a prophet." 

The account which is given of him by his contemporary, the 
Duke de St. Simon, is also striking. " Fenelon," says St. 
Simon, " was a tall man, thin, well made, and with a large 
nose. From his eyes issued the fire and animation of his mind 
like a torrent ; and his countenance was such that I never yet 
beheld any one similar to it, nor could it ever be forgotten if 
once seen. It combined everything, and yet with everything 
in harmony ; it was grave, and yet alluring ; it was solemn, 
and yet gay ; it bespoke equally the theologian, the bishop, and 



308 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

the nobleman. Everything which was visible in it, as well as 
in his whole person, was delicate, intellectual, graceful, becom 
ing, and, above all, noble. It required an effort to cease looking 
at him. All the portraits are strong resemblances, though they 
have not caught that harmony which was so striking in the 
original, and that individual delicacy which characterized each 
feature. His manners were answerable to his countenance. 
They had that air of ease and urbanity, which can be derived 
only from intercourse with the best society, and which diffused 
itself over all his discourse." 

Fenelon, who added ardent piety to the highest order of 
talents, and to the graces of expression and manner, had formed 
the purpose to live and act solely for the cause of God. His 
first plan was to go as a missionary to Canada, at that time 
under France, and one which could not possibly furnish any 
attractions to a person of his turn of mind, separate from reli 
gion. In the simplicity and love of his heart, he was willing 
to spend the splendid powers which God had given him, in 
instructing a few ignorant savages in the way of life. 

Disappointed in this, he next turned his attention to Greece ; 
and he indulged the hope that he might be permitted to preach 
the gospel in a land which could not fail to be endeared to him 
by many classical and historical recollections. There is a letter 
extant, written at this time, which would be interesting if in no 
other light than as a memorial of the youthful Fenelon, in which 
the warmth of his heart blends with the vividness of his imagi 
nation. It is dated at Sarlat, and was probably addressed to 
Bossuet. The following is a part of it : 

" Several trifling events have hitherto prevented my return 
to Paris ; but I shall at length set out, sir, and I shall almost 
fly thither. But, compared with this journey, I meditate a 
much greater one. The whole of Greece opens before me, and 
the Sultan flies in terror ; the Peloponnesus breathes again in 
liberty, and the Church of Corinth shall flourish once more ; 
the voice of the apostle shall be heard there again. I seem to 
be transported among those enchanting places and those inesti- 



OP MADAME GUYON. 309 

mable ruins, where, while I collect the most curious relics of 
antiquity, I imbibe also its spirit. I seek for the Areopagus, 
where St. Paul declared to the sages of the world the unknown 
God. I kneel down, happy Patmos ! upon thy earth, and 
kiss the steps of the apostle ; and I shall almost believe that the 
heavens are opening on my sight. Once more, after a night of 
such long darkness, the dayspring dawns in Asia. I behold the 
land which has been sanctified by the steps of Jesus, and crim 
soned with His blood. I see it delivered from its profaneness, 
and clothed anew in glory. The children of Abraham are once 
more assembling together from the four quarters of the earth, 
over which they have been scattered, to acknowledge Christ 
whom they pierced, and to show forth the Lord s resurrection to 
the end of time." 

In this plan also he was disappointed. There was work for 
him in France. 

It was a part of the system of Louis XIV. to establish uni 
formity of religion ; and he had the sagacity to see, that, in 
carrying out this difficult plan, he needed the aid of distinguished 
men. As a preliminary step, Louis had revoked the edict of 
Nantes. This edict, promulgated in 1598 by Henry IV., em 
bodied principles of toleration, which furnished for many years 
a considerable degree of protection to the French Protestants. 
Intoxicated with power, and ignorant of that sacred regard 
which man owes to the religious rights and principles of his 
fellow-man, he had commenced, previously to its revocation, 
a series of hostile acts, entirely inconsistent with the terms and 
principles of the edict of Henry. The sword was drawn in 
aid of the Church ; blood had already been shed in some 
places ; and it is stated that, soon after the revocation of the 
protecting edict, no less than fifty thousand families, holding 
their religion more precious to them than worldly prosperity, 
left France. 

So desirous was the French monarch of making the Kornan 
Catholic the exclusive religion of his kingdom, that he united 
together different and discordant systems of proselytism, and 



310 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

added the milder methods of persuasion to the argument of the 
sword. There were men among the Protestants who could never 
be terrified, but might possibly be convinced. And knowing 
their tenacity of opinion, if not the actual strength of their 
theological position, he was desirous of sending religious teachers 
among them, who were distinguished for their ability, mildness, 
and prudence. Under these circumstances, he cast his eye upon 
the Abbe de Ferielon. 

The young Abbe waited upon the king. He received from 
the monarch s lips the commission which indicated the field and 
the nature of his labours. The labour assigned him was the 
difficult one of showing to the Protestants, whose property had 
been pillaged, whose families had been scattered, and blood shed 
like water, the truth and excellencies of the religion of their 
persecutors. Fenelon, who understood the imperious disposition 
of Louis, and at the same time felt an instinctive aversion to 
the violent course he was pursuing, saw the difficulty of his posi 
tion. He consented, however, to undertake this trying and 
almost hopeless embassy on one condition only ; namely, that 
the armed force should be removed from the province to which 
he should be sent as a missionary, and that military coercion 
should cease. 

In Poitou, which Louis had assigned him as the field of his 
missionary labours, Fenelon first heard of Madame Guyon. He 
became acquainted with the remarkable story of her missionary 
labours, of her writings on religion and religious experience, and 
of the high and somewhat peculiar character of her piety. His 
desire to know something more of this woman had not ceased 
when, after nearly a three years residence, he completed the 
labours of his mission to Poitou, in which he had secured 
the respect and affection of those from whom he differed in 
opinion. 

On his return, in the latter part of 1 688, he passed through 
Montargis, the early scene of Madame Guyon s life. Thinking 
it proper to learn all that he conveniently could of her charac 
ter, before he formed that more intimate acquaintance which lie 



OF MADAME GUYON. 311 

eridently designed after his return to Paris, be made all the 
inquiries necessary. " Questioning several persons respecting 
her," says M. de Bausset, " who had witnessed her conduct dur 
ing her early years, and while she was married, he was interested 
by the unanimous testimonies which he heard of her piety and 
goodness." 

At Paris, he learned more distinctly the facts which bad 
reached him in the distant field of his missionary labours. He 
learned also, that she was in disgrace with the monarch. Had 
Fenelon, knowing as he did the jealous and imperious tendencies 
af the mind of Louis, consulted merely worldly interest, he would 
have avoided her. But, following the suggestions of bis own 
benevolent heart, and of that silent voice which God utters in 
the souls of those who love Him, be did otherwise. 

Fenelon met Mauame Guyon, for the first time, at the bouse 
of the Duchess of Charost, who bad a retired establishment at 
the village of Beine, a few miles beyond Versailles and St. Cyr, 
where Madame Guyon made frequent visits. 

It would somewhat save appearances, therefore, if Fenelon 
could meet her here. And accordingly, their meeting at this 
place seems to have been the result of a private arrangement. 
They conversed together at much length, not on worldly sub 
jects, for that was foreign to their feelings ; not on the external 
arrangements and progress of the Church, for that was a subject 
which had been familiar to them from childhood ; but on a sub 
ject vastly more important than either, that of inward religion. 
The immense importance of the subject, the correspondence be 
tween the doctrines of a transforming and sanctifying spirituality 
and the deeply felt needs of his own soul, the presence and fervid 
eloquence of a woman, whose rank, beauty, and afflictions could 
not fail to excite an interest exceeded only by that of her evan 
gelical simplicity and sanctity, made a deep impression on the 
mind of Fenelon. 

After spending a part of the day, they both returned to Paris 
in the same carriage, accompanied by a young female attendant, 
whom Madame Guyon kept with her ; which gave them still 



312 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

farther opportunity to prosecute this conversation, and to explain 
more particularly her views of religious experience and growth. 
From that time they were intimate friends. 

" Some days after my release from prison," she says, " having 
heard of the Abbe de Fenelon, my mind was taken up with 
him with much force and sweetness. It seemed to me, that the 
Lord would make me an instrument of spiritual good to him ; 
and that, in the experience of a common spiritual advancement, 
He would unite us together in a very intimate manner. I in 
wardly felt, however, that this interview, without failing to 
increase his interest in the subject of the Interior Life, did not 
fully satisfy him. And I, on my part, experienced something 
which made me desire to pour out my heart more fully into his. 
But there was not as yet an entire correspondence in our views 
and experience, which made me suffer much on his account. 

" It was in the early part of the next day that I saw him 
again, (at the house of the Duchess of Bethune.) My soul de 
sired that he might be all that the Lord would have him to be. 
We remained together for some time in silent prayer ; and not 
without a spiritual blessing. The obscurity which had hitherto 
rested upon his spiritual views and exercises began to disappear ; 
but still he was not yet such as I desired him to be. During 
eight whole days he rested as a burden on my spirit. During 
that time my soul suffered and wrestled for him ; and then, the 
agony of my spirit passing away, I found inward rest. Since 
that time, looking upon him as one wholly given to the Lord, 
I have felt myself united to him without any obstacle. And our 
union of spirit with each other has increased ever since, after a 
manner pure and ineffable. My soul has seemed to be united 
to his in the bond of Divine love, as was that of Jonathan to 
David. The Lord has given me a view of the great designs He 
has upon this person, and how dear he is to Him." 

The following letter appears to have been the first that passed 
between them : 

PARIS, November 1688. 

" To THE ABT* DE FENELON, I take the liberty to send you 



OF MADAME GUYON. 313 

some of my writings. It is my desire that you should act the 
part of a censor in regard to them. Mark with your disapproval 
everything in them which comes from the imperfections of the 
creature rather than from the Spirit of God. I have other writ 
ings, which, if I did not fear to fatigue you, it would please 
me much to bring under your notice, to be preserved or to be 
destroyed as you might think them worthy of preservation or 
otherwise. If I should learn that you do not consider those 
which are now sent as unworthy of your attention, I may send 
the others at some future time. As I send them in the spirit 
of submission to your theological and critical judgment, and 
with entire sincerity, I count upon it that you will spare nothing 
which ought not to be spared. When you shall have read the 
sheets which I have sent to you, you will do me a favour by 
returning them with your corrections. 

" Permit me to expect that you will deal with me without 
ceremony. Have no regard to me, separate from what is due 
to truth and to God s glory. God has given me great confidence 
in you ; but He does not allow me to cause you trouble. And 
you will tell me frankly when I do so. I am ready to keep up 
Borne correspondence with you. If God inspires you with dif 
ferent views, let me know without hesitation. I readily submit 
myself to you. I have already followed your advice in the 
matter of confession. 

" And now I will turn to another subject. For seven days 
past I have been in a state of continual prayer for you. I call 
it prayer, although the state of mind has been somewhat pecu 
liar. I have desired nothing in particular ; have asked nothing 
in particular. But my soul, presenting continually its object 
before God, that God s will might be accomplished and God s 
glory might be manifested in it, has been like a lamp that burns 
without ceasing. Such was the prayer of Jesus Christ. Such 
is the prayer of the Seven Spirits who stand before God s throne, 
and who are well compared to seven lamps that burn night and 
day. It seems to me that the designs of mercy, which God has 
upon you, are not yet accomplished. Your soul is not yet 



314 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

brought into full harmony with God, and therefore I suffer. 
My suffering is great. My prayer is not yet heard. 

"The prayer which I offer for you is not the work of the 
creature. It is not a prayer self-made, formal, and outward. It is 
the voice of the Holy Ghost uttering itself in the soul, an inward 
burden which man cannot prevent nor control. The Holy Ghost 
prays with effect. When this inward voice ceases, it is a sign 
that the grace which has been supplicated is sent down. I have 
oeen in this state of mind before for other souls, but never with 
such struggle of spirit, and never for so long a time. God s de 
signs will be accomplished upon you. I speak with confidence ; 
but I think it cannot be otherwise. You may delay the result 
by resistance ; but you cannot hinder it. Opposition to God, 
who comes to reclaim the full dominion of the heart, can have 
no other effect than to increase and prolong the inward suffering. 
Pardon the Christian plainness with which I express myself. 

J. M. B. DE LA MOTHE GuYON." 

They had opportunities of seeing each other both at Paris 
and Versailles. But still it was not convenient, and perhaps not 
proper, that they should see each other very often. But the 
deep interest felt by Madame Guyon, and the many questions 
which Fenelon found it necessary to propose to her higher ex 
perience, rendered it necessary that they should correspond. 
The very next day she wrote another letter, which we give in 
part : 

" PARIS, November 1688. 

" To THE ABBE" DE FE*NELON, So deeply absorbing has been 
the application of my soul to God on your account, that I have 
slept but little during the past night. And at this moment I 
can give an idea of my state only by saying, that my spirit, in 
the interest which it feels for your entire renovation, burns and 
consumes itself within me. 

" I have an inward conviction, that the obstacle, which has 
hitherto separated you from God, is diminishing and passing 
away. Certain it is, that my soul begins to feel a spiritual like- 



OF MADAME GTJYON. 315 

ness and union with yours, which it has not previously felt. 
God appears to be making me a medium of communicating 
good to yourself, and to be imparting to my soul graces which 
are ultimately destined to reach and to bless yours. It may not 
be improper to say, however, that while He is blessing and 
raising you in one direction, He seems to be doing that which 
may be the means of profitable humiliation in another, by 
making a woman, and one so unworthy as myself, the channel 
of communicating His favours. But I too must be willing to be 
where God has placed me, and not refuse to be an instrument 
in His hands. He assigns me my work. And my work is to be 
an instrument. And it is because I am an instrument, which 
He employs as He pleases, that He will not let me go. Never 
theless, He makes me happy in being His prisoner. He holds 
me incessantly, and still more strongly than ever, in His pre 
sence. And my business there is to present you before Him, 
that His will may be accomplished in you. And I cannot 
doubt, that the will of God is showing itself in mercy, and that 
you are entering into union with Him, because I find that my 
own soul, which has already experienced this union, is entering 
into union with you through Him ; and in such a manner as no 
one can well explain, who has not had the experience of it. ... 
So easy, so natural, so prompt are the decisions of the sanctified 
soul on all moral and religious subjects, that it seems to reach 
its conclusions intuitively. . . . 

Be so humble and childlike as to snbmit to the dishonour, il 
such it may be called, of receiving blessings from God through 
one so poor and unworthy as myself; and thus, the grace which 
God has imparted to my own heart flowing instrumentally into 
yours, and producing a similarity of dispositions, our souls shall 
become like two rivers, mingling in one channel, and flowing on 
together to the ocean. Receive, then, the prayer of this poor 
heart, since God wills it to be so. The pride of nature, in one 
in your situation, will cry out against it ; but remember that 
the grace of God is magnified through the weakness of the in 
strumentality He employs. Accept this method in entire con- 



316 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

tentment and abandonment of spirit, (as I have no doubt that 
you will,) simply because God wills it. And be entirely assured, 
that God will bless His own instrumentality, in granting every 
thing which will be necessary to you. 

" I close by repeating the deep sympathy and correspondence 
of spirit which I have with you. 

" JEANNE MARIE B. DE LA MOTHE GUYON." 



CHAPTER XXXIX. 

Religious state of Fgnelon Entire consecration to God Perplexities Correspondence with 
Madame Quyon Interesting letter in answer to one from her On the successive steps ol 
inward crucifixion Of unfavourable habits of the will, and the necessity of correcting 
them Of the principle of faith in its relation to reason. 

THOSE who are acquainted with the personal history of Fene- 
lon, know how fully he combined greatness of intellect with 
humility and benevolence of temper ; so that it was not difficult 
for him to associate with others, or even to receive instruction 
in those particulars in which his own experience was defective. 
And accordingly he did not hesitate to state frankly those points 
in which he needed advice. He was already a religious man in 
a high sense ; but still it seemed to him that he was not all 
that he ought to be, and not all that with Divine aid he could 
be. He panted for higher advancements. He could not rest, 
until, in the possession of victory over the natural evils of the 
heart, he had become one with God in freedom from selfishness, 
and in purity and perfectness of love. 

The first struggle of his mind seemed to turn upon the point, 
whether he should make to God that entire and absolute conse 
cration of himself in all things, without which it is impossible 
that those higher results should be realized, to which his mind 
was now directed. 

Having taken this first and great step, he awaited the dealings 
of God with submission, but not without some degree of per 
plexity. The way was new ; and it baffled in his case, as it 



OF MADAME GUYON. 317 

generally does in others, all the conjectures of merely human 
wisdom. The matter of forgiveness through Jesus Christ, as our 
Saviour, from the penalty of the violated law, was easily under 
stood ; but that of holy living, that of being kept moment by 
moment, in distinction from forgiveness in the first instance, 
presented itself as a problem attended with different incidents, 
and perhaps involving new principles. For two years they kept 
up a frequent intercourse by letter in which it is easy to see 
her untiring patience and her deep religious insight. It was 
hard for him at first to understand, and to realize in practice, 
the great lesson of living by faith alone. Even at the end of 
some six or eight months after their correspondence commenced, 
he had questions to propose, and difficulties to be resolved. 

In this state of things she wrote him a long letter, in which 
she gives a general view of the process in which the soul, that 
is entirely consecrated to God, undergoes the successive steps 
of inward crucifixion and of progressive conformity, until it 
realizes the highest results. She took great pains with it. It 
is entitled, A Concise View of the SouVs Return to God, and of 
its Re-union with Him. 

To this we find a well-digested answer, at some length, from 
Fenelon, of which the following is a summary : 

" [PARIS,] Aug. 11, 1689. 

" To MADAME DE LA MOTHE GUYON, I think, Madame, that 
I understand, in general, the statements in the paper which you 
had the kindness to send to me ; in which you describe the 
various experiences which characterize the soul s return to God 
by means of simple or pure faith. I will endeavour, however, 
to recapitulate some of your views, as they present themselves 
to me, that I may learn whether I correctly understand them. 

" I. The first step which is taken by the soul that has formally 
and permanently given itself to God, would be to bring what 
may be called its external powers that is, its natural appetites 
and propensities, under subjection. The religious state of the 
soul at such times is characterized by that simplicity which 



318 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

shows its sincerity, and that it is sustained by faith. So that 
the soul does not act of itself alone, but follows and co-operates, 
with all its power, with that grace which is given it. It gains 
the victory through faith. 

" II. The second step is to cease to rest on the pleasures of 
inward sensibility. The struggle here is, in general, more 
severe and prolonged. It is hard to die to these inward tastes 
and relishes, which make us feel so happy, and which God usu 
ally permits us to enjoy and to rest upon in our first experience. 
When we lose our inward happiness, we are very apt to think 
that we lose God ; not considering that the moral life of the 
soul does not consist in pleasure, but in union with God s will, 
whatever that may be. The victory here also is by faith ; 
acting, however, in a little different way. 

" III. Another step is that of entire crucifixion to any reliance 
upon our virtues, either outward or inward. The habits of the 
life of SELF have become so strong, that there is hardly anything 
in which we do not take a degree of complacency. Having 
gained the victory over its senses, and having gained so much 
strength that it can live by faith, independently of inward 
pleasurable excitements, the soul begins to take a degree of 
satisfaction, which is secretly a selfish one, in its virtues, in its 
truth, temperance, faith, benevolence, and to rest in them as if 
they were its own, and as if they gave it a claim of acceptance 
on the ground of its merit. We are to be dead to them, con 
sidered as coming from ourselves ; and alive to them only as 
the gifts and the power of God. We are to have no perception 
or life in them, in the sense of taking a secret satisfaction in 
them ; and are to take satisfaction in the Giver of them only. 

" IV. A fourth step consists in a cessation or death to that 
repugnance which men naturally feel to those dealings of God 
which are involved in the process of inward crucifixion. The 
blows which God sends upon us are received without the oppo 
sition which once existed, and existed oftentimes with great 
power. So clear is the soul s perception of God s presence in 
everything ; so strong is its faith, that those apparently adverse 



OF MADAME GUYON. 319 

dealings, once exceedingly trying, are now received not merely 
with acquiescence, but with cheerfulness. It kisses the hand 
that smites it. 

" V. When we have proceeded so far, the natural man is 
dead. And then comes, as a fifth step in this process, the NEW 
LIFE ; not merely the beginning, but a new life in the higher sense 
of the terms, the resurrection of the life of love. All those gifts 
which the soul before sought in its own strength, and perverted 
and rendered poisonous and destructive to itself, by thus seeking 
them out of God, are now richly and fully returned to it, by the 
great Giver of all things. It is not the design or plan of God 
to deprive His creatures of happiness, but only to pour the cup 
of bitterness into all that happiness, and to smite all that joy 
and prosperity which the creature has in anything out of 
himself. 

" VI. And this life, in the sixth place, becomes a truly trans 
formed life, a life in union with God, when the will of the soul 
becomes not only conformed to God practically and in fact, but 
is conformed to Him in everything in it, and in the relations it 
sustains, which may be called a disposition or tendency. It is 
then that there is such a harmony between the human and 
Divine will, that they may properly be regarded as having be 
come one. This, I suppose, was the state of St. Paul, when 
he says, * / live ; yet not /, but Christ liveth in me. 

" It is not enough to be merely passive under God s dealings. 
The spirit of entire submission is a great grace ; but it is a still 
higher attainment to become flexible ; that is to say, to move 
just as He would have us move. This state of mind might 
perhaps be termed the spirit of co-operation, or of Divine co 
operation. In this state the will is not only subdued ; but, 
what is very important, all tendency to a different or rebellious 
state is taken away. Of such a soul, which is described as the 
Temple of the Holy Ghost, God himself is the inhabitant and 
the light. 

" This transformed soul does not cease to advance in holiness. 
It is transformed without remaining where it is ; new without 



320 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

being stationary. Its life is love, all love ; but the capacity of 
its love continually increases. 

" Such, Madame, if I understand them, are essentially the 
sentiments of the letter which you had the kindness to send me. 

" I wish you to write me whether the statement which I have 
now made corresponds with what you intended to convey. 

" I would make one or two remarks further in explanation of 
what has been said. One of the most important steps in the 
process of inward restoration is to be found in the habits of the 
will. This I have already alluded to, but it is not generally 
well understood. A man may, perhaps, have a new life ; but 
it cannot be regarded as a perfectly transformed life, a life 
brought into perfect harmony with God, until all the evil influ 
ences of former habits are corrected. When this takes place, it 
is perhaps not easy to determine, but must be left to each one s 
consciousness. This process must take place in the will, as well 
as in other parts of the mind. The action of the will must not 
only be free and right, but must be relieved from all tendency 
in another direction resulting from previous evil habits. 

" Another remark which I have to make, is in relation to 
faith. That all this great work is by faith, is true ; but I think 
we should be careful, in stating the doctrine of faith, not to place 
it in opposition to reason. On the contrary, we only say what is 
sustained both by St. Paul and St. Augustine, when we assert, 
that it is a very reasonable thing to believe. Faith is different 
from mere physical and emotive impulse ; and it would be no 
small mistake to confound those who walk by faith, with 
thoughtless and impulsive persons and enthusiasts. 

" Faith is necessarily based upon antecedent acts of intelli 
gence. By the use of those powers of perception and reasoning, 
which God has given us, we have the knowledge of the exist 
ence of God. It is by their use also, that we know that God 
has spoken to us in His revealed word. In that word, which we 
thus receive and verify by reason, we have general truths laid 
down, general precepts communicated, applicable to our situa 
tion and duties. But these truths, coming from Him who has a 



OP MADAME GUYON. 321 

right to direct us, are authoritative. They command. And it 
is our province and duty, in the exercise of faith in the goodness 
and wisdom of Him who issues the command, to yield obedience, 
and to go wherever it may lead us, however dark arid mysterious 
the path may now appear. Those who walk by faith, walk in 
obscurity ; but they know that there is a light above them, 
which will make all clear and bright in its appropriate time. 
We trust ; but, as St. Paul says, we know in whom we have trusted, 

" I illustrate the subject, Madame, in this way. I suppose 
myself to be in a strange country. There is a wide forest before 
me, with which I am totally unacquainted, although I must pass 
through it. I accordingly select a guide, whom I suppose to be 
able to conduct me through these ways never before trodden by 
me. In following this guide, I obviously go by faith ; but as I 
know the character of my guide, and as my intelligence or reason 
tells me that I ought to exercise such faith, it is clear that my 
faith in Him is not in opposition to reason, but is in accordance 
with it. On the contrary, if I refuse to have faith in my guide, 
and undertake to make my way through the forest by my own 
sagacity and wisdom, I may properly be described as a person 
without reason, or as unreasonable ; and should probably suffer 
for my want of reason by losing my way. Faith and reason, 
therefore, if not identical, are not at variance. 

" Fully subscribing, with these explanations, to the doctrine 
of faith as the life and guide of the soul, I remain, Madame, 
yours in our common Lord, FRANCIS S. FENELON." 



CHAPTER XL. 

Remarks on Fenelon Letter from Madame Quyon Her remarks on faith On the entire 
consecration of the will Incident in her past experience illustrative of the doctrine of faith 
Fenelon appointed, August 1689, preceptor to the Duke of Burgundy Character of the 
Duke Labours of Fguelon The writings of Fgnelon The influence of Madame Quyon 
upon him Her letter on his appointment Revival of religion at Dijon. 

THE principles of the inward life commended themselves en 
tirely to the mind of Fenelon. Tt is true that these principles, 



322 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

saying nothing of the support they have in the Scriptures, are 
found with slight variations in many of the Mystic writers ; in 
Kempis and Thauler, in Ruysbroke, in Cardinal Bona, in Cathe 
rine of Genoa, in John of the Cross, and others ; but Fenelon 
does not appear to have had much acquaintance with these 
writers at this time. 

Although they were thus introduced to his notice through the 
instrumentality of a woman, who, though greatly accomplished 
in other respects, possessed but a limited knowledge of theologi 
cal writings, and had learned them not so much from books as 
from the dealings of God with herself personally, they were 
nevertheless sustained by an inward conviction of their sound 
ness. His enlightened and powerful mind, uninfluenced by the 
various prejudices which often prevent a correct perception, saw 
at once that they bore the signatures of reason and truth. And 
letting them have their full power upon himself, and endeavour 
ing, with Divine assistance, to be what he felt that he ought to 
be, he stood forth to the world, not merely a man, but a man in 
the image of Christ; not more commended by the powers of his 
intellect and the perfection of his taste, than by his simplicity of 
spirit, his purity, and benevolence. 

It is in this inward operation that we find the secret spring of 
that justice and benevolence, which impart unspeakable attrac 
tions and power to his writings. They seem to be entirely ex 
empted from the spirit of selfishness, and to be bathed in purity 
and love. And I believe it is the general sentiment, that no 
person reads the writings of Fenelon without feeling that he was 
an eminently good and holy man. 

On receiving the letter of Fenelon, Madame Guyon wrote a 
letter in reply, the substance of which is as follows : 

" To THE ABBE" DE FE*NELON, It gives me great pleasure to 
perceive, sir, that you have a clear understanding of the senti 
ments which I wished to convey. I agree with you entirely, 
that faith and reason, though different principles of action, are 
not opposed to each other. He, however, who lives by faith, 



OF MADAME GUYON. 323 

ceases to reason on selfish principles and with selfish aims ; but 
submits his reason to that higher reason, which comes to man 
through Jesus Christ, the true conductor of souls. He who walks 
in faith, walks in the highest wisdom, although it may not appear 
such to the world. The world do not more clearly understand the 
truth and beauty of the life of faith, than the ancient Jews under 
stood the Divine but unostentatious beauty which shone in the 
life of Christ. A worldly mind, full of the maxims of a worldly 
life, is not in a situation to estimate the pure and simple spirit of 
one whose heart is conformed to the precepts of Divine wisdom. 
" You will notice, that I use the term disappropriation, and 
entire disappropriation, as convenient expressions for freedom 
from all selfish bias whatever. I perceive that you understand 
ai>d appreciate entirely the idea which I endeavoured imper 
fectly to express ; namely, that the disappropriation or unselfish 
ness of the will is not to be regarded as perfect, merely because 
the will is broken down and submissive to such a degree as to 
have no repugnance whatever to anything which God in His 
providence may see fit to send. It is true, this is a very great 
grace. In a mitigated sense, the will, under such circumstances, 
may be regarded as dead ; but, in the true and absolute sense, 
there is still in it a lingering life. There still remains a secret 
tendency, resulting from former selfish habits, which leads it to 
look back, as it were, with feelings of interest upon what is lost : 
in other words, it puts forth its purposes a little less promptly 
and powerfully in some directions, than it would have done if it 
had been required to act in others. Thus Lot s wife had deter 
mined to leave the city of Sodom : she vigorously purposed, in 
going forth from the home where she had long dwelt, to conform 
to the decrees of Providence, which required her departure ; 
but still, as she passed on, in her flight over the plain, there 
was a lingering attachment, a tendency to return, which induced 
her to look back. Her will, though strongly set in the right direc 
tion, did not act in perfect freeness and power, in consequence of 
certain latent reminiscences and attachments, which operated as a 
hinderance. In like manner the Jews, when they left the land 



324 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

of Goshen, and were on their way to the better country which 
the Lord had promised them, often thought with complacency of 
their residence in Egypt, and of what they enjoyed there. 

" In regard to the principle of FAITH, I will farther say, that 
it sometimes lies latent, as it were, and concealed in the midst 
of discomfort and sorrow. I recollect, that in the former periods 
of my experience I once spent a considerable time in a state of 
depression and deep sorrow, because I supposed I had lost God, 
or at least had lost His favour. My grief was great and with 
out cessation. If I had seen things as I now see them, and had 
understood them then as I now understand them, I should have 
found a principle of restoration and of comfort in the very grief 
which overwhelmed me. How could I thus have mourned the 
loss of God s presence, or rather what seemed to me to be such 
loss, if I did not love Him ? And how could I love Him, with 
out faith in Him ? In my sorrow, therefore, I might have found 
the evidence of my faith. And it is a great truth, that in 
reality, whatever may at times be the appearance, God never 
does desert, and never can desert, those who believe. 

" Desiring to receive from you, from time to time, such sug 
gestions as may occur, and believing that your continued and 
increased experience in religious things will continually develop 
to you new truth, I remain, yours in our Lord, 

" JEANNE MARIE B. DE LA MOTHE GUYON." 

About this time, Fenelon, selected in preference to able com 
petitors, received from Louis XIV. the appointment of Tutor to 
his grandson, the Duke of Burgundy, the heir-apparent to the 
throne of France. Feneloxi was recommended to this place by 
the Duke de Beauvilliers, governor to the grandchildren of the 
king, of whom the Duke of Burgundy was the eldest. 

" Louis XIV.," says M. de Bausset, in remarking upon these 
appointments, " had not hesitated for a moment as to whom he 
should select as a governor for his grandson ; nor did Monsieur 
Beauvilliers hesitate a single moment as to the choice of a pre 
ceptor. He nominated Fenelon to that office on the 17th of 



OF MADAME GUYON. 325 

August 1689, the very day after his own appointment." The 
king approved the nomination, apparently with entire cordiality ; 
and the choice was greatly applauded in France. We have the 
testimony of Bossuet, who subsequently came into painful colli 
sion with Fenelon, how satisfactory and gratifying it was to him. 

The appointment seems to have been unexpected by Fenelon ; 
and certainly received without any solicitation. The duty especi 
ally assigned him, was to train up the young prince. He could 
not be ignorant of the vast responsibility of such an undertaking ; 
but he did not see fit to decline it. He entered upon his duties 
in the September following. 

His pupil, the Duke of Burgundy, had but few of the elements 
requisite in one destined to be the ruler of a great people. In 
his natural dispositions he was proud, passionate, and capricious ; 
tyrannical to his inferiors, and haughty and disobedient to those 
who had the control of him. 

" The Duke of Burgundy," says Monsieur de St. Simon, " was 
by nature terrible. In his earliest youth he gave occasions for 
fear and dread. He was unfeeling and irritable to the last ex 
cess, even against inanimate objects. He was furiously impetu 
ous, and incapable of enduring the least opposition, even of time 
and the elements, without breaking forth into such intemperate 
rage, that it was sometimes to be feared that the very veins in 
his body would burst. This excess I have frequently witnessed. 1 " 

These unhappy traits of disposition were rendered the more 
dangerous by being found in combination with very considerable 
powers of intellect. It was such a character that was committed 
to Fenelon to be trained, corrected, and remodelled. 

To this great task, upon the success of which apparently de 
pended the hopes and happiness of France, Fenelon brought 
great powers of intellect, a finished education, and abcve all, 
the graces of a pure, humble, and believing heart. It was this 
last trait, perhaps, more than the others that have been men 
tioned, which had recommended him to the Duke de Beauvilliers. 
It was natural for him to desire that the young prince, while 
he had other advantages and means of culture, should not be 



326 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

deprived of those connected with a religious example and with 
religious impressions. 

Fenelon undertook this difficult task, therefore, which he knew 
required something more than mere intellectual culture, as a 
man of faith and prayer. It would be interesting and profitable 
to enter into the details of his labours. It shows with how 
much devotedness he engaged in them, that he wrote for the 
special instruction of this prince his well-known Fables and 
Dialogues. Each of the Fables, and also each of the Dialogues, 
was written on particular occasions and with particular objects ; 
having been composed for the most part, when the teacher found 
it necessary to remind his pupil of some faults which he had 
committed, and to inculcate upon him the duty and the methods 
of amendment. 

There is reason to suppose, that his celebrated work, the 
Adventures of Telemachus, published many years afterwards, 
was also written at this time, and with the same general object. 
In this remarkable work, we have a striking combination of 
sound judgment with great resources of imagination ; so that it 
is difficult to say, which is most to be admired, the wisdom and 
benevolence of its political and moral maxims, or the richness 
and beauty of its imagery. 

But here it is natural to make the inquiry : What one, 
among all the biographers of Fenelon, has thought of ascribing 
the truth, purity, and love, which appear in these remarkable 
writings, and still more in his religious writings, the most of 
which appeared at a later period, to the influence of Madame 
Guyon ? At this very time he was receiving from her private 
conversations and correspondence, influences and principles which 
can never die. With scarcely an exception, the biographers of 
Fenelon notice this circumstance very slightly ; and in the little 
they have to say, speak less of the aid he received, than of the 
dangers he is supposed to have escaped. But it ought not to be 
concealed, that it was a woman s mind, operating upon the mind 
of their author, from which no small portion of the light which 
pervades and embellishes them first proceeded. 



OF MADAME GUYON. 327 

This is another among the many facts, which go to show the 
vast extent, as well as the great diversity, of woman s influence. 
She not only forms man in childhood and youth, by that maternal 
influence which exceeds all other influence in wisdom, as well as 
in efficiency ; but in maturer years her power, though less ob 
vious, perhaps, does not cease to exist. Many are the minds, 
whose controlling energy is felt in the movements and the destiny 
of nations, and whose names are imperishable in the monuments 
of history, that have been sustained and guided in their seasons 
of action and endurance, in the origination of plans of benevo 
lence and patriotism, and in the fortitude which carried them 
into effect, by the inspirations of woman s genius and the gener 
ous purity of her affections. 

And none need this influence more than truly great men. 
None are so great in this life as to be beyond the need of sup 
port ; and there is something in our nature which proclaims that 
the kind of support which they most frequently and most deeply 
need, is to be found here. Occupied with great conceptions, 
placed in trying and hazardous situations, burdened with anxie 
ties, and pressed with peculiar temptations, who need more than 
they the consolations of her sympathy and the suggestions of 
her prudence ? 

Madame Guyon, in all her labours, appreciated relations and 
effects. The soul of Fenelon, in itself, was not more dear than 
that of any other person. But when she considered the rela 
tions in which he stood, and the influence which he was capable 
of exerting, she felt how necessary it was that he should be 
delivered from inferior motives, and should act and live only in 
the Lord. 

It is not surprising, therefore, that, on the very day after his 
appointment, she wrote a letter, of which the following is the 
substance : 

"PARIS, August 18,1689. 

u To THE ABBE" DE FENELON, I have received without sur 
prise, but not without sincere joy, the news of your appointment, 
>n which it seems to me his Majesty has done no more than 



328 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

respond to your just claims. For some time past I have had 
but little doubt that it would devolve upon yourself. 

" The last time in which I attended the mass, at which you 
administered, I had an impression without being able to tell 
why, that I might not hereafter have so frequent opportunities 
to unite with you in this service. The secret prayer arose from 
my heart, that, amid the artifices of the world to which he 
is exposed, he may ever be a man of a simple and childlike 
spirit ! I understand now, better than I did then, why it was 
that the Lord gave me such earnest desires in your behalf. 

" I should not be surprised, sir, if you should experience some 
degree of natural distaste to the office, but you will commit 
yourself to the Lord, who will enable you to overcome all such 
trials. Act always without regard to self. The less you have 
of self, the more you will have of God. Great as are the natural 
talents which God has given you, they will be found to be use 
ful in the employment to which you are now called, only in 
proportion as they move in obedience to Divine grace. 

" You are called, in God s providence, to aid and to superin 
tend in the education of a prince ; whom, with all his faults, 
God loves, and has, it seems to me, designs to restore spiritually 
to Himself. And I have the satisfaction of believing that, in 
this important office, you will feel it your duty to act in entire 
dependence, moment by moment, on the influences of the Holy 
Spirit. God has chosen you to be His instrument in this work ; 
and He has chosen you for this purpose, while He has passed 
by others, because He has enabled you to recognise and appre 
ciate, in your own heart, the Divin-e movement. Although you 
may not, on account of the extreme youth of the prince, see im 
mediately those fruits of your labours which you would naturally 
desire, still do not be discouraged. Die to yourself in your hopes 
and expectations, as well as in other things. Leave all with 
God. Do not doubt that the fruit will come in its season ; and 
that God, through the faith of those that love Him and labour 
for Him, will build up that which is now in ruins. Perhaps you 
be made a blessing to the king, his grandfather, also. 



OF MADAME GUYON. 329 

" This morning, in particular, my mind was greatly exercised. 
And as I was thinking, in connexion with your character, and 
your position in society, of the deep interest which I had felt, 
and which I continued to feel, the thought arose in my heart, 
Why is it thus? why does the heavy responsibility of thus 
watching and praying rest upon me, and consume me f I am 
but a little child, an infant. But a voice seemed to utter itself in 
my heart, and to reply : Say not that thou art a little one. 1 
have put my word in thy mouth. Go where I shall send thee ; 
speak what I shall command. 

" I speak, then, because I must do what the Lord has ap 
pointed me to do, and because the Lord employs me as an instru 
ment, and speaks in me. Already my prayer is in part answered. 
When the work is completed, and when I see, in the full sancti- 
fication of a soul which is so dear to me, all that I have looked 
for, and all that I have expected, then shall I be able to say, 
Now, Lord, let thy servant depart in peace ; for mine eyes have 
seen thy salvation. 1 I remain yours in our Lord, 

" JEANNE MARIE B. DE LA MOTHE GUYON." 

In the early part of 1689, a few months before the events of 
which we are now speaking, some priests and theological doctors 
made a visit to Dijon and its neighbourhood. Arid, apparently 
to their great surprise, they found a considerable religious move 
ment in progress, of which Madame Guyon was the reputed 
author, and which was evidently sustained by the free circula 
tion of her writings. In her return from Grenoble to Paris in 
1686, she took Dijon in her way, and spent a day or two there. 
She left a deep impression on a few persons, especially Monsieur 
Claude Guillot, a priest of high character in the city. The seed 
thus sown in conversations, enforced by a single sermon from 
La Combe, sprang up and bore fruit ; so that in 1689 the new 
religious principles excited much attention. The persons who 
visited Dijon at this time, coming with some degree of ecclesias 
tical authority, interposed to stop this state of things. Among 
other things they collected three hundred copies of the work oj 



330 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

Madame Guyon on Prayer, and caused them to be publicly 
burned. 



CHAPTEE XLI. 

1692 Labours of Madame Guyon Interviews with Madame de Maintenon Unhappiness 
of the latter Institution of St. Cyr Interviews between Madame de Maintenon and 
Madame Guyon Labours of Madame Guyon with the young ladies Letters to them 
Madame Guyon visited by Sister Malin, resident at Ham Public attention directed t<? 
her again Interview with Peter Nicole Interview with Monsieur Boileau, brother of the 
poet Writes at his suggestion " A Concise Apology for the Short Method of Prayer" 
Poisoned by one of her servants Temporary concealment Friendship of M. Fouquet 
His sickness and death. 

THE letters which passed between Madame Guyon and Fene- 
lon, the greater part of them during this period of a little more 
than two years, or at most three years, occupy nearly a full 
volume of her printed correspondence. The same great objects 
led them also to seek each other s company, with a view to a 
more direct interchange of opinions. These interviews at one 
period were frequent. 

She resided with her daughter till the year 1692. Here, 
more than anywhere else, Fenelon had interviews with her. 

" The family," she says, " into which my daughter married, 
being of the number of the Abbe Fenelon s friends, I had fre 
quent opportunities of seeing him. Our conversations turned 
upon the inward and spiritual life. From time to time he made 
objections to my views and experience, which I endeavoured to 
answer with sincerity and simplicity of spirit. The doctrines of 
Michael de Molinos were so generally condemned, that the 
plainest things began to be distrusted ; and the terms used by 
writers on the spiritual life, were for the most part regarded as 
objectionable, and were set aside. But, notwithstanding these 
unfavourable circumstances, I was enabled so fully to explain 
everything to Fenelon, that he gradually entered into the views 
which the Lord had led me to entertain, and finally gave them 
his unqualified assent. The persecutions, which he has since 
suffered, are an evidence of the sincerity of his belief." 



OF MADAME GUYON. 331 

But while she was thus labouring and praying to renovate 
and to mould anew the mind of that remarkable man, she 
found time and disposition to labour for others. During her re 
sidence at the house of her daughter, where, besides frequent 
interruptions from company, she could not fail to be constantly 
reminded of the claims and duties of her near relationship, her 
religious labours, it is true, were somewhat circumscribed. But, 
as soon as the new relations and interests of her daughter would 
permit, she felt that the claims of the great cause required her 
to alter her situation. And accordingly, after the lapse of about 
two years, she once more hired for her residence a private house 
in Paris. 

In 1692, her acquaintance with Madame de Maintenon be 
came somewhat intimate. This celebrated woman, although for 
political reasons she was not publicly acknowledged as such, 
had been privately married to Louis XIV. She had his confi 
dence as well as his affections ; and for many years the most 
important affairs of France depended, in a great degree, upon 
her cognizance and concurrence. Her power was felt to be 
hardly less than that of the king. The greatest men of the 
kingdom paid her homage. Everything which wealth or art 
could furnish, was put in requisition to render her happy. But 
still there was a void within her which the riches and honours of 
the world could not supply. 

Her letters, which show her talents and many excellent points 
of character, disclose also a sorrow of mind which she felt could 
have no balm but in religion. It is not the world which can 
heal the wounds it has itself made. 

Writing to Madame de la Maisonfort, she says : " Why can 
I not give you my experience ? Why can I not make you sen 
sible of that uneasiness which preys upon the great, and the 
difficulty they labour under to employ their time ? Do you not 
see that I am dying with melancholy, in a height of fortune 
which once my imagination could scarce have conceived ? I 
have been young and beautiful, have had a high relish of plea 
sure, and have been the universal object of love. In a more 



332 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

advanced age, I have spent years in intellectual pleasures ; I 
have at last risen to favour ; but I protest to yon, my dear 
Madame, that every one of these conditions leaves in the mind 
a dismal vacuity."* 

Under these circumstances, she sought and valued the com 
pany of Madame Guyon. She needed the intercourse and advice 
of persons of piety. There was something in her person and 
manners which attracted her. She saw her from time to time 
afterwards ; and at this time she went so far as to invite her to 
the royal palace at Versailles ; and felt it no dishonour, as she 
certainly felt it a great satisfaction and relief, to hear from the 
lips of her misrepresented and persecuted visitant the story of a 
Saviour s condescension, the remedy for sin, and the victory which 
Christ can give over the ills of our fallen nature. 

Among the objects which occupied much of the time and 
affections of Madame de Maintenon, was the celebrated Institu 
tion of St. Cyr, which she established in 1686. It was a charit 
able Institution, combining both literary and religious objects, 
designed for the support and education of indigent young ladies, 
at any period under twenty years of age ; the daughters of 
persons who had suffered losses or spent their lives in the 
service of the state. Two hundred and fifty young ladies, 
many of them from illustrious but unfortunate families, were 
assembled there. 

Tired of the splendour and cares of Versailles, and attracted 
by the quiet and benevolence of an institution founded on such 
principles, Madame de Maintenon spent much of her time, at 
this period, at St. Cyr. It was here that Madame Guyon met 
her still more frequently than at Versailles. St. Cyr furnished 
better opportunities for private and protracted conversations, by 
its retired and less worldly aspects ; and they could meet there 
without exciting the suspicions of Louis. Madame de la Maison- 
fort, her friend and relative, was employed at this time as an 
instructress in the institution. In her visits also, from time to 
time, to the Duchess of Charost, at her residence at Beine, to 

* See Voltaire s Life of Louis XIV., vol. ii. chap. 26. 



OF MADAME GUYON. 333 

whom she was now related by the marriage of her daughter, she 
was accustomed to take a route which led to the vicinity of St. 
Cyr. So that under these circumstances she found it not more 
agreeable to her feelings, than it was entirely convenient for her, 
frequently to visit there. 

Madame de Mairitenon, pleased and edified by the conversa 
tions and instructions of Madame Guy on, gave her liberty to 
visit the young ladies of the Institution, and to converse with 
them on religious subjects. Nothing could have been more 
agreeable than such a labour, for which Providence seems to 
have especially fitted her. The Divine presence and blessing 
which almost uniformly attended her in other places, did not 
desert her here. " Several of the young ladies," she says, " of 
the House or Institution of St. Cyr, having informed Madame 
de Maintenon, that they found in my conversation something 
which attracted them to God, she encouraged me to continue my 
instructions to them ; and by the great change in some of them, 
with whom she had previously not been well satisfied, she found 
she had no reason to repent it." 

It was something new to the members of this institution, 
some of whom were from fashionable though reduced families, 
while others of a more serious turn probably had nothing more 
than a. form of godliness, to hear of redemption, and of perma 
nent inward salvation by faith. All of them had been accus 
tomed more or less to the ceremonials of religion ; and it was 
not unnatural for them to confound the ceremonial with the 
substance, the sign with the thing signified. This might not 
have been the case in all instances ; but generally they regarded 
their acceptance with God as depending, in a great degree at 
least, on a number of outward observances, rather than on 
inward dispositions. 

Turned by the conversation of Madame Guyon from the out 
ward to the inward, led to reflect upon their own situation and 
wants, they saw that there is something better than worldly 
vanity ; and began to seek a truer, sincerer, and higher position. 
They understood and felt deeply for the first time, that religion, 



334 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

something more than the mere ceremonial, is a life ; and thai 
they only are wise, and true, and happy, who live to God. How 
far this moral and religious revolution went in this institution 
is not known ; but it seems to have been general. A serious 
ness pervaded it, such as had not existed there before : there 
was a general recognition of the claims of God ; and the spirit 
rrf faith and prayer, of purity and of true benevolence, took, in 
a great degree, the place of thoughtless scepticism and frivolous 
gaiety 

Not unfrequently she received from some of them letters, 
proposing inquiries on inward experience and practical duty. 
She sometimes wrote to them on special occasions, without being 
invited to it by formal inquiries. The following extracts will 
illustrate her labours in this way : 

" MADEMOISELLE . I have heard of your sickness, not 

without being sensibly affected by it ; but it has been a great 
satisfaction to find that God has been present with you, and 
that your outward sorrows have had an inward reward. Afflic 
tions are the allotment of the present life ; and happy will it be, 
Mademoiselle, if you shall learn the great lesson of always im 
proving them aright. This, I think, you will be able to do, if 
you are faithful to the inward voice. It is God s decision ; or, 
if you prefer it, it is God s voice / the voice of God in the soul. 

" One of the most important conditions on which we can 
have this inward Divine utterance, is this, The soul must be in 
perfect simplicity ; that is to say, it must be free from all the 
varieties of human prejudice and passion. It is an easy thing 
*o grieve the Spirit of God. He dwells in and guides the soul, 
which, in looking at God s will alone, is in simplicity ; but He 
leaves the soul which is under any degree of selfish bias. 

" In order, therefore, to hear the voice of God in the soul, we 
must lay aside all interests of our own. It is necessary for us 
to possess a mind, if we may so express it, IN EQUILIBRIO ; that 
is to say, balanced from motives of self neither one way nor the 
other. 



OF MADAME GUYON. 335 

" Not doubting that you will receive the suggestions of this 
letter as the result of my sincere affection, and of my earnest 
desire for your religious good, I remain yours, 

" JEANNE M. B. DE LA MOTHE GUYON." 

The following appears to have been written to a married lady ; 
but probably one with whom Madame Guyon had previously 
become acquainted at St. Cyr : 

" MADAME . Our friend N has departed. She was 

a choice and excellent young woman ; and, in leaving a world 
where she endured so many trials, she has received the recom 
pense of her labours and sufferings. 

" You are right, Madame, in saying that it is not common 
for us to meet with such treasures of grace. They are indeed 
more rare than can be expressed. Few, very few, go, as she 
did, to the bottom of the heart. 

" The great majority of those who profess an interest in reli 
gious things religious teachers and guides, as well as seekers 
of religion stop short, and are satisfied with the outside and 
surface of things. They ornament and enrich the exterior of the 
ark, forgetting that God commanded Moses to begin with the 
inside and overlay it with gold, and afterwards to ornament the 
outside. Like the Pharisees of old, they make clean the outside 
of the cup and platter, but leave the inside impure. In other 
words, while they endeavour to make a good appearance to men 
outwardly, they are inwardly full of self-love, of self-esteem, of 
self-conceit, and of self-will. How different the religious state, 
if such it may be called, of these persons from that of our de 
parted friend ! 

" Why do you make a difficulty, Madame, in speaking to me 
about your dress ? Should you not be free, and tell me all ? 
You have done well in laying aside the unnecessary ornament to 
which you refer. I entreat you never to wear it again. I am 
quite confident also, that, if you would listen to the secret voice 
which speaks in the bottom of your heart, you would find more 



336 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

things to put off. Perhaps you will say, that you must regard 
your husband s feelings. This is true ; but I am persuaded, 
that, in his present favourable dispositions, you will please him 
as much by laying aside those ornaments as by wearing them. 

" Consider what you owe to God, and promptly crucify all the 
pretexts of nature. You will never make any such crucifixion 
of the desires and pretensions of the natural life, without drawing 
down some returns of Divine grace upon you. 

" A Christian woman should be distinguished by a neat arid 
modest dress, but not so affected and ornamented as to attract 
attention. It is not necessary, however, to lay down an invari 
able rule. You should wear apparel suited to your situation in 
life ; but you will pardon me for suggesting the propriety and 
duty of putting off those superfluous ribbons. I am confident 
that, in so doing, you will not be less pleasing in the eyes of your 
husband ; and that you will be much more so in the eyes of Him 
whom you wish to please above all. 

" I am desirous, when you write to me, that you should feel 
the greatest confidence and freedom. Do not be afraid to pro 
pose questions upon things which the world might regard as 
trifling. So far from lessening my esteem for you, it will have 
quite a different effect, because I infer from your anxiety in such 
particulars, that you have a disposition to give yourself wholly 
to God. It is a sign, I think, that God, in making you attentive 
and careful in the smallest things, is laying the foundations of 
His inward work in the very centre of the heart. 

" Most earnestly I beseech you to be faithful to Him. In fol 
lowing the Divine guidance, and in doing the Divine will, you 
will find a thousand times more satisfaction than in the pleasures 
which the world can impart to you. 

" Thus desiring that you may be guided and kept, I remain 
yours in our Lord, JEANNE M. B. DE LA MOTHE GUYON." 

A religious movement in such an institution as that of St. 
Cyr, could not well take place without being extensively known. 
Her opposers ? who seem to have supposed that her zeal would 



OF MADAME GUYON. 337 

be checked by the discipline of her first imprisonment, were once 
more on the alert. 

It was not only at Paris, at Dijon, at Versailles, and St. Cyr, 
that her influence was felt ; but there began to be evidences of 
it in other places. A single incident will illustrate this : A 
sister Malin, resident at Ham, in the then province of Picardy, 
was so deeply impressed with the necessity of religious instruc 
tion, that she came to Paris for the sole purpose of obtaining 
such instruction from Madame Guyon. She had charge of an 
institution for the education of girls; and seemed desirous to 
learn the truth for others as well as herself. To cases of this 
kind Madame Guyon always gave a prompt and earnest atten 
tion. 

Persons also sought her society who had no faith in her doc 
trines, but were either anxious to obtain further information, or 
to convert her to their own views. There were many such ; and 
among them was Peter Nicole, known extensively by a multi 
plicity of writings on various subjects, and as the friend and 
literary associate of Arnauld, the Port-Koyalist. " An acquaint 
ance of mine," she says, " an intimate friend also of Monsieur 
Nicole, had often heard him speak against me. This person 
thought that it would not be difficult to remove the objections of 
Nicole, if we could be made personally acquainted, and have 
opportunities of conversation. He thought this important, be 
cause many had received their impressions from him. Accord 
ingly, although with some reluctance on my part, we met. 

" After some little conversation, he referred to my book, en 
titled the Short and Easy Method of Prayer, and made the 
remark that it was full of errors. I proposed that we should 
read the book together ; and I desired him to tell me frankly 
and kindly those things in the book which seemed objectionable ; 
expressing the hope, at the same time, that I might be able to 
meet and answer them. He expressed himself well satisfied ; 
and, accordingly, we read the book through together with much 
attention. 

" After we had read it partly through, I asked him to specify 

Y 



338 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

his objections ; but he replied, that, so far, he had none. After 
we had completed the book, I repeated the question. l Madame, 
said Nicole, 1 1 find that my talent is in writing, and not pre 
cisely in personal discussions of this kind. If you have no 
objections, I will refer you to a learned and good friend of mine, 
Monsieur Boileau. He will be able to indicate the imperfections 
of the book ; and perhaps you will be able to profit by his sug 
gestions. " 

Nicole was a very learned man, and a great master of reason 
ing. But he had probably never read the book, and hence his 
peculiar and not very creditable position at this time. A year 
or two afterwards, however, he published a book, in which he 
strongly attacked the opinions held by Madame Guyon, and 
others, or rather their opinions as he understood them* 

A few days after this interview, she saw his friend, Monsieur 
Boileau, a brother of the French poet and satirist. " He intro 
duced the subject," she says, " of my little book on Prayer. I 
told him the state of mind in which I wrote it. He remarked 
that he was entirely persuaded of the sincerity of my intentions ; 
but he said that the book was liable to fall into the hands of 
some who might misapply it. I asked him the favour to point 
out the passages in it, which caused this anxiety. Accordingly, 
we looked over the book together ; and when he came to such 
passages, I gave explanations, which seemed to satisfy him. 

" When we had finished, he said, * Madame, all that is wanted 
is a little more in the way of explanation. And he pressed me 
very much to write something additional and explanatory, which 
I agreed to do. A few days after, I completed what he wished 
me to write, and sent it to him for examination ; and he seemed 
to be well satisfied. I revised it once or twice ; and he urged 
me much to print it." 

It was printed some time afterwards, and is entitled, A concise 
Apology for the Short and Easy Method of Prayer. 

Constantly labouring in the cause of religion, blessed in those 

* Refutation des Prineipales Erreurs des QuMtistes, continues dans Us livrcs ceniurts 
par Fordonnance de Momeigneur V Archeviquc de Paris (De Harlai\ du 16 Octobre 1694. 



OF MADAME GUYON. 339 

labours continually to an extent seldom witnessed, listened to 
with great attention by the ignorant, and criticised or attacked 
by the learned, her name came once more into general notice, 
and excited a general hostility. The outcries were loud, deep, 
and revengeful. Her enemies, seeing the difficulty of quenching 
the light of her piety by any ordinary means, resorted to the 
most dreadful measures. Attempts were made, through one of 
her servants, who seems to have been bribed for that purpose, to 
put her to death by poison. She refers to this painful incident 
very briefly. 

" One of my servants," she says, " was prevailed upon to give 
me poison. After taking it, I suffered such exquisite pains, that, 
without speedy succour, I should have died in a few hours. The 
servant immediately ran away, and I have never seen him since. 
At the time it did not occur to me that I was poisoned, until 
my physicians came in, and informed me that such was the case. 
My servant was the immediate agent ; but I am in possession of 
circumstances which go strongly to show that others originated 
it. I suffered from it for seven years afterwards." 

So great was the excitement that she thought it prudent to 
live in entire concealment for some months. No one knew 
where she was, except Monsieur Fouquet, the uncle of her son- 
in-law. He obtained by authority which he had from her, the 
the funds necessary for her support ; and kept her advised of the 
movements of her enemies. 

Madame Guyon hoped, by retiring for a time altogether from 
notice, there would be some cessation to these attacks. But she 
was mistaken. As soon as she disappeared, the report was cir 
culated, that she had gone into the provinces to disseminate her 
doctrines there ; so that her retirement tended rather to increase 
than to allay the ferment. Under these circumstances she 
thought it best to return home. 

Soon after this, occurred the sickness and death of her friend 
Monsieur Fouquet. In him she found one who not only sym 
pathized in her religious views and feelings, but aided her much 
as an adviser in her affairs. Madame Guyon seems to have had 



340 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

entire confidence in his religious experience, practical prudence, 
and friendly dispositions. And in consequence of the family 
connexion now existing between them, she could consult him 
without being subjected to the suspicions and misinterpretations 
which might have attended the presence and aid of other per 
sons. His last moments were moments of triumphant peace. 
The following letter was written to him by Madame Guyon, a 
short time before his death : 

" To MONSIEUR FOUQUET. Regarding your departure as near 
at hand, I cannot help saying that, in losing you, I lose one of 
my most faithful friends ; perhaps I may add, that I lose the 
only friend in whom, under existing circumstances, I can repose 
with entire confidence in all things. I feel my loss ; but the 
sorrow which I experience does not prevent my rejoicing in the 
happiness which is yours. It is not your situation which is to 
be regretted, but rather that of those who are left behind. God, 
who has made us one in spirit, has announced the hour of 
separation. May the blessing of our Divine Master rest upon 
you ! 

" Go then, happy spirit ; go, and receive the recompense 
reserved for all those who have given themselves to the Lord in 
a love which is pure. As we have been united in time, may we 
be united in eternity. Let your parting prayer be for her who 
is left behind, and for the spiritual children whom the Lord has 
given her, that in all time, and in all things, they may be faith 
ful to His adorable will. 

" Farewell ; and, as you ascend to the arms of Him who has 
prepared a place for you, be an ambassador for me, and tell 
Him that my soul loves Him. 

" JEANNE M. B. DE LA MOTHE GUYON." 



OF MADAME OUTON. 



341 



CHAPTER XLIL 

Efforts in her behalf She objects to the course proposed Bossuet His character and 
position Alarmed at the progress of the new doctrine Interview with Madame Guyon 
Second interview The conversation Effect upon Madame Quyon Correspondence be 
tween them Attacked with a fever. 

IN this state of things, some of the friends of Madame Guyon 
undertook some measures in her behalf. Fearing either some 
acts of personal violence, or some impressions on the n.inc*.s of 
those in authority, which might perhaps lead to a renewed im 
prisonment, they drew up a memorial to the king, the object of 
which was to give a correct account of the incidents of her life 
and of her motives of action, with a view to vindicate and to 
protect her. This memorial was drawn up with the concurrence 
and approbation of Madame de Maintenon, who thought it pro 
per to show it to Madame Guyon. 

" This paper," says Madame Guyon, " although it was a 
pleasing evidence of the kindness of those who had a share in 
framing it, gave me some uneasiness. I had some doubts 
whether it was the will of God that I should be protected and 
vindicated in that manner. I was jealous of myself, lest I 
should be found improperly resting upon a human arm, or too 
eager to be relieved from that burden of trial, which God s wis 
dom had seen fit to impose. I earnestly requested my friends 
not to take this course, but to leave me to the natural develop 
ments of Providence. They respected my wishes ; and the 
memorial was accordingly suppressed." 

The new spirituality, as it was sometimes termed, particularly 
arrested the attention of Bossuet, Bishop of Meaux, at this time 
confessedly the leader of the French Church. And if we esti 
mate him chiefly by his intellectual strength, he deserved to be 
so. Possessed of vast learning and not greater in the amount 
of his knowledge than in the powers which originated and con 
trolled it, he brought to the investigation of religious subjects 



342 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

the combined lights and ornaments of research, of reasoning, and 
of rich imagination. 

By his work, entitled, A History of the Variations of the 
Doctrines of the Reformed Churches, in which he had subjected 
the doctrines of Luther and of the other Protestant reformers to 
a severe scrutiny, he had not only acquired a splendid reputa 
tion, but had placed himself in a position which led him to be 
regarded by Roman Catholics as emphatically the defender of 
the faith. This reputation was so dear to him, that he had for 
many years, as if by strong instinct, fixed his withering eye on 
the slightest heretical deviations. He knew well what was going 
on in France. But he who had broken the spear with the 
strongest intellects of the world, felt some reluctance to entering 
the lists with a woman. 

It seemed to him impossible that Madame Guyon, whatever 
might be her talents arid personal influence, could produce an 
impression, either in Paris or elsewhere, which could be danger 
ous to the Church. And if it were so, was it not enough, that 
D Ararithon and Father Innocentius, men of distinguished ability 
and of great influence, had already, in the early and distant 
places of her influence, set in motion measures of opposition ; 
measures sustained at Paris by the efforts of La Mothe and 
De Harlai, of Nicole and Boileau, aided by a multitude of sub 
ordinate agencies ? 

But the result did not correspond with his anticipations. If 
such distinguished men as the Dukes of Beauvilliers and Chev- 
reuse, and more than all, if such a man as Fenelon, on whom 
the hopes of France had fastened as its burning and shining 
light, had come under this influence, to what would these things 
lead ? It seems never to have occurred to him, that the hand 
of the Lord might be in all this. He is not wise who thinks 
lightly of the influence of a woman who has the great intellec 
tual powers, accomplished manners, and serious arid deep piety 
of Madame Guyon. But God has chosen the weak things of 
the world to confound the things which are mighty. Has He 
not declared, and has He not sustained the declaration by the 



OF MADAME GUYON. 343 

history of spiritual movements in all ages of the world, that He 
has selected " things which are not, to bring to nought thinys 
that are*" 

God will so work, and employ such instrumentality, as to 
glorify Himself. It was not Madame Guyon, but God in her, 
who produced these results. She had undergone those deeply 
searching and purifying operations of the Holy Spirit which 
consume the pride and power, "the hay and the stubble" of 
nature, and leave the subject of it nothing in himself. She could 
find no term which so exactly expressed her situation as the word 
Nothing. But it was a favourite idea with her also, that the 
ALL of God His presence, wisdom, and power dwells, more 
than anywhere else, in the nothing of the creature. This, which 
Bossuet seems not fully to have understood, was the source of 
her influence. 

The case of Fenelon, in particular, troubled him ; Fenelon, 
whose talents he knew, whose friendship he valued, and of whose 
piety and influence he had the highest hopes. He determined, 
therefore, though with some reluctance, to put forth his own 
great strength, and to risk his own splendid reputation, in the 
attempt to extinguish this new heresy. But he had known 
Madame Guyon only by report ; and he thought it due to 
charity and truth, to form a personal acquaintance as a means 
of more distinctly ascertaining her views. He accordingly 
visited her, for the first time, at her residence in Paris, with the 
Duke of Chevreuse, in September 1693. The conversation was 
at first of a general character. Bossuet remarked, that he had 
formerly read, with a degree of satisfaction, her Treatise on 
Prayer, and Commentary on the Canticles. The Duke directed 
his attention to the work entitled THE TORRENTS. He imme 
diately cast his eye rapidly over some passages. A few moments 
after, he remarked, without condemning anything, that some 
things required explanation. 

Bossuet made a number of remarks on the necessity and 
reality of an inward and spiritual life, which were highly grati 
fying to Madame Guyon. The interview terminated with a pro- 



344 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

position on her part, which was accepted by Bossuet, that he 
should examine at his leisure all her writings, and make known 
more definitely his opinions upon them. 

A second meeting took place, January 30, 1694. In the 
interval, the Duke of Chevreuse, with the permission of Madame 
Guyon, in order to give him a full view of her history and cha 
racter, put into the hands of Bossuet the manuscript of her 
Autobiography. He read it carefully, and politely wrote a 
letter to the duke, expressive of the interest he felt in it. 

All her printed works also were submitted to him, so that 
Bossuet felt prepared to state some of the objections which he 
felt to her views. 

At the request of Bossuet, both this and his previous interview 
were kept as secret as possible. The reason he gave was, that 
the relations existing between him and the Archbishop of Paris, 
who was probably jealous of his superior knowledge and reputa 
tion, were such as to render it desirable. At his request, also, 
he met her at the house of one of his own friends, the Abbe 
Jannon, in the street Cassette, near the Convent or House of 
the religious association, called the Daughters of the Holy 
Sacrament. 

A small part of the conversation is given by Madame Guyon 
in her Autobiography. What is wanting can, I think, be made 
up, in a considerable degree, from her subsequent correspondence 
with Bossuet, and her work entitled, A concise Apology for the 
Short Method of Prayer. With these aids I have ventured to 
give the following conversation, as expressive of the substance 
of what passed, without attempting the precise terms of it. It 
is rendered remarkable by the topics, and the relation of the 
parties; and it should not be forgotten, that, while Madame 
Guyon stood foremost among women of intellect as well as piety, 
Bossuet was at that time the most distinguished of the theolo 
gians of Europe. 

Bossuet. The doctrines which you advance, Madame, involve 
the fact of an inward experience above the common experience 
of Christians, even those who have a high reputation for piety. 



OP MADAME GUYON. 345 

Madame Guyon. I hope, sir, it will not be regarded as an 
offence, if I indulge the hope and belief, that a higher experi 
ence, even a much higher one, is practicable than that which we 
commonly see. 

Bossuet. Certainly not. But when we see persons going so 
far as to speak of a love to God without any regard to self, of 
the entire sanctification of the heart, and of Divine union, have 
we not reason to fear that there is some illusion ? We are told 
that there is " none that doeth good and sinneth not." 

Madame Guyon. There is no one, except the Saviour, who 
has not sinned. There is no one who will not always be entirely 
unworthy. Even when there is a heart which Divine grace has 
corrected and has rendered entirely upright, there may still be 
errors of perception and judgment, which will involve relatively 
wrong and injurious doing, and render it necessary, therefore, 
to apply continually to the blood of Christ. But while I readily 
concede all this, I cannot forget that we are required to be like 
Christ; and that the Saviour Himself has laid the injunction 
upon us to love God with all our heart, and to be perfect as our 
heavenly Father is perfect. My own experience has added 
strength to my convictions. 

Bossuet. Personal experience is an important teacher. And as 
you have thus made a reference to what you have known experi 
mentally, you will not think it amiss, Madame, if I ask whether 
you regard yourself as the subject of this high religious state. 

Madame Guyon. If you understand by a holy heart one 
which is wholly consecrated and devoted to God, I see no reason 
why I should deny the grace of God, which has wrought in me, 
as I think, this great salvation. 

Bossuet. The Saviour, Madame, speaks in high terms of the 
man who went up into the temple, and smote upon his bosom, 
and said, " God be merciful to me a sinner." 

Madame Guyon. It is very true, sir, that this man was a 
sinner ; but it is also true, that he prayed that God would be 
merciful to him ; and God, who is a hearer of prayer, did not 
mock either his sorrows or his petitions, but granted his request. 



346 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

If I may speak of myself, I think I may say, that I too have 
uttered the same prayer ; I too have smitten upon my bosom in 
the deep anguish of a rebellious and convicted spirit. I can 
never forget it. Months and years witnessed the tears which 
I shed ; but deliverance came. My wounds were healed ; my 
tears were dried up ; and my soul was crowned, and I can say 
with thankfulness, is now crowned with purity and peace. 

Bossuet. There are but few persons who can express them 
selves so strongly. 

Madame Guyon. I regret that it is so ; and the more so, 
because it is an evidence of the want of faith. Men pray to 
God to be merciful, without believing that He is willing to be 
merciful ; they pray for deliverance from sin and for full sancti- 
fication, without believing that provision is made for it; and 
thus insult God in the very prayer they offer. Can one like 
yourself, who has studied the Scriptures so long and so profit 
ably, doubt of the rich provisions of the Gospel, and deny, in 
the long catalogue of the saints of the Catholic Church, that 
any of them have been sanctified ? 

Bossuet. I am not disposed, Madame, to deny, that the doc 
trine of sanctification, properly understood, is a doctrine of the 
Catholic Church. I cannot forget the rich examples in a St. 
Francis de Sales, in a St. Theresa, and in the celebrated Catha 
rines. But I cannot deny, that I am slow to admit the existence 
of this great blessing in individual cases. The evidence should 
be very marked. This, you will admit, is a proper precaution. 
And conceding that the promises of God are adequate to these 
great results, and admitting the general truth of the doctrine 
of sanctification, I must still offer inquiries which involve very 
serious doubts as to some of its aspects, as presented in your 
writings. 

Madame Guyon. I have always been ready, sir, to confess 
my ignorance ; and having no system to maintain, and no object 
to secure, separate from the doing of God s will and the mani 
festation of His glory, I have no reluctance in submitting what 
I have said to your correction. 



OF MADAME GUYON. 347 

Bossuet. In looking over the manuscript which gives some 
account of your own personal history, in which I have generally 
been interested and satisfied, I was somewhat surprised to see 
that, in a certain passage, you speak of yourself as the woman 
of the Apocalypse. 

Madame Guyon. There is something of this kind. As I 
read the passage in the Apocalypse, which speaks of the woman 
who fled into the wilderness, I must confess, as I thought of 
myself as driven from place to place for announcing the doctrines 
of the Lord, it did seem to me that the expressions might be 
applied not as prophetic of me, but as illustrative of my con 
dition. 

Bossuet. I accept your explanation in this particular entirely, 
and will proceed to some things which seem to me essential. It 
is not merely my object to criticise, but, in part at least, to 
obtain explanations, that I may understand the subject more 
fully, and know, in the situation in which I am placed, what 
course it is proper to take. You will excuse me, therefore, for 
asking what you mean by being in the state which is variously 
denominated the state of holiness, of pure love, and of Christian 
perfection ? 

Madame Guyon. This question might be answered in various 
ways. But as some of these terms, in their application to 
human nature, are in some degree odious, and at least liable to 
be misunderstood, I will say here, that I understand much the 
same thing as by being in the state of entire self-renunciation. 
He who is NOTHING, lost to himself, dead to his own wisdom and 
strength, and, in the renouncement of his own -life, lives in God s 
life, may properly be called a holy man ; and, in a mitigated 
sense of the term, may perhaps be called a perfect man. True 
lowliness of spirit, accompanied by such faith in God as will 
supply the nothingness of the creature from the Divine fulness, 
involves the leading idea of what, in experimental writers, is 
denominated Christian perfection. Perhaps some other name 
would express it as well. 

Bossuet. T am glad to find, Madame, that you entertain 



348 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

such views of Christian perfection as are consistent with lowli 
ness of spirit. The Saviour himself says, " He that is least 
among you all, the same shall be great." And the Apostle of 
the Q-entiles, eminent as he was in sanctity, describes himself 
as the " least of the apostles." (Luke ix. 48 ; 1 Cor. xv. 9.) 
Eminently holy persons feel their dependence and nothingness 
more entirely than others. 

But is it a mark, Madame, of Christian lowliness to disregard 
principles and practices sanctioned by the wisdom and piety of 
many ages ? In your Short Method of Prayer, some expressions 
seem to imply that the austerities and mortifications practised 
in the Catholic Church are not necessary. 

Madame Quyon. I admit that my views and practices differ 
in this particular from those of some others. My view now is 
this. Physical sufferings and mortifications, which tend to bring 
the appetites into subjection, are of great value ; they are a 
part of God s discipline, which He has wisely instituted and 
rendered operative in the present life : but then they should not 
be self-sought or self-inflicted, but should be received and sub 
mitted to, as they come in God s providence. In other words, 
crosses are good ; our rebellious nature needs them ; not those, 
however, which are of merely human origin, but those which 
God himself makes and imposes. 

JBossuet. I am doubtful whether your views on this subject 
ought to be considered satisfactory. But we will leave them 
for the present. 

I might ask again, Is it consistent with true lowliness of spirit, 
to lay down the principle, as you have done in THE TORRENTS, 
that souls in the highest religious state may approach the Sacra 
mental Communion, and partake of the sacred element without 
special preparation ? 

Madame Quyon. I am entirely confident, sir, that the highest 
religious experience is not and cannot by any possibility be 
opposed to the truest humility. Further, I fully appreciate the 
great importance of a careful and thorough preparation for the 
Holy Eucharist. But still it does seem to me that a soul, wholly 



OF MADAME GUYON. 349 

devoted to God and living in the Divine presence, moment by 
moment, if it should be so situated as not to enjoy the ordinary 
season of preparatory retirement and recollection, would still be 
in a state to partake of the sacramental element. 

Bossuet. If you design, Madame, to limit the remark made 
in THE TORRENTS to some extreme case, it will be regarded, 
1 suppose, as less objectionable. I have no other desire than 
that of ascertaining what is true. I do not object to the doctrine 
of Christian Perfection, or of Pure Love, or whatever other name 
may be given to it, in its general form ; but I have serious 
objections to particular views and forms of expression sometimes 
connected with it. I find in your works modes of expression 
which strike me as peculiar. Without delaying, therefore, on 
the general features of the doctrine, I will take the liberty to 
direct your attention to a number of things which characterize 
it, in part, as it appears in your writings. I find, in expression 
at least, what strikes me as very peculiar, that you make God 
identical with events. You say that to the sanctified soul every 
thing which exists, with the exception of sin, is God. 

Madame Guyon. It seems to me proper to observe, in the 
first place, that the doctrines of sanctification are sometimes 
erroneously or imperfectly represented in consequence of the 
imperfection of language. As they are the doctrines of a life 
almost unknown to the world, it is natural that they should 
have no adequate terms and phrases ; so that we express our 
selves awkwardly and with difficulty. Is it unreasonable, under 
these circumstances, to ask the favour of a candid and charitable 
interpretation ? 

Bossuet. I admit, Madame, the existence of the difficulty to 
which you refer, and think it should be considered. 

Madame Guyon. With this concession on your part, I pro 
ceed to admit on mine, that the assertion, taken just as it stands, 
namely, that every event is God, is not true ; even when made 
with the exception of those things which are sinful. But I still 
affirm that the expression has a definite and important mean 
ing to the truly sanctified soul. Such a soul, in a manner and 



350 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

degree which ordinary Christians do not well understand, re 
cognises the fact, that God sustains a definite relation to every 
thing which takes place. God is in events ; and if He is the 
centre and controller of the universe, He cannot be out of them. 
The sanctified soul not only speculatively recognises the relation 
of God to events, but feels it ; that is, it is brought into a 
practical and realized communion with God through them. 
You will find this form of expression in the writings of Catharine 
of Genoa. 

Bossuet. I notice also that you sometimes speak as if the 
will of God, as well as outward events, were identical with God 
himself. I think, Madame, you will perceive on reflection, that 
such statements, whatever may be said in defence of them, are 
likely to be misunderstood, and, in point of fact, are not strictly 
true. We always use the term MAN as including the whole of 
man, and of course as including something more than the mere 
will of man. In like manner, we use the term God as expres 
sive of the whole of God, His intellect and affections, as well as 
His will. So that to speak of the will of God, which is but 
a part, as identical with God, which is the whole, is necessarily 
erroneous. 

Madame Guyon. I have no disposition to object to the cor 
rectness of your remark. But I ought to say, perhaps, that in 
speaking of the will of God as identical with God himself, I 
used the terms in a mitigated or approximated and not in a 
strict or absolute sense. But, while I make this concession, I 
am still inclined to say, that practically and religiously we may 
accept the will of God as God himself, not only without injury, 
but with some practical benefits. 

Certain it is, that God is manifested in His will in a peculiar 
sense. We can more easily make a distinction between God 
and His power, and between God and His wisdom, than between 
God and His will. The will or purpose of God, in a given case, 
necessarily includes something more than the mere act of willing : 
it includes all that God can think in the case, and all that God 
can feel in the case. And I must confess, that the will of God, 



OF MADAME GUYON. 351 

whenever and wherever made known, brings out to my mind 
more distinctly and fully the idea, and presence, and fulness of 
God, than anything else. This is so much the case, that, 
whenever I meet with the will of God, I feel that I meet with 
God ; whenever I respect and love the will of God, I feel that I 
respect and love God ; whenever I unite with the will of God, 
I feel that I unite with God. So that practically and religiously, 
although I am aware that a difference can be made philosophi 
cally, God and the will of God are to me the same. He who is 
in perfect harmony with the will of God, is as much in harmony 
with God himself, as it is possible for any being to be. The 
very name of God s will fills me with joy. 

JBossuet. I notice that the terms and phrases which you em 
ploy, sometimes differ from those with which I frequently meet 
in theological writings. And perhaps the reason, which you have 
already suggested, explains it in part. But still they are liable 
to be misunderstood and to lead into error; and hence it is 
necessary to ascertain precisely what is meant. You sometimes 
describe what you consider the highest state of religious experi 
ence as a state of passivity / and at other times as passively 
active. I confess, Madame, that I am afraid of expressions 
which I do not fully understand, and have the appearance at 
least of being somewhat at variance with man s moral agency 
and accountability. 

Madame Guyon. I am not surprised, sir, at your reference 
to these expressions ; and still I hardly know what other expres 
sions to employ. I will endeavour to explain. In the early 
periods of man s religious experience, he is in what may be called 
a mixed life ; sometimes acting from God, but more frequently, 
until he has made considerable advancement, acting from him 
self. His inward movement, until it becomes corrected by Divine 
grace, is self-originated, and is characterized by that perversion 
which belongs to everything coming from that source. But 
when the soul, in the possession of pure or perfect love, is fully 
converted, and everything in it is subordinated to God, then its 
Btate is always either passive or passively active. 



352 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

But I am willing to concede, which will perhaps meet your 
objection, that there are some reasons for preferring the term 
passively active; because the sanctified soul, although it no 
longer has a will of its own, is never strictly inert. Under all 
circumstances and in all cases, there is really a distinct act on 
the part of the soul, namely, an act of co-operation with God; 
although, in some cases, it is a simple co-operation with what 
now t>, and constitutes the religious state of submissive acqui 
escence and patience ; while in others it is a co-operation with 
reference to what is to be, and implies future results, and conse 
quently is a state of movement and performance. 

Bossuet. I think, Madame, I understand you. There is a 
distinction, undoubtedly, in the two classes of cases just men 
tioned ; but as the term passively active will apply to both of 
them, I think it is to be preferred. You use this complex term, 
I suppose, because there are two distinct acts or operations to be 
expressed, namely, the act of preparatory or prevenient grace on 
the part of God, and the co-operative act on the part of the 
creature ; the soul being passive, or merely perceptive, in the 
former; and active, although always in accordance with the 
Divine leading, in the other. 

Madame Guy on. That is what I mean, sir ; and I feel obliged 
to you for the explanation. 

Bossuet. Is your doctrine, then, in this particular, much dif 
ferent from that of antecedent or prevenient grace, which we 
generally find laid down in theological writers, and implies, in 
its application, that there is no truly good act on the part of the 
soul, except it be in co-operation with God ? 

Madame Guyon. I do not know that the difference is great ; 
perhaps there is none at all. I am willing to acknowledge that 
I am not much acquainted with theological writers. 

Bossuet. Would it not be desirable, Madame, that those who 
exercise the function of public teachers should have such an 
acquaintance ? As women are not in a situation to go through 
a course of theological education, it has sometimes seemed to me 
that it would be well for them to dispense with public missions. 



OF MADAME GUYON. 353 

Madame Guyon. I do not doubt, sir, that your remark is 
well meant. The want of such qualifications as those to which 
you refer, has frequently been with me a subject of serious con 
sideration, and of some perplexity. Nevertheless I sincerely be 
lieve, that it is God who has given me a message, in an humble 
and proper way, to my fellow-beings ; but I am aware of its 
imperfect utterance. But, in His great wisdom, He sometimes 
makes use of feeble instruments. And I have thought, as He 
condescended, on one occasion at least, to employ a dumb animal 
to utter His truth, He might sometimes make use of a woman 
for the same purpose. 

Bossuet. I merely refer to the subject, without wishing to 
press it. I should be sorry to say anything which would imply 
a limitation to the wisdom and providence of God. 

Another thing in your writings is this. You speak of those 
who are in the state of unselfish or pure love, which I suppose 
you regard as the highest religious state, as contemplating the 
pure Divinity ; implying in the remark that they contemplate God 
in a different way from what is common with other Christians. 

Madame Guyon. What I mean is this. There are two ideas 
of God ; the COMPLEX, and the simple or PRIMARY. In the order 
of mental development, the complex is first ; but in the order of 
nature, the simple or primary idea is first. The complex idea 
is that which embraces God, not so much in Himself as in His 
attributes, His power, wisdom, goodness, and truth. The be 
ginners in the religious life are very apt to stop and rest in this 
Idea ; and they can hardly fail to lose by it. To think of God s 
power, making His power a distinct and special subject of atten 
tion, is not to think of God. To think of God s benevolence also, 
in this specific arid individualizing manner, is not to think of 
God ; but is merely to think of a certain attribute which per 
tains to Him. It is well understood, I suppose, that we may form 
an idea of matter, in distinction from the attributes of matter ; 
and that we may form an idea of mind, in distinction from the 
attributes of mind ; a notion or idea, which is simple and un- 
definable, it is true, but which has a real existence. And in like 

z 



854 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

manner we may form an idea of God, in distinction from the 
attributes of God. It is not only possible to do this, but it is 
impossible not to do it, on the appropriate occasions of doing it. 
The very idea of an attribute implies an idea of a subject to 
which the attribute belongs. To speak of the attributes of the 
human mind or of God, independently of the idea of such mind 
or of God considered as distinct from such attributes, would be 
an absurdity. There are two ideas of God, therefore ; the one 
of God as a subject, the primary idea, which is simple and unde- 
finable ; the other of God as a combination of separate Divine 
attributes, which is complex, and is consequently susceptible of 
analysis and definition. God, revealed in the first idea, and 
considered, not as a mere congeries of attributes, but as the sub 
ject or entity of such attributes, is what I call the Pure Divinity. 
Persons in the sanctified or unitive state, in distinction from the 
meditative or mixed state, generally receive and rest in God as 
developed in the first or primary idea. It is natural to them to 
do so, and it is not more natural than it is appropriate and pro 
fitable. When they depart from that idea, it is almost a matter 
of course that they indulge in meditative and discursive acts, 
which tend to separate them from the true centre ; and they 
thus lose that consciousness of oneness with God. 

Bossuet. Permit me to ask, Madame, whether you mean in 
these remarks to discourage meditative and discursive acts, such 
as are implied in an analysis and due consideration of the Divine 
attributes ? 

Madame Guyon. Not at all. Such acts are very important ; 
but they have their appropriate place, and are much more suited 
to lower states of experience than that purified and contempla 
tive state of which we are now speaking. 

Bossuet. The distinctions you have made, and the explana 
tions you have given, although not obvious without considerable 
reflection, seem to me reasonable and satisfactory. But I must 
confess, that I cannot allege a personal acquaintance with that 
experience which unites the soul with God as He is developed 
in the primary or elementary idea. 



OF MADAME GUYON. 355 

Madame Guyon. I hope, sir, that you will not take it amiss, 
when I say, that I regret that you find it necessary thus to speak 
of a defect of personal experience. The theology of the head 
is often ohscure and uncertain, without the interpretation of the 
higher theology of the heart. The head sometimes errs ; but 
a right heart never. 

Bossuet. I hope, Madame, that I have experienced some 
thing of the grace of God ; but I am free to acknowledge, that 
I have not arrived at what you and other writers who sym 
pathize with your views, call the fixed state. Is it possible, that 
any one should believe, that Christians, however devoted they 
may be, will arrive at a state in the present life, where there 
are no vicissitudes, and perpetual sunshine ? 

Madame Guyon. In this form of expression, and others like 
it, it is not meant, that the sanctified soul is not characterized, 
in its experience, by any vicissitudes whatever. But still, when 
the soul has experienced this great grace, the mind is compara 
tively at rest. Is a fixed state less desirable than an unfixed 
state ? Is there anything to be especially commended in the 
changes, the alternations of energy and weakness, of faith and 
unbelief, which characterize ordinary Christians? All that is 
meant is a state established, comparatively firm, based more upon 
principle than upon feeling, and that lives more by faith than 
emotion. Those who live by faith, who see God equally in the 
storm and the sunshine, and rejoice equally in both, know what 
I mean ; while those who do not, can hardly fail to be perplexed. 

Bossuet. I will now mention one thing, which seems to me 
worthy of special notice. Those who arrive at the highest reli 
gious state are so far above the common wants, or rather suppose 
themselves to be so, as not to recognise and urge them in acts of 
supplication. But the Scriptures command us to pray always, 
to pray without ceasing. The language of the Saviour is, " Ask, 
and ye shall receive ; seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and it shall 
be opened unto you." It seems very clear, that prayer is a thing 
not only of perpetual command, but of perpetual obligation. 

Madame Guyon. I am pleased, sir, that you have introduced 



356 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

this subject. So far from the truth is it, that persons who have 
experienced the blessing of PURE or PERFECT LOVE, cease to pray, 
that it is much nearer the truth to say, that they pray always. 
Certain it is, that the prayer is always in their hearts, although 
it may not always be spoken. We sometimes call this state oi 
mind the prayer of silence. It is perhaps a prayer too deep for 
words ; but it is not on that account to be regarded as no prayer. 
Do you state your difficulty precisely as you wish to have it un 
derstood ? 

Bossuet. It is not easy for me to understand what prayer is, 
unless it be specific. And in order to give my difficulty a pre 
cise shape, I will say, that the system of present sanctification, 
or pure love, seems to exclude specific requests. 

Madame Guy on. And, supposing it to be so, which is not the 
case, is that state of mind to be thought lightly of, which does 
not ask for particular things ? which says to the Lord conti 
nually, I do not ask for this or that, I have no desire or petition 
for anything in particular, but desire and choose for myself only 
what God desires and chooses * I admit that this, in general, 
is the state of mind in those who have experienced the blessing 
of a perfectly renovated life. Their state of mind is one of 
praise rather than of petition. They have asked, and have 
received. If, at a given time, they ask for nothing in particular, 
it is because they are full now. 

Persons in this state of mind cannot easily separate God s will 
from what now is. What God gives them now, He wills to give 
them now; and in that will, which always excludes sin, but 
often permits temptation and suffering, they are satisfied ; they 
rest. They experience in themselves the fulfilment of those 
blessed directions of the Saviour, which none but a holy heart 
can fully receive and appreciate : 

" Wherefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, 
what shall we drink? or, wherewithal shall we be clothed? (for 
all these things do the Gentiles seek ;) for your heavenly Father 
knoweth that you have need of all these things. But seek ye 
first the kingdom of God and his righteousness ; and all these 



OF MADAME GUYON. 357 

things shall be added unto you. Take, therefore, no thought 
for the morrow ; for the morrow shall take thought for the things 
of itself." 

In these words there is to my mind a Divine meaning, such 
as the world does not understand. Take my own situation. My 
wants are already supplied, richly, abundantly, and running 
over. What can I ask for when my soul rests in God, and is filled 
with the fulness of God ; and when He leaves me neither time 
nor strength for anything but to receive His favours, and to 
bless Him ? 

Bossuet. Will you permit me to ask, in connexion with one 
of your remarks, whether you mean literal fulness ? 

Madame Quyon. I do not know, sir, that I understand the 
precise import of your question. 

Bossuet. I am led, Madame, to ask the question, by an asso 
ciation suggested by your expressions. In reading your Life, I 
notice that upon more than one occasion you speak of such 
effusions of grace, that your very physical system dilated, as it 
were, and enlarged with them, so as to render it necessary to 
relieve yourself by some readjustments of your apparel. 

Madame Quyon. I recollect that there was a time in my re 
ligious experience, when my emotions were so strong, that my 
physical system was, on one or two occasions, very much affected ; 
so that I obtained some relief in the way you have mentioned. 
And as, in writing my Life, my Director required me to be very 
particular and to write everything, I thought myself bound to 
mention the circumstance. Nor do I know that there is any 
thing very astonishing in the fact. Kemarkable effects are some 
times produced upon the physical system by excited natural 
emotions, as well as those which are religious. I was quite 
overcome ; and it was necessary for my friends to render me 
assistance as seemed to them best ; but I do not consider emo 
tive excitement as always identical with true religious experience, 
and still less with the highest kind of experience. Great phy 
sical agitation, originating in strong emotions, is generally con 
nected, either directly or indirectly, either at the time or at some 



358 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

antecedent period, with a high degree of inward resistance. But, 
in the highest degree of experience, all such resistance is taken 
away ; and there is quietness, such as the world does not know ; 
a great inward and outward cairn. 

Bossuet. Let us return to the subject of which we were 
speaking. If I understand you, your soul rests : that is, is satis 
fied with what it now has in God ; and you have nothing to 
pray for in particular. 

Madame Guyon. I think the term rest expresses this state 
very well. It is the rest of faith. But such a state does not 
exclude prayer. On the contrary, the sanctified soul is, by the 
very fact of its sanctification, the continual subject of that prayer 
which includes all other, namely, Thy will be done. When the 
whole Church can utter that prayer with a true heart, the world 
will be renovated. I wish, however, to correct what may per 
haps be an error in your view of the subject. This prayer is 
not at all inconsistent with specific prayer. God, who has a 
regard to our situation and the relations we sustain, and has the 
control of the mind that has given all up to Himself, does not 
fail to inspire the consecrated soul with specific desires appro 
priate to times, places, and persons. 

Bossuet. You will notice that it is not so much my object to 
criticise your explanations as to receive them ; and, where I do 
not regard them as entirely satisfactory, to make them the sub 
ject of future meditation. I proceed, then, to say that the state 
of mind which you advocate is supposed to lead to inaction. 

Madame Guyon. I do not readily see, sir, how such a state 
ment could well apply to myself, who have hardly known, what 
ever may be true of my mind, what it is to rest outwardly and 
physically. 

Bossuet. I think, Madame, it will not ; but such an impres 
sion could hardly arise without some foundation for it. And I 
should be glad to hear what can be said of an idea which is cer 
tainly an unfavourable one. 

Madame Guyon. The foundation, sir, of this idea is in the 
fact, I suppose, that the truly holy soul ceases from all action. 



OF MADAME GUYON. 359 

which has its origin in merely human impulse. It is the charac 
teristic of souls which are in this state, that they move as they 
are moved upon by the Holy Ghost. " As many as are led by 
the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." (Rom. viii. 14.) 
They move, therefore, in God s order ; neither falling behind by 
indolence, nor precipitated by impetuosity. They move in God s 
Spirit, because they are sustained by faith ; benevolent, just, 
immutable in their purpose, so far as immutability can be pre 
dicated of anything that is human, but always without violence. 
Such sometimes appear inactive, because their action is without 
noise. But they are God s workmen the true builders in His 
great and silently-rising temple ; and they leave an impression 
which, although it is not always marked and observable at the 
time, is deep, operative, and enduring. In this respect, at least, 
I think we may say that they are formed in the Divine likeness. 
God is the great operator of the universe ; but what He does, is 
generally done in silence. The true kingdom of God comes 
" without observation." 

Bossuet. I will not pursue these inquiries farther at present, 
except in one particular. Some expressions, Madame, in your 
writings, seem to imply the extinction of all desire. Man is a 
perceptive and sentient being ; and I do not hesitate to say, that 
the extinction of all desire, so far from rendering him more 
religious, would render him a brute. 

Madame Guyon. This difficulty is almost identical with one 
already considered ; still it may not be improper to give it a 
separate notice. Those who have gained the inward victory, 
very frequently speak of the extinction of desire as a charac 
teristic of this state, and as an evidence of it. How can those 
desire, who already have everything? How can those be in 
want who are already full ? But I suppose that their meaning is, 
and can be, only this. They have lost all natural or unsancti- 
fied desire. They do not desire anything in themselves and of 
themselves ; anything out of God, in the sense of being irrespec 
tive of His will. 

Bossuet. Why, then, do they not say what they mean ? The 



360 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

form of expression, as we frequently find it, is certainly a pecu 
liar one. 

Madame Guyon. In the first place, sir, if their meaning is 
understood, as I think it would be likely to be by most persons, 
the more concise expression is the preferable one. But there is 
perhaps a special reason for their expressing themselves in the 
manner they do. The state in which they are is not only one 
of right or sanctified desire, but of very strong faith. Their 
faith necessarily takes the form of believing that everything in 
their situation, with the exception of sin, is in accordance with 
God s will, and cannot be otherwise. Consequently all their 
desires are perfectly met in the occurrences of each moment ; 
and this is done, not only so perfectly but so quickly, that the 
desire and the fulfilment of the desire are not very distinct in 
the consciousness, but seem to be mingled together ; so much so 
that the person does not, in general, have a distinct recollection 
of the desire. Hence it is natural for such persons, for this rea 
son, as well as because all unsanctified desires are in reality 
dead, to speak of their being without desire. 

A number of other topics were taken up in the course of the 
conversation. One was the transmission of Divine grace from 
herself to others, which she had spoken of in her writings, as if 
it were a perceptible or sensible transmission ; adding, that the 
Divine power or influence, which was transmitted through her 
self as an instrument, returned back with all its blessedness to 
her own soul, when it was not received by others. The difficulty 
is, that she describes things as they seemed to be, and not as 
they really are ; and thus gave to the spiritual operation a sen 
sible or material character, which is not appropriate to it. 

When, for instance, she was in the company of persons seri 
ously disposed, but still without religion, her mind was not only 
prayerful, but sad and burdened on their behalf. When she 
witnessed in these persons a disposition to receive the truth, she 
at once experienced relief; her prayer was answered ; the bur 
den was removed. So that apparently, and looking at the sub 
ject in the merely human light, something seemed to pass sen- 



OF MADAME GUYUN. 361 

sibly and literally from herself to otliers. And describing the 
thing according to the appearance, rather than according to the 
fact, she justly gave occasion for the inquiries and criticisms of 
Bossuet. 

Another matter of inquiry was this. While she freely spoke 
of the subjection of her natural selfish life, and of her renovation 
and union of spirit with the Divine life, some passages in her 
writings seemed to imply, that there was such a want of any 
thing, remarkable in her state, that she found it difficult to de 
scribe it or speak of it. She says, for instance, in her Autobio 
graphy, " My state has become simple, arid without any varia 
tions. It is a profound annihilation. I find nothing in myself 
to which I can give a name." 

She explained these passages by saying, that they were to be 
understood in a comparative sense. Beginners in the religious 
life are necessarily inquisitive, agitated, active, but often spas 
modic and variable in their action, and full of various kinds of 
emotion. It is obvious, therefore, that almost every day and 
hour presents something in their experience, which may be 
made the subject of notice and of interesting conversation. But 
the soul, in a higher state of experience, has reduced the multi 
plicity and agitations of nature to the one simple principle of 
union with God s will by faith. God is immutable ; therefore 
there is a centre of rest. 

The beginners in science, in the mathematics for instance, 
advance from step to step with great effort. Their efforts attract 
notice, because they are made in various ways, and under a 
variety of motives and excitements. When they miss in their 
calculations, they are depressed with sorrow. When they are 
successful, and find their problems fully solved, they run to tell 
their neighbours, and sometimes shout with joy. But it is not 
so with the great masters of the science, a Newton for instance. 
These last, while they are inwardly thoughtful and operative, 
are nevertheless always calm, and often silent ; because they are 
not seekers and progressers in the ordinary sense of the terms, 
but have the mathematics in themselves. And so in relation to 



362 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

anything else ; religion among other things. The more we 
know and possess of it, the greater is our simplicity and rest o* 
spirit. 

It was in this way that she endeavoured to explain her own 
state. The life of faith, when faith is perfect, is a very simple 
one. The principle of faith is to the soul, considered in its re 
lation to God, what the principle of gravitation is to the physical 
universe ; uniting all, harmonizing all, but always without con 
fusion and noise, and with the greatest simplicity of operation. 

In giving some account of her own state, she uses an illustra 
tion which is worthy of some notice, although I am not sure 
that it is in all respects an appropriate one. Bossuet was ex 
amining her on the point of her inability to originate, by her 
own movement, distinct inward acts. In explaining herself, 
she said that the truly purified soul, in the simplicity of its 
temper and in its relations to God, seemed to her to be like the 
pure water. 

" Nothing," she says, " is more simple than water ; nothing 
is more pure. In this respect it may be regarded as an emblem 
of the holy soul. But this is not all. Among other things, 
water has the property of yielding readily and easily to all im 
pressions which can be made upon it. And here we have 
another striking incident of resemblance. As water yields with 
inconceivable readiness to the slightest human touch, so does 
the holy soul yield, without any resistance, to the slightest touch 
of God ; that is to say, to the slightest intimations of the Divine 
will. Again, water is without colour ; but it is susceptible of 
all colours. So the holy soul, colourless in itself, reflects the 
hues, whatever they may be, which emanate from the Divine 
countenance. Again, water has no form ; but takes the form 
of the vessels, almost endless in variety, in which it is contained. 
So the holy soul takes no position or form of itself, but only that 
which God gives it." 

And these statements she did not hesitate to apply to herself. 
Her soul had nothing of itself. It had its form, its brightness, 
and its movement in God. What God desired, she desired ; 



OF MADAME GUYON. 363 

what God willed, she willed ; what God said, she said. Her 
business was co-operation, not origination. There was a voice 
in her spirit, inaudible but always heard, or rather inaudible 
to men, but always heard by Him who inspired it, which re 
sponded, in harmony with all holy beings, with a UNIVERSAL 

AND ETERNAL AMEN. 

This conference continued the whole afternoon and evening. 
It was a trying day to Madame Guyon. The acute and dis 
criminating mind of Bossuet, formed to grapple with the most 
difficult subjects, subjected her to an examination such as she 
had never passed through before. But he had the satisfaction 
of finding her, to a degree beyond his anticipations, ready to 
acknowledge where she was wrong, to explain where she was 
obscure, and to defend herself where she knew and felt herself 
to be right. But still it was a season which required quickness 
of thought, entire purity of intention, and religious patience. 

Bossuet, who had been an instructor of princes, was no 
stranger to the presence and intercourse of polite and courtly 
men ; but still he was more addicted to books than to society, 
and thought more of arguments than of manners. He was a 
great man, but, accustomed to the supremacy of his intellectual 
power, he was apt to be dictatorial and rough in his greatness. 
And this ponderous roughness of manner, which corresponded 
well with the weighty and strong movement of his intellectual 
action, was but little conciliated and softened by the presence 
and the finer sensibilities of woman. 

Madame Guyon refers to this peculiarity of Bossuet, not in 
the way of complaint, but merely in explanation of what she 
endured in this and some subsequent conferences. " He was 
evidently," she says, " unfavourably affected towards me by the 
secret efforts of some persons. He spoke almost with violence, 
and very fast, and hardly gave me time to explain some things 
which I wished to explain. I was so agitated, in one or two 
instances, by his authoritative and apparently dictatorial manner, 
that I entirely lost my recollection. We parted from each other 
very late in the evening ; and I returned home so wearied and 



364 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

overcome with what had passed between us, that I was sick for 
several days." 

Bossuet seems, in general, notwithstanding his prepossessions, 
to have been satisfied with this interview. 

" As there were some things," she says, " which he could not 
understand, or to which he could not reconcile himself, I wrote 
several letters to him after this interview, in which I endea 
voured to elucidate these difficulties. He was so kind as to 
send me a long letter in return, of more than twenty pages, from 
which it very clearly appears that he was somewhat embarrassed 
by the newness of the subject, and in consequence of the imper 
fect knowledge he had of the interior ways of the Holy Spirit, 
of which none are able to judge except from experience." 

This suggestion, which implies a want of intellectual percep 
tion on the part of Bossuet, arising from a want of inward 
experience, may sound strange. And truth requires us to say, 
if we may judge from the evidences of a serious and consistent 
life, that, if he was eminently learned and intellectual, he was 
also decidedly moral and religious. At the same time, it is 
entirely evident that he would have understood and appreciated 
his opponents better, particularly Madame Guyon, if he had 
stood in the same rank in the gradations of inward experience. 
It is impossible for a man to philosophize correctly on the natural 
passions, who has had no knowledge of them himself. And it 
is the same in religion. In order to describe religion, we must 
first know it ; and to describe it and elucidate it in its different 
degrees, we must know it in those degrees. 

A short time after this interview, she was seized with a vio 
lent fever. It continued forty days. It seemed probable that 
she would not recover. Her soul rested calmly in God ; never 
more so than when the great change appeared near at hand. 
She was enabled to dictate a few letters, to be sent to her reli 
gious friends. In them she expressed the earnest prayer, that 
God would finish in those to whom she thus wrote, the good 
work which He had begun. She said, if she had been the 
instrument of any good to them, she was merely an instrument, 



OF MADAME GUYON. 365 

and the honour belonged to God alone ; and it was her prayer, 
that He might fully accomplish and preserve that which was 
His own, namely, the spirit of an entire renunciation of them 
selves. She exhorted them to bear the cross patiently, and to 
follow Jesus Christ with hearts filled with His pure love. If 
she should be taken from them now, she wished them to look 
upon it as an event illustrating anew the wisdom and goodness 
of God ; and was desirous, while they turned their thoughts 
and hearts to Him as the source of all truth and all good, that 
they would cease to think of her, and would let her pass from 
their memory as a thing unknown. 



CHAPTEE XLIII. 

JK95 Opposition continues Louis xiv. appoints three commissioners, Bossuet, De Noailles, 
and Tronson, to examine her doctrines Their character She lays before them the 
work entitled Justifications The first meeting of the commissioners Exclusion of the 
Duke of Chevreuse- -Course taken by Bossuet Interviews subsequently with the Bishop 
of Chalons and Tronson No condemnation passed at this time Of the articles of Issy 
Retires for a time to the Convent of St. Mary in Meaux Her remarks on a charge of 
hypocrisy made against her Poem. 

WHATEVER impressions might have been left upon the mind 
of Bossuet by these conferences, they did not satisfy the public. 
Madame G uyon was almost universally considered as the teacher 
of a new doctrine. Her character was assailed, as well as her 
doctrine. She wrote, therefore, to Madame de Maintenon, re 
questing that a number of suitable persons might be selected 
for the purpose of judging both of her doctrine and morals ; and 
offering to submit to any confinement and restraint, until it 
should please the king to appoint such persons. 

To this request Madame de Maintenon returned an answer to 
the Duke of Chevreuse, who was instructed to inform Madame 
Guyon, that she had laid the subject before the king, who not 
only approved of a new examination of her writings, b it thought 



366 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

that persons eminent for their virtues and talents should be em 
ployed on the occasion. And, accordingly, in a short time he 
appointed three commissioners, Bossuet, Bishop of Meaux, Mon 
sieur Tronson, Superior of the Seminary of St. Sulpitius, and 
Monsieur de Noailles, Bishop of Chalons, to make inquiries, and 
to do what they thought proper in the case. 

The persons were all eminent men. The Bishop of Chalons 
was afterwards appointed Archbishop of Paris, and subsequently 
a Cardinal. The Superior of St. Sulpitius was a man eminent 
alike for his talents and virtues. Of Bossuet we have already 
had occasion to speak. 

The selection of such distinguished men was itself a marked 
tribute, at least to the great intellectual power and personal in 
fluence of Madame Guyon. 

Madame Guyon sent, at their request, the manuscript of her 
Autobiography, so far as it was then written, her book on Prayer, 
The Torrents, and manuscript Commentaries. At this time she 
prepared with great labour her valuable work, entitled, Justifi 
cations of the Doctrine of Madame Guyon. In this she endea 
vours to sustain and justify her views, by quotations from a 
multitude of writers on experimental religion ; not omitting even 
the Greek and Latin Fathers. She sustains herself, in particular, 
by references to the writings of St. Dionysius, St. Bernard, John 
Climacus, Catharine of Genoa, John of the Cross, St. Theresa, 
Henry Suso, Thomas-a-Kempis, Gerson, Ruysbroke, Thauler. 
John de S. Samson, Harphius, Blosius, Euis de Montoya, and 
others. 

She writes, " In order to facilitate the examination, and spare 
the commissioners as much time and trouble as I could, I col 
lected together a great number of passages out of approved 
spiritual writers, for the purpose of showing that my own state 
ments and views were in accordance with those of such writers, 
and with the Holy Scriptures. It was a large work. Having 
written it out, I caused it to be transcribed on separate quires of 
paper, and sent in this manner to the three commissioners. By 
remarks appended to these extracts, I endeavoured to clear up 



OP MADAME GUYON. 367 

some doubtful and obscure passages in my writings. When 1 
first wrote, the troubles in relation to Michael de Molinos had 
not broken out ; so that I used less precaution in expressing my 
thoughts than I might otherwise have done, not imagining that 
my expressions would be turned into an evil sense. This work 
was entitled the Justifications. It cost me fifty days labour ; 
but it seemed to me sufficient to clear up and establish my 
case." 

The first meeting of the commissioners was appointed in 
August 1694, at the house of Bossuet ; probably in his own 
diocese, and in Meaux. At the appointed time, Madame Guyon 
went there, accompanied by the Duke of Chevreuse. The 
Bishop of Chalons came also ; but Tronson was sick, and did 
not come. 

Bossuet was not at home when they arrived. This gave 
Madame Guyon a favourable opportunity to explain her senti 
ments to the Bishop of Chalons, who was a man of candour as 
well as piety. He listened kindly and patiently to her remarks ; 
uniting the civility of the gentleman and the Christian with a 
sincere disposition to do justice. 

Towards evening Bossuet came in. After a little time spent 
in general conversation, he opened a packet, apparently contain 
ing papers in relation to their meeting. He then turned to the 
Duke of Chevreuse, and observed that the affair, having rela 
tion to matters of doctrine, was entirely ecclesiastical ; and as the 
decision of such cases belonged exclusively to bishops, he did 
not think it proper for one who was not a bishop to be present. 
The presence of any person, not a member of the commission, 
would tend to interrupt and diminish their freedom. The Duke 
of Chevreuse was not a man either to resist such an intimation, 
or to be offended at it, and very readily withdrew. 

Madame Guyon was somewhat affected at this incident. And 
recollecting how much she had suffered, both physically and 
mentally, in her former interviews with Bossuet, she thought she 
needed the presence and assistance of some one who understood 
both her character and opinions. The Duke of Chevreuse, in 



368 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

compliance with her earnest request, had kindly consented to 
render his aid. De Noailles seems to have had no objection to 
his being present, but did not openly advocate it ; Bossuet was 
entirely decided, and would not consent to it. 

" I was greatly surprised," says Madame Guyon, " at the ex 
clusion of the Duke. I must confess that the reason assigned for 
his exclusion seemed to me rather a pretence, than a reason 
assigned in good faith. I could not but think that the Bishop 
of Meaux was unwilling to have present a man of such an esta 
blished character, who might afterwards be a witness to the 
world of what passed between us. What could be more natural 
than the presence of a person so eminent in the world, so famous 
both for piety and learning, so greatly interested in the clearing 
up of these matters, that both he and others might be undeceived, 
if, against my intention, I had instilled notions into them con 
trary to the purity of the faith ? Such a witness might have 
served to confound me, if I had spoken differently from what he 
had been accustomed to hear me speak. He might have been 
undeceived himself, and been instrumental in undeceiving others, 
if in these peaceable conferences I had been convicted of errors. 
This was one of the things proposed and anticipated, when the 
measure of appointing commissioners to examine me was first 
suggested. But why do I thus allude to subordinate instru 
ments, as disappointing my expectations ? We are apt to look 
at men and at men s doings. It was God who did not permit 
them." 

The Bishop of Meaux exhibited his characteristic vivacity of 
expression and manner ; so much so, as sometimes, in the opinion 
of Madame Guyon, to violate the ordinary rules of kindness and 
civility. For instance, she observes, " I was then proceeding to 
show the bishop that the doctrines in my writings were in con 
formity with those which appear in other approved writers on 
inward experience. He replied to my remarks, that he was 
much surprised at my ignorance. And not satisfied with dis 
tinctly asserting my want of knowledge, he did not hesitate to 
cast ridicule upon my modes of expression ; and obviously en- 



OP MADAME GUYON. 369 

devoured to darken, and to turn into mere jargon, everything 
which I said ; especially when he observed that Monsieur de 
Noailles began to be touched and affected by the turn of our 
conversation. When I am treated in this violent manner, I am 
apt to become confused and forgetful. And, accordingly, I 
thought it proper to drop the discourse with Bossuet, and said 
nothing." 

" De Noailles," she adds, * treated me with all possible civility. 
When I directed my conversation to him, he took the pains to 
write down some of my answers. Noticing the rough manner 
of Bossuet, he endeavoured to soften and ward off the blows 
from me, as much as he could." 

After this conference, she adds, " I went to see the Bishop of 
Chalons again. I found him alone, and had a free conversation 
with him. Although some persons had tried to prejudice him 
against me, he appeared to be well satisfied, and repeated several 
times that he saw nothing which required to be changed, either 
in my views of prayer, or in anything else. He suggested, how 
ever, that, in consequence of the existing state of things, it might 
be well for me to live in a manner as retired as possible, but 
that, in other respects, I should go on as I had done ; and said, 
that he would pray to God to augment His goodness towards 
me." 

She had not as yet seen the other commissioner, Monsieur 
Tronson. It was thought proper, therefore, that she should visit 
him at his country residence at the village of Issy, not far from 
Paris. She was attended there by the Duke of Chevreuse. She 
says, " I conversed with Monsieur Tronson with all the freedom 
imaginable. He was very particular and exact in his examina 
tions, more so than the others. Formal questions were put, and 
answers corresponding to them were given, which were taken 
down in writing by the Duke of Chevreuse. When the exami 
nation was completed, the Duke made the remark to Monsieur 
Tronson, * You cannot fail to see, sir, as it seems to me, the evi 
dences of her sincerity and uprightness. He answered, * I feel 
it well. And that expression was not unworthy of this distin- 

2 A 



370 LIFE ANl> RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

guished servant of God, who judged, in relation to the matter 
before him, not only by his understanding, but by the feelings of 
his heart. I then took my leave, with the consolation of believing, 
from his appearance at least, that Monsieur Tronson was well 
satisfied, although a forged letter against me had been sent to 
him." 

Such were the favourable sentiments of De Noailles and 
Tronson towards her, that no condemnation of any kind was 
passed at this time. Still the public voice, generally clamorous 
beyond what is just, was not silenced. 

" After these successive examinations, " says Madame Guyon, 
44 which resulted in proving nothing against me, it would have 
been a natural supposition that my opposers would leave me at 
peace. But it was quite otherwise. So far from being propi 
tiated, either by the defect of evidences against me, or by the 
evidences in my favour, they seemed to be inspired with new 
energy in their hostile efforts. Nothing was proved ; but the 
Bishop of Meaux was not entirely satisfied. Under these cir 
cumstances, it seemed to me best to propose to him to put myself 
for a time under his more immediate inspection. I made the 
offer to take up my residence within his diocese, in some reli 
gious house or community, in order that he might become the 
better acquainted with me. He seemed pleased with the plan, 
and proposed that I should become for a time a temporary resi 
dent in the Convent of St. Mary, in Meaux. Perhaps his readi 
ness to accept this proposal was not altogether disinterested. 
Supposing that, if it were carried into effect, it would tend to 
allay the existing excitement and alarm, he remarked to Mother 
Elizabeth Pickard, the prioress of the convent, that it would be 
as good to him as the Archbishopric of Paris or a cardinal s hat. 
When she told me of it, I replied, God will not permit him to 
have either the one or the other." 

The result verified the remark. It seemed to the commis 
sioners, that something further remained to be done. The king, 
at least, would expect something more. They agreed, therefore, 
to continue their meetings for the purpose of considering such 



OF MADAME GUYON. 371 

topics, in the hopes that something might be agreed upon, which 
should furnish a common basis of belief and action. 

On account of the ill health of Monsieur Tronson, their con 
ferences were continued at Issy. The result of their delibera 
tions, which came before the public in the course of a few 
months, was the document, which was afterwards so frequently 
mentioned in the debates of that period, under the denomination 
of the Articles of Issy. 

These celebrated articles, thirty-four in number, indicate the 
views of the authors of them on the subject of PURE LOVE, or 
the highest inward experience. They are drawn up with care, 
and express, in a manner unexceptionable, some of the leading 
ideas in the doctrines of a holy life. If they are defective, it is 
not so much by what they say, as by what they leave unsaid. 
The express the truth, but not the whole truth. There are some 
points in inward experience which they do not reach. With 
this view of them, Madame Guyon gave her assent to them, 
when presented to her some time after this. 

Meaux is twenty-five miles north-east from Paris, on the 
Marne. For that place Madame Guyon set out in January 
1695, accompanied by the faithful maid-servant, La Gautiere, 
who had shared in her labours and travels for the past fourteen 
years. The conveyance in which they travelled became in 
volved in the snows, and could not at once be extricated ; so that 
they were detained some hours, and suffered much from the cold. 

Being obliged to leave the carriage, " we sat upon the snow," 
she says, " resigned to the mercy of God, and expecting nothing 
but death. The snow melted upon our garments j and both of 
us, the girl and myself, were exceedingly chilled ; but I never 
had more tranquillity of mind. My poor maid was also entirely 
submissive and quiet, although we saw no likelihood of any one 
coming to our succour, and were sure of dying if we remained 
there. Occasions like these are such as show whether we are 
perfectly resigned to God or not. At length some waggoners 
came up, who with difficulty drew us through the drift. It was 
ten o clock at night when we arrived at Meaux. The people of 



372 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

the convent, who had received some notice of our coming, had 
given over expecting us, and had retired to rest." 

After considerable delay, the nuns were called up, the bishop 
was informed of their arrival, and they were formally admitted. 

In speaking of Bossuet, Madame Guyon says, " He had his 
good intervals, but he was not beyond the reach of personal and 
interested motives. And in regard to myself, I cannot doubt 
that he was under the influence of persons who endeavoured to 
excite him against me." 

In this remark she probably had in mind an observation 
said to have dropped from him, that her coming to Meaux so 
promptly, and in such uncomfortable weather, was a mere arti 
fice ; indicating a readiness to fall in with his wishes, and to take 
a proper course, which did not really exist. 

The charge of artifice, or rather of hypocrisy, coming from a 
man of so high character, naturally arrested her attention. It 
was perhaps a false, or at least an exaggerated report ; but she 
believed it, at the time, to be true. She makes the following 
remarks upon it : 

" Those men, who look at the tree with an evil eye, account 
its fruits to be evil. I am said to be charged with being a 
hypocrite. But by what evidence is the charge supported ? It 
is certainly a strange hypocrisy, which voluntarily spends its life 
in suffering ; which endures the cross in its various forms, the 
calumny, the poverty, the persecution, and every kind of afflic 
tion, without any reference to worldly advantages. I think one 
has never seen such a hypocrisy as this before. 

" So far as I understand the subject, hypocrites have generally 
two objects in view : one is to acquire money, the other is to 
acquire popularity. If such are the leading elements involved 
in hypocrisy, I must do myself the justice to say, that I disclaim 
any acquaintance with it. I call God to witness, that I would 
not have endured what it has been my lot to endure, if by so 
doing I could have been made empress of the whole earth, or 
have been canonized while living. It was not earth, but God 
that called me. I heard a voice which I could not disobey. I 



OP MADAME GUYON. 373 

desired to please God alone ; and I sought Him, not for what He 
might give me, but only for Himself. I had rather die, than do 
anything against His will. This is the sentiment of my heart ; a 
sentiment which no persecutions, no trials, have made me alter. 
" It is true, that my feeble nature has sometimes been greatly 
burdened. Sorrows have come in upon me like a flood. I have 
been obliged to say with the Psalmist, All thy waves and thy 
billows have gone over me; 1 and with Jeremiah, l Thou hast 
caused the arrows of thy quiver to enter into my reins. Being 
accounted by everybody a transgressor, I was made to walk in 
the path of my suffering Saviour, who was condemned by the 
sovereign pontiff, by the chief priests, the doctors of the law, 
and the judges deputed by the Romans. But the love of God 
rendered my sorrows sweet. His invisible hand has supported 
me. My purpose has remained unchanged. Happy are they 
who are sharers with Christ in suffering." 

THE ACQUIESCENCE OP PURE LOVE. 
[From the Translations of her poems by Cowper."] 

LOVB ! if thy destined sacrifice am I, 

Come, slay thy victim, and prepare thy firea ; 
Plunged in thy depths of mercy, let me die 

The death which every soul that lives, desires 

I watch my hours, and see them fleet away ; 

The time is long that I have languish d here 
Yet all my thoughts thy purposes obey, 

With no reluctance, cheerful and sincere. 

To me tis equal, whether love ordain 

My life or death, appoint me pain of fate , 
My soul perceives no real ill in pain 

In ease or health no real good she sees. 

One good she covets, and that good alone 

To choose thy will, from selfish bias free ; 
And to prefer a cottage to a throne, 

And grief to comfort, if it pleases thee. 

That we should bear the cross is thy command. 

Die to the world, and live to self no more ; 
Buffer, unmoved, beneath the rudest hand ; 

When shipwreck d pleased, as when upon th shore. 



374 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 



CHAPTER XLIV. 

169? Sickness Visited by Bossuet Singular conversation Reference to a sermon 
Bossuet Receives recommendations from him and the prioress and nuns Leaves Mesas 
for Paris Excitement occasioned Conceals herself five months Seized by order of thf 
king, and imprisoned in the Castle of Vincennes State of her mind Poems. 

IN the convent at Meaux, she remained six months as & 
voluntary resident. It was suggested by Bossuet that it might 
be desirable for her to remain there three months ; but, further 
than that, there was no limitation of time suggested ; but she 
was free to leave whenever she pleased. From the middle of 
January to the last of February, she was sick. After her re 
covery Bossuet came one day to the convent, and showed her a 
Pastoral Ordinance and Letter (the same undoubtedly usually 
prefixed to his work, entitled, Instructions on Prayer), in which 
he had noticed and condemned some of the prevalent religious 
errors, as he considered them. 

He asked her to add her signature to the letter, accompanied 
by certain statements which would involve the idea that she had 
fallen into the very errors named in it. To this she very natur 
ally objected. She said, however, that she would add at the 
end of his pastoral letter whatever she could properly place 
there. She accordingly wrote a few words, expressive probably 
of her desire to know and to teach the truth only, and of her 
readiness to submit to the decisions of the Church, and added her 
name. Bossuet, taking up the paper, said it was very well, with 
the exception that she did not say, as she ought to have done, that 
she was a heretic ; adding, that it was his desire and expecta 
tion that she would acknowledge herself guilty of all the errors 
condemned in the Pastoral Letter. 

" I am quite certain, sir," replied Madame Guyon, " that you 
gay this merely to try my feelings. I came into your diocese, 
and placed myself under your care, in order that you might the 
more readily and fully ascertain my character and life. Is it 



OF MADAME GUYON. 375 

possible that a prelate will so abuse the good faith thus reposed 
in him, as to try to compel me to do things which my conscience 
requires me not to do ? I hoped to find in you a FATHER ; and 
I trust that I shall not be deceived." 

" I am a father," said Bossuet ; " but I am a father of the 
Church. But, in short, it is not a question of words. It is not 
a thing to be talked about, but to be done. All I can say is, if 
you do not sign what I require, I will come with witnesses ; 
and, after having admonished you before them, I will inform 
the Church of you, and we will cut you off as we are directed 
in the Gospel." 

" Then," said Madame Guyon, " I can appeal to God alone 
as the witness of my sincerity. I have nothing farther to say. 
I am ready to suffer for Him. And I hope He will grant me 
the favour to let me do nothing against my conscience. I say 
this, I hope, without departing from the respect I owe to you as 
a bishop." 

Bossuet, finding her resolute, then proposed that she should 
admit and declare that there were errors in the Latin work of 
La Combe on inward experience. This also she refused ; and 
he turned and went away in anger. 

The nuns of St. Mary stood by, and beheld this interview 
with great interest, and with some degree of astonishment. The 
Prioress remarked to Madame Guyon, that her too great mild 
ness emboldened the bishop to treat her in that rough manner ; 
adding that his mind was of such a cast, that he was apt to be 
violent with those who were meek and quiet, but more gentle 
with those who were courageous and firm of purpose. 

He came afterwards in the same spirit, and with the same 
demands ; and met with the same prompt refusal. He then, 
yielding either to his sense of justice, or to the necessity of the 
case, took a different course. He gave Madame Guyon to un 
derstand, although he was not himself altogether satisfied with 
her views, that he should have less to say, and should express 
less dissatisfaction, if her enemies would permit him to rest. In 
one of his letters to the Prioress, he said expressly that " he had 



376 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

examined the writings of Madame Guyon with great care, and 
found in them nothing censurable, except some terms which 
were not wholly conformed to the strictness of theology ; but 
that a woman was not expected to be a theologian." 

At a certain time, when the nuns and the prioress were con 
versing with him about her, he said, " I regard her just as you 
do ; I see nothing wrong in her conduct ; but her enemies tor 
ment me, and wish me to find evil in her." He testified also 
to the Archbishops of Paris and Sens, that he esteemed her 
much, and had been edified by her. 

Madame Guyon understood well the intellectual power of 
Bossuet. He was the first orator in France ; perhaps the first 
in the world at that time. She speaks of a sermon which she 
heard him preach at Meaux, as one of astonishing power. It 
arrested her attention the more, because it was on the subject 
the most interesting to her that of the higher forms of inward 
experience. It was on the occasion of the celebration of the 
mass. " He stated things in it," she says, " much more strongly 
than I had myself done. He said that he was not master of 
himself under the view which was then spread around him of 
those awful mysteries ; and that, under such circumstances, he 
wag obliged to confess and announce the great truths of God, 
even if they should be against and should condemn himself." 

The Prioress of the convent was present at this time. She 
asked Bossuet how he could persecute Madame Guyon, when it 
was obvious that he himself preached the same sentiments. He 
answered that it was not anything in himself which did it, but 
the violence of her enemies. 

In these more propitious dispositions, after nearly six months 
residence at Meaux, he gave her a paper or certificate with his 
name subscribed, in which, while he did not explicitly condemn 
her doctrines, and made indeed but slight references to them, he 
spoke in very favourable terms of her character and conduct. As 
the time of her departure from Meaux approached, the prioress 
and nuns of the convent, who esteemed her very much, gave 
her another certificate. It was in the following terms : - 



OP MADAME GUYON. 377 

" We, the prioress and nuns of the Visitation of St. Mary of 
Meaux, certify that Madame Guyon, having lived in our house, 
by order of our Lord Bishop of Meaux, our illustrious prelate 
and superior, during the space of six months, far from giving us 
any cause of trouble or uneasiness, has afforded us much edifi 
cation. We have remarked, in all her conduct and in all her 
words, a great regularity, simplicity, sincerity, mortification, 
meekness, and Christian patience ; a true devotion and esteem 
for whatever pertains to our most holy faith, especially the mys 
tery of the incarnation and of the holy infancy of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. It would be a favour and of great satisfaction to our 
whole community, if the said lady would choose, as a place of 
retreat, to spend the rest of her days in our house. This pro 
testation is made without any other view than that of giving 
testimony to the truth. 

" Done this 7th of July, and signed, 

" FRANCES ELIZABETH LE PICKARD, Prioress. 
Sister MAGDALEN AIME*E GUETON. 
Sister CLAUDE MARIE AMOURI." 

" As I had now been at Meaux," says Madame Guyon, " six 
months, though I had engaged to stay there only three, I asked 
the bishop if he desired anything further from me. He said he 
did not. I then told him that I had now need to go to Bour 
bon ; and asked him if it would be agreeable to him, if I should 
return with the expectation of spending the remainder of my 
days with the good nuns of the Convent of St. Mary ; adding, 
in relation to them, that our spirits had been cemented in the 
bonds of mutual love. 

" He appeared to be much pleased with the suggestion, and 
said that the nuns had been much edified by me, and that he 
should always receive me with pleasure. In connexion with 
some remarks in relation to my departure, I told him that either 
my daughter, the Countess of Vaux, or some of my friends, 
would come for me, and take me away. On hearing this, he 
turned to Mother Pickard, the prioress, and said to her that he 



378 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

was about leaving on a visit to Paris ; and that lie was very 
desirous, if the ladies referred to should come, that they should 
be received well, and lodged in their house, as long as they 
might be willing to stay." 

On the eighth of July, the Duchess of Mortemar, one of the 
most intimate friends of Madame Guyon, came to the convent, 
accompanied by her daughter, Madame de Morstein. They re 
mained till the afternoon of the next day, and then returned 
with Madame Guyon to Paris. 

It was no sooner known that she was again in Paris, than the 
whole city seemed to be in an uproar. Her enemies started at 
once into life. The king was alarmed ; Madame de Maintenon, 
carried away by the popular current, and ceasing to retain her 
former favourable sentiments, was angry ; and Bossuet himself, 
so far as he was accessible to the influences of personal interest, 
had reason to fear that he had committed an error by too great 
lenity. Certain it is, that he took the singular course, hardly 
reconcilable with a high sense of honour, of writing to her, and 
requesting her to return the certificate, which, but just before, 
he had given. 

In answer to the application for this certificate, which seemed 
to Madame Guyon to be a matter of considerable consequence, 
she wrote to the prioress of the convent at Meaux, that she had 
placed it in the hands of some members of her family ; that her 
friends, after the various attacks which had been made upon her 
character, had need of it for her vindication ; and, as they had 
now possession of it, there was no reason to think they would be 
willing to part with it. From this time we may date a more 
distinct and settled aversion to her on the part of Bossuet. 

The party against her was so violent, that it was evident she 
would not be able to remain at large for any length of time. 
Finding it unsafe to remain at the house of her daughter, she 
hid herself for a few days at the house of one of her friends 
in the Faubourg St. Germain. Concealing her intentions as 
much as possible, she soon after obtained an obscure tenement 
in the Faubourg St. Antoine, where she remained concealed 



OP MADAME GUYON. 379 

witn her maid-servant, La Gautiere, about five months. " Here," 
she says, " I passed the day in great solitude, in reading, in 
praying to God, and working." 

In the meanwhile, the police officers of Paris had orders to 
ascertain where she was. On the 27th of December 1695, 
Monsieur des Grez, one of the members of the police, ascertained 
her lodgings, and arrested her. She wag kept in custody three 
days, awaiting the decision whether she should be imprisoned in 
a convent, or in one of the state prisons. It was a question of 
so much perplexity, that it seemed necessary to consult M. de 
Noailles, who had recently been appointed Archbishop of Paris. 
Accordingly, Madame de Maintenon wrote to him as follows : 
" The king orders me, sir, to inform you, that Madame Guyon 
is arrested. What would you think it best to do with this 
woman, her friends, and papers ? The king will be here (at 
Versailles) all the morning. Write to him immediately." 

The result was that she was shut up in the celebrated castle 
of Vincennes. 

This castle, situated in the forest of Vincennes near Paris, is 
used both as a military fortress and as a state prison, and is 
hardly less celebrated than the Bastile. It is often mentioned 
in history. Many, in earlier and in later times, have been the 
agonizing sorrows and the scenes of blood it has witnessed. 

The imprisonment of Madame Guyon was considered a matter 
of so much consequence, that the Marquis of Dangeaux, who held 
at this time an important situation at the court of Louis XIV., 
and who kept a chronicle of the court from the year 1684 to 
1720, mentions it, among the other memorable things of that 
period, in the following terms : 

" 1696, Jan. 20th. The king caused Madame Guyon to be 
arrested a few days ago, and sent to the castle of Vincennes, 
where she will be strictly guarded, apparently for a long time. 
She is accused of having maintained, both by word of mouth 
and by her writings, a very dangerous doctrine, and one which 
nearly approaches to heresy. She has imposed upon many per 
sons of eminent virtue. A long search was made for her, be- 



380 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

fore she could be taken. She was found in the Faubourg St. 
Antoine in great concealment." 

In this her second imprisonment, Madame Guyon had the 
same inward supports which had sustained her at other times. 
Her faithful maid, La Gautiere, was arrested and imprisoned 
with her. In her subsequent imprisonment in the Bastile, they 
were separated from each other. In the prison of Vincennes, 
they occupied the same cell, which was a great consolation. 

She was subject here, as she had previously been, to a close 
examination. 

In regard to Father La Combe, she declared, in opposition to 
the unfounded and unceasing insinuations of her enemies, that 
her long intercourse with him had never been sullied by any 
thing opposite to the innocence of religion, and that she regarded 
him as an eminently holy man ; and frankly admitted that, ever 
since his imprisonment, she had kept up a correspondence with 
him. 

In regard to her doctrines, she answered her examiner, that 
she might have been wrong in particular expressions ; but she 
could not acknowledge, with her present views, that she had 
ever held false doctrines. She expressed a willingness to submit 
to any condemnation of her works, founded upon the imperfection 
and erroneous tendencies of her language ; but would not deny 
anything in them in the sense in which she understood it, and 
in which she meant it to be understood. In this sense she ex 
pressed herself resolute in making no retractions whatever. 

Under such circumstances, there was, of course, but little pro 
spect of any immediate release from her imprisonment. 

A little incident occurred, which illustrates the application of 
her religious principles. On a certain day, probably through 
gome failure of her usual inward recollection, she had become a 
little anxious, and undertook to study and frame her answers 
beforehand. The consequence was such as may be generally ex 
pected, when we depart from that simplicity of spirit which is 
" careful for nothing." She says, " I answered badly. God, 
who had so often caused me to answer difficult and perplexing 



OP MADAME (HJYON. 381 

questions with much facility and presence of mind, punished me 
now, even by stopping me short on easy matters with confusion. 
It served to show me the inutility of our arrangements on such 
occasions, and the safety of trusting in God. 

" Those who depend chiefly on human reason are apt to say 
that it is necessary to look before us, and to make our prepara 
tions ; and that to do otherwise, is to expect miracles, and to 
tempt God. Leaving others to do as they think best, I must 
say for myself, that I find no safety but in resigning myself en 
tirely to God ; doing what He calls me to do in the moment of 
action, and leaving everything with Him in submission and 
humble faith. The Scriptures, as it seems to me, abound every 
where with texts enforcing such a resignation. * Commit thy 
way unto the Lord, says the Psalmist ; * trust also in Him, and 
He shall bring it to pass. And He shall bring forth thy right 
eousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noon-day, (Ps. 
xxxvii. 5, 6.) The Saviour, speaking of those who are brought 
before kings and rulers for His name s sake, says, l Settle it, there 
fore, in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer ; 
-for I will give you a mouth which all your adversaries shall 
not be able to gainsay nor resist. God does not lay a snare for 
us in such passages. He consults our good, when He requires 
us to renounce all merely human foresight and policy, and trust 
wholly in Him." 

Speaking of her general state of mind, she says, " I passed 
my time in great peace, content to spend the remainder of my 
life there, if such should be the will of God. I employed part 
of my time in writing religious songs. I, and my maid La 
Gautiere, who was with me in prison, committed them to heart 
as fast as I made them. Together we sang praises to thee, 
our God ! It sometimes seemed to me as if I were a little bird 
whom the Lord had placed in a cage, and that I had nothing to 
do now but to sing. The joy of my heart gave a brightness to 
the objects around me. The stones of my prison looked in my 
eyes like rubies. I esteemed them more than all the gaudy 
brilliancies of a vain world. My heart was full of that joy which 



382 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

thou givest to them who love thee in the midst of their greatest 
crosses." 

A number of her poems have allusion to her imprisonment. 
At this period she wrote a considerable portion of the volumes 
in verse which have been since published. They illustrate the 
state of her mind, and throw some light upon her character and 
doctrines. 

PRISONS DO NOT EXCLUDE GOD. 

STKONG are the walls around me, Thy love, God, restores me 

That hold me all the day ; From sighs and tears to praise , 

But they who thus have bound me, And deep my soul adores thee, 
Cannot keep God away : Nor thinks of time or place : 

My very dungeon walls are dear, I ask no more, in good or ill, 

Because the God I love is here. But union with thy holy will. 

They know, who thus oppress ine, Tis that which makes my treasure, 
Tis hard to be alone; Tis that which brings my gain , 

But know not, One can bless me, Converting woe to pleasure, 
Who comes through bars and stone : And reaping joy from pain. 

He makes my dungeon s darkness bright, Oh, tis enough, whate er befall, 

And nils my bosom with delight. To know that God is All in All. 



GOD KNOWN BY LOVJNG HIM. 

TiH not the skill of human art, Oh ! then, of God if thou wouldst leant 
Which gives me power my God to know ; His wisdom, goodness, glory see ; 

The sacred lessons of the heart All human arts and knowledge spurn, 
Come not from instruments below. Let Love alone thy teacher be. 

ove is my teacher. He can tell Love is my master. When it breaks, 
The wonders that He learnt above : The morning light, with rising ray, 

No other master knows so well ; To thee, O God ! my spirit wakes, 
Tis Love alone can tell of LOVE. And Love instructs it all the day. 

And when the gleams of day retire, 

Aud midnight spreads its dark control, 
Love s secret whispers still inspire 

Their holy lessons in the soul. 



THOUGHTS OF GOD IN THE NIGHT. 
[Extracted and slightly altered from a longer poem, translated by Cowper.J 

O NIGHT ! propitious to my views, Ye stars ! whose faint and feeble fires 

Thy sp.ble awning wide diffuse ! Express my languishing desires, 

Conceal alike my joy arid pain, Whose slender beams pervade the skies 

Nor draw thy curtain back again, As silent as my secret sighs, 

Though morning, hy the tears she shows, Those emanations of a soul 

Seems to participate my woes. That darts her fires beyond the pole ; 



OF MADAME GUYON. 383 

Yftur rays, that scarce assist the sight. Ye thought composing, silent hours, 

That pierce, but not displace the night, Diffusing peace o er all my powers ; 

That shine, indeed, but nothing show Friends of the pensive ! who conceal, 

Of all those various scenes below, In darkest shades, the flames I feel ; 

Bring no disturbance, rather prove To you I trust, and safely may, 

Incentives to a sacred love. The love that wastes my strength away 

Thou moon ! whose never-failing course How calm, amid the night, my mind ! 

Bespeaks a providential force, How perfect is the peace I find ! 

Go, tell the tidings of my flame Oh ! hush, be still, my every part, 

To llim who calls the stars by name ; My tongue, iny pulse, my beating heart I 

Whose absence kills, whose presence cheers, That love, aspiring to its cause, 

Who blots or brightens all my years. May suffer not a moment s pause. 

While, in the blue abyss of space, Omniscient God, whose notice deigns 

Thine orb performs its rapid race ; To try the heart and search the reins, 

Still whisper in his listening ears Compassionate the numerous woes 

The language of my sighs and tears ; I dare to thee alone disclose , 

Tell him, I seek him far below, Oh ! save me from the cruel hands 

tioetin a wilderness of woe. Of men who fear not tby commands 

LOVB, all-subduing and Divine, 
Care for a creature truly thine ; 
Reign in a heart disposed to own 
No sovereign but thyself alone; 
Oherish a bride who cannot rove, 
Nor quit thee for a meaner love. 



THE ENTIRE SURRENDER. 

PBACI has unveil d her smiling face, Yield to the Lord with simple bean, 

And woos thy soul to her embrace ; All that tbou liast, and all thou art ; 
Enjoy d with ease, if thou refrain Renounce all strength but strength Divm* 

From selfish love, else sought in vain ; And peace shall be for ever thine ; 

She dwells with all who truth prefer, Behold the path which I have trod 

But seeks not them who seek not her. My path till I go home to God. 



GLORY TO GOD ALONE. 

O LOVBD ! but not enough, though dearer far 
Than self and its most loved enjoyments are ; 
None duly loves thee, but who, nobly free 
From sensual objects, finds his ALL in thee. 

Glory of God ! thou stranger here below, 
Whom man nor knows, nor feels a wish to know, 
^ur faith and reason are both shock d to find 
Man in the post of honour, thee behind. 

My soul ! rest happy in thy low estate, 
Nor hope nor wish to be esteem d or great; 
To take the impression of a Will Divine, 
Be that thy glory, and those riches thine. 



384 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

Confess Him righteous in His just decrees, 

Love what He loves, and let His pleasures please ; 

DIK DAIIT ; from the touch of sin recede ; 

Then thou hast crown d Him, and He reigns indeed. 



CHAPTER XLV. 

696 Bossuet writes on the inward life His book, entitled Instructions on Prayer, ap 
proved by the Bishop of Chartres and the Archbishop of Paris Ffinelon refuses hit 
approbation Writes to Madame de Maintenon, giving his reasons Origin of the work 
entitled the Maxims of the Saints Remarks on it. 

DURING a considerable part of the year 1695, the mind of 
Bossuet seems to have been occupied, in various ways, with the 
topics which thus agitated the religious portion of the community. 

The doctrines of holy living, in the form in which they were 
now presented, new as they were to most persons in that age, 
were nevertheless not new in the history and experience of the 
world. Pious men of other ages had known them ; felt them ; 
taught them. They had their history, therefore, as well as their 
exegetical and theological relations. To the subject in its vari 
ous relations, Bossuet had decided to give an increased and 
vigorous attention. Indeed, it was not his character to enter 
upon any subject indolently and carelessly. He read much ; 
and that, too, in writers who had hitherto attracted but little 
of his notice. He thought much, and conversed and observed 
much. And in the early part of the following year, after eight 
months of assiduous study, he was enabled to embody the result 
of his reading and reflections in his work (one of the ablest, 
unquestionably, in the long catalogue of his remarkable writ 
ings), entitled Instructions on the States of Prayer. 

When Bossuet thought it proper to write at all, he expected 
to write as a master. Indeed, the public expectation, which 
was always disappointed when he failed to leave his competitors 
behind, did not allow him to do otherwise. Writing as a leader 
and master of his art, he wrote also as a master of the public 
mind. His decisions, when given in a manner worthy of his 



OF MADAME GUYON. 385 

high character, so influenced the public sentiment, that they had 
almost the effect of the combined wisdom and piety of a council. 
If he met with opposition, he expected to overcome it ; but, 
generally speaking, he had ceased to expect it, because he had 
so long ceased to experience it. But whether opposed or not, 
he knew that he deserved to be listened to ; and he did not 
expect to write or to speak to careless and indifferent ears. 
" What you write," says the Abbe de Kance in one of his 
letters, " is decisive." And such was the general feeling in 
France. 

He took the precaution, however, at this time, as the result 
seemed to be more doubtful than in some other cases, to sustain 
himself by the approval of distinguished men. Who knew but 
that a new Protestantism, arising out of these discussions, would 
spring up in the very bosom of France ? How important it 
was, then, that the blow about to be given should be so well 
aimed, and inflicted with so much power, as entirely and for 
ever to prostrate these movements ? If he had but little to fear 
from an intellectual conflict with Madame Guyon, he might 
have much to fear from heads and hearts too pure to be per 
verted by selfish considerations, and too strong to be trifled with, 
which were under her remarkable influence. 

With such views and feelings, he wrote this celebrated 
treatise a large work in ten books. Of the ability of the work 
no one can doubt. It is profound in learning, and brilliant 
with eloquence. But he was offended with Madame Guyon ; 
he knew that the king was offended also ; and when he touched 
upon her character and writings, he was more critical and 
denunciatory than just. 

His work, begun in 1695, was completed early in 1696, but 
was not published till the following year. It was not his inten 
tion to publish it, until it could be submitted to the examination, 
and be sustained by the approbation, of some of the most dis 
tinguished men in France. It was accordingly submitted, at 
an early period, to M. Godet des Marais, Bishop of Chartres, 
and to M. de Noailles, appointed in the preceding year Arch- 

2 B 



386 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

bishop of Paris. Both were able men, and readily gave their 
testimonials in favour of the work. 

To these important testimonials Bossuet was desirous of adding 
that of the recently appointed Archbishop of Cambray. The 
high character of Fenelon, added to the influential position he 
now held, had given a currency and popularity to the doctrines 
of Madame Guyon. It was natural, therefore, for Bossuet to 
consider it desirable to diminish his influence in that respect, 
by obtaining his signature to a work which condemned those 
doctrines. 

Fenelon examined the manuscript with care ; and although 
impressed with the ability which characterized it, he refused to 
give his approbation to it. 

If the book had merely condemned doctrines, without impli 
cating the character of persons, it might have been otherwise. 
His objection was not so much to the general doctrines of the 
book, although he might not have beer altogether satisfied in 
that respect, as to the manner in which the writer spoke of the 
opinions and character of Madame Guyon. 

Others, who were comparatively ignorant of her character, 
might perhaps conscientiously condemn her ; but, as for himself, 
he felt that he had no such plea. He knew her well ; he was 
entirely convinced of her sincerity ; he had taken pains to as 
certain her meaning in passages of her writings which seemed 
obscure and difficult. But this was not all. He remembered, 
with feelings of gratitude, the deep interest she had taken in his 
religious welfare, the prayers she had offered, the conversations 
she had held, the letters she had written, and the blessing which 
had attended these various efforts. 

Was it possible for him, with a heart humbled and subdued, 
with a will which corresponded with what he supposed to be 
right and with the right only, to give his signature and appro 
bation to a book which spoke in severely disparaging terms of 
one of whom he entertained the most favourable opinions, and 
to whom he was thus indebted ? 

He knew that his refusal would not only be an offence to 



OF MADAME GUYON. 387 

Bossuet, but would expose him also to the dissatisfaction of the 
king, and would be likely to blast his worldly prospects. But 
he did not hesitate. 

The following are passages from a letter addressed to Madame 
de Main tenon : 

" August 2, 1696. 

" MADAME, When the Bishop of Meaux proposed to me to 
approve of his book, I expressed to him, with tenderness, that I 
should be delighted to give such a public testimony of the con 
formity of my sentiments with those of a prelate whom I had 
ever regarded, from my youth, as my master in the science of 
religion. I even offered to go to Germigny to compose, in con 
junction with him, my approbation. I said, at the same time, 
to the Archbishop of Paris, to the Bishop of Chartres, and to 
Monsieur Tronson, that I did not, in fact, see any shadow of 
difficulty between me and the Bishop of Meaux, on the funda 
mental questions of doctrine ; but that, if he personally attacked 
Madame Guyon in his book, I could not approve of it. This 
I declared six months ago. The Bishop of Meaux gave me 
his book to examine. At the first opening of the leaves, I saw 
that it was full of personal refutation. I immediately informed 
the Archbishop of Paris, the Bishop of Chartres, and Monsieur 
Tronson, of the perplexing situation in which the Bishop of 
Meaux had placed me." 

After adding that he could not approve of a book in which 
many unfavourable things are said of Madame Guyon, without 
doing an injury to himself as well as injustice to her, he proceeds 
in the same letter to give his reasons. 

" I have often seen her. Every one knows that I have been 
intimately acquainted with her. I may say farther, that I have 
esteemed her, and that I have suffered her also to be esteemed 
by illustrious persons, whose reputation is dear to the Church, 
and who had confidence in me. I neither was nor could be 
ignorant of her writings, although I did not examine them all 
accurately at an early period. I knew enough of them, however, 
to perceive that they were liable to be misunderstood ; and must 



388 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

confess that I was induced by some feelings of early distrust to 
examine her with the greatest rigour. I think I can say I have 
conducted this examination with greater accuracy than her 
enemies, or even her authorized examiners, can have done it. 
And the reason of my saying this is, that she was much more 
candid, much more unconstrained, much more ingenuous towards 
me, at a time when she had nothing to fear. 

" I have often made her explain what she thought respecting 
the controverted points. I have required her, in frequent in 
stances, to explain to me the meaning of particular terms in her 
writings, having relation to the subject of inward experience, 
which seemed to be mystical and uncertain. I clearly perceived, 
in every instance, that she understood them in a perfectly inno 
cent and catholic sense. I followed her even through all the 
details of her practice, and of the counsels which she gave to the 
most ignorant and least cautious persons ; but I could never 
discover the least trace of those wrong and injurious maxims 
which are attributed to her. Could I then conscientiously im 
pute them to her by my approbation of the work of the Bishop 
of Meaux, and thus strike the final blow at her reputation, after 
having so clearly and so accurately ascertained her innocence ? 

" Let others, who are acquainted with her writings only, ex 
plain the meaning of those writings with rigour, and censure 
them. I leave them to do it if they please. But, as for myself, 
I think I am bound in justice to judge of the meaning of her 
writings from her real opinions, with which I am thoroughly 
acquainted; and not of her opinions, by the harsh interpreta 
tions which are given to her expressions, and which she never 
intended." 

The work of Bossuet, although not yet published, was every 
where spoken of. It was generally understood also, that it did 
not meet with the approbation of Fenelon. Bossuet and Fenelon 
were, therefore, at variance ; two men who embodied more of 
public thought and public attachment than any other two men 
in France. And, singular as it may seem, the object of con 
troversy between them was a poor captive woman, who was at 



OF MADAME GUYON. 389 

this very time shut up in the fortress of Vincennes, and employed 
in making religious songs. 

It was not possible for a man of Fenelon s reputation and 
standing, towards whom so many eyes were now turned, to re 
main silent. Under these circumstances, enlightened by his 
own experience as well as by history, he gave to the world his 
work, entitled, The Maxims of the Saints, in January 1697. 

In this celebrated work, it was his object to state some of the 
leading principles found in the most devout writers on the 
higher inward experience. The work of Bossuet, although it 
embraced a multitude of topics, might be justly described as an 
attack upon Madame Guyon. The work of Fenelon, without 
naming her, was designed to be her defence. It was an exposi 
tion of her views as Fenelon understood them, and as she had 
explained them to him in private. I propose to give the sub 
stance of these maxims. As they are drawn in part from the 
mystic writers, we meet frequently with expressions peculiar to 
those writers. 

MAXIMS OF THE SAINTS. 

[The maxims of the Saints ; or Maxims having relation to the experiences of the Inward 
Life and the doctrines of Pure Love, by Fgnelon, Archbishop of Cambray.l 

ARTICLE FIRST. 

OF the love of God, there are various kinds. At least, there 
are various feelings which go under that name. 

First, There is what may be called mercenary or selfish love ; 
that is, that love of God which originates in a sole regard to our 
own happiness. Those who love God with no other love than 
this, love Him just as the miser his money, and the voluptuous 
man his pleasures ; attaching no value to God, except as a means 
to an end ; and that end is the gratification of themselves. Such 
love, if it can be called by that name, is unworthy of God. He 
does not ask it ; He will not receive it. In the language of 
Francis de Sales, " it is sacrilegious and impious." 

Second, Another kind of love does not exclude a regard to 



390 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

our own happiness as a motive of love, but requires this motive 
to be subordinate to a much higher one, namely, that of a regard 
to God s glory. It is a mixed state, in which we regard our 
selves and God at the same time. This love is not necessarily 
selfish and wrong. On the contrary, when the two objects of it, 
God and ourselves, are relatively in the right position, that is to 
say, when we love God as He ought to be loved, and love our 
selves no more than we ought to be loved, it is a love which, in 
being properly subordinated, is unselfish and is right. 

ARTICLE SECOND. 

I. Of the subjects of this mixed love all are not equally 
advanced. 

II. MIXED LOVE becomes PURE LOVE, when the love of self is 
relatively, though not absolutely, lost in a regard to the will of 
God. This is always the case, when the two objects are loved 
in their due proportion. So that pure love is mixed love when 
it is combined rightly. 

III. Pure love is not inconsistent with mixed love, but is 
mixed love carried to its true result. When this result is at 
tained, the motive of God s glory so expands itself, and so fills 
the mind, that the other motive, that of our own happiness, 
becomes so small, and so recedes from our inward notice, as to 
be practically annihilated. It is then that God becomes what 
He ever ought to be the centre of the soul, to which all its 
affections tend ; the great moral sun of the soul, from which all 
its light and all its warmth proceed. It is then that a man 
thinks no more of himself. He has become the man of a " single 
eye." His own happiness, and all that regards himself, is entirely 
lost sight of, in his simple and fixed look to God s will and 
God s glory. 

IV. We lay ourselves at His feet. Self is known no more ; 
not because it is wrong to regard and to desire our own good, 
but because the object of desire is withdrawn from our notice. 
When the sun shines, the stars disappear. When God is in the 



OF MADAME GUYON. 391 

aonl, who can think of himself? So that we love God, and God 
alone ; and all other things IN and FOR God. 

ARTICLE THIRD. 

In the early periods of religious experience, motives, which 
have a regard to our personal happiness, are more prominent 
and effective than at later periods ; nor are they to be condemned. 
It is proper, in addressing even religious men, to appeal to the 
fear of death, to the impending judgments of God, to the terrors 
of hell and the joys of heaven. Such appeals are recognised in 
the Holy Scriptures, and are in accordance with the views and 
feelings of good men in all ages of the world. The motives 
involved in them are powerful aids to beginners in religion ; 
assisting, as they do, very much in repressing the passions, and 
in strengthening the practical virtues. 

We should not think lightly, therefore, of the grace of God, 
as manifested in that inferior form of religion which stops short 
of the more glorious and perfected form of pure love. We are 
to follow God s grace, and not to go before it. To the higher 
state of PURE LOVE we are to advance step by step ; watching 
carefully God s inward and outward providence ; and receiving 
increased grace by improving the grace we have, till the dawn 
ing light becomes the perfect day. 

ARTICLE FOURTH. 

He who is in the state of pure or perfect love, has all the 
moral and Christian virtues in himself. If temperance, forbear 
ance, chastity, truth, kindness, forgiveness, justice, may be re 
garded as virtues, there can be no doubt that they are all in 
cluded in holy love. That is to say, the principle of love will 
not fail to develop itself in each of these forme. St. Augustine 
remarks, that love is the foundation, source, or principle of all 
the virtues. This view is sustained also by St. Francis de Sales 
and by Thomas Aquinas. 

The state of pure love does not exclude the mental state 
which is called Christian hope. Hope in the Christian, when 



392 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

we analyze it into its elements, may be described as the desiro 
of being united with God in heaven, accompanied with the ex 
pectation or belief of being so. 

ARTICLE FIFTH. 

Souls that, by being perfected in love, are truly the subjects 
of sanctification, do not cease, nevertheless, to grow in grace. 
It may not be easy to specify and describe the degrees of sancti 
fication ; but there seem to be at least two modifications of 
experience after persons have reached this state. 

1. The first may be described as the state of holy resignation. 
Such a soul thinks more frequently than it will, at a subsequent 
period, of its own happiness. 

2. The second state is that of holy indifference. Such a soul 
absolutely ceases either to desire or to will, except in co-opera 
tion with the Divine leading. Its desires for itself, as it has 
greater light, are more completely and permanently merged in 
the one higher and more absorbing desire of God s glory, and 
the fulfilment of His will. In this state of experience, ceasing 
to do what we shall be likely to do, and what we may very 
properly do in a lower state, we no longer desire our own salva 
tion merely as an eternal deliverance, or merely as involving 
the greatest amount of personal happiness ; but we desire it 
chiefly as the fulfilment of God s pleasure, and as resulting in 
His glory, and because He Himself desires and wills that we 
should thus desire and will. 

3. Holy indifference is not inactivity. It is the furthest pos 
sible from it. It is indifference to anything and everything out 
of God s will ; but it is the highest life and activity to anything 
and everything in that will. 

ARTICLE SIXTH. 

One of the clearest and best-established maxims of holiness 
is, that the holy soul, when arrived at the second state men 
tioned, ceases to have desires for anything out of the will of God. 

The holy soul, when it is really in the state called the state of 



OF MADAME GUYON. 393 

NON-DESIRE, may, nevertheless, desire everything in relation to the 
correction of its imperfections and weaknesses, its perseverance 
in its religious state, and its ultimate salvation, which it has 
reason to know from the Scriptures, or in any other way, that 
God desires. It may also desire all temporal good, houses and 
lands, food and clothing, friends and books, and exemption from 
physica l suffering, and anything else, so far and only so far, as 
it has reason to think that such desire is coincident with the 
Divine desire. The holy soul not only desires particular things, 
sanctioned by the known will of God ; but also the fulfilment of 
His will in all respects, unknown as well as known. Being in 
faith, it commits itself to God in darkness as well as in light. 
Its NON-DESIRE is simply its not desiring anything out of God. 

ARTICLE SEVENTH. 

In the history of inward experience, we not unfrequently find 
accounts of individuals whose inward life may properly be 
characterized as extraordinary. They represent themselves as 
having extraordinary communications ; dreams, visions, revela 
tions. Without stopping to inquire whether these inward results 
arise from an excited and disordered state of the physical system 
or from God, the important remark to be made here is, that these 
things, to whatever extent they may exist, do not constitute 
holiness. 

The principle, which is the life of common Christians in their 
common mixed state, is the principle which originates and sus 
tains the life of those who are truly " the pure in heart" namely, 
the principle of faith working by love, existing, however, in 
the case of those last mentioned, in a greatly increased degree. 
This is obviously the doctrine of John of the Cross, who teaches 
us, that we must walk in the night of faith ; that is to say, 
with night around us, which exists in consequence of our entire 
ignorance of what is before us, and with faith alone, faith in 
God, in His Word, and in His Providences, for the soul s guide. 

Again, the persons who have, or are supposed to have, the 
visions and other remarkable states to which we have referred, 



394 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

are sometimes disposed to make tlieir own experience, imperfect 
as it obviously is, the guide of tlieir life, considered as separate 
from and as above the written law. Great care should be taken 
against such an error as this. God s word is our true rule. 

Nevertheless, there is no interpreter of the Divine Word like 
that of a holy heart ; or, what is the same thing, of the Holy 
Ghost dwelling in the heart. If we give ourselves wholly to 
God, the Comforter will take up His abode with us, and guide 
us into all that truth which will be necessary for us. Truly 
holy souls, therefore, continually looking to God for a proper 
understanding of His Word, may confidently trust that He will 
guide them aright. A holy soul, in the exercise of its legitimate 
powers of interpretation, may deduce important views from the 
Word of God which would not otherwise be known ; but it can 
not add anything to it. 

Again, God is the regulator of the affections, as well as of the 
outward actions. Sometimes the state which He inspires within 
us is that of holy love ; sometimes He inspires affections which 
have love and faith for their basis, but have a specific character, 
and then appear under other names, such as humility, forgiveness, 
gratitude. But in all cases there is nothing holy, except what is 
based upon the antecedent or " prevenient" grace of God. In all 
the universe, there is but one legitimate Originator. Man s busi 
ness is that of concurrence. And this view is applicable to all 
the stages of Christian experience, from the lowest to the highest. 

ARTICLE EIGHTH. 

Writers often speak of abandonment. The term has a mean 
ing somewhat specific. The soul in this state does not renounce 
everything, and thus become brutish in its indifference ; but re 
nounces everything except God s will. 

Souls in the state of abandonment, not only forsake outward 
things, but, what is still more important, forsake themselves. 

Abandonment, or self-renunciation, is not the renunciation of 
faith or of love or of anything else, except selfishness. 

The state of abandonment, or entire self-renunciation, is 



OF MADAME (JUYON. 395 

generally attended, and perhaps w may say, carried out and 
perfected, by temptations more or less severe. We cannot well 
know, whether we have renounced ourselves, except by being 
tried on those very points to which our self-renunciation, either 
real or supposed, relates. One of the severest inward trials is 
that by which we are taken off from all inward sensible supports, 
and are made to live and walk by faith alone. Pious and holy 
men who have been the subjects of inward crucifixion, often 
refer to the trials which have been experienced by them. They 
sometimes speak of them as a sort of inward and terrible purga 
tory. " Only mad and wicked men," says Cardinal Bona, 
" will deny the existence of these remarkable experiences, 
attested as they are by men of the most venerable virtue, who 
speak only of what they have known in themselves." 

Trials are not always of the same duration. The more cheer 
fully and faithfully we give ourselves to God, to be smitten in 
any and all of our idols, whenever and wherever He chooses, the 
shorter will be the work. God makes us to suffer no longer 
than He sees to be necessary for us. 

We should not be premature in concluding that inward cru 
cifixion is complete, and our abandonment to God is without 
any reservation whatever. The act of consecration, which is a 
sort of incipient step, may be sincere ; but the reality of the 
consecration can be known only when God has applied the ap 
propriate tests. The trial will shew whether we are wholly the 
Lord s. Those who prematurely draw the conclusion that they 
are so, expose themselves to great illusion and injury. 

ARTICLE NINTH. 

The state of abandonment, or of entire self-renunciation, does 
not take from the soul that moral power which is essential to 
its moral agency ; nor that antecedent or prevenient grace, 
without which even abandonment itself would be a state of 
moral death ; nor the principle of faith, which prevenient grace 
originated, and through which it now operates ; nor the desire 
and hope of final salvation, although it takes away all uneasiness 



596 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

and unbelief connected with such a desire ; nor the fountains of 
love which spring up deeply and freshly within it ; nor the 
hatred of sin ; nor the testimony of a good conscience. 

But it takes away that uneasy hankering of the soul after 
pleasure either inward or outward, and the selfish vivacity and 
eagerness of nature, which is too impatient to wait calmly and 
submissively for God s time of action. By fixing the mind 
wholly upon God, it takes away the disposition of the soul to 
occupy itself with reflex acts ; that is, with the undue examina 
tion and analysis of its own feelings. It does not take away the 
pain and sorrow naturally incident to our physical state and 
natural sensibilities ; but it takes away all uneasiness, all mur 
muring ; leaving the soul in its inner nature, and in every part 
of its nature where the power of faith reaches, calm and peace 
able as the God that dwells there. 

ARTICLE TENTH. 

God has promised life and happiness to His people. What 
He has promised can never fail to take place. Nevertheless, it 
is the disposition of those who love God with a perfect heart, to 
leave themselves entirely in His hands, irrespective, in some de 
gree, of the promise. By the aid of the promise, without which 
they must have remained in their original weakness, they rise, 
as it were, above the promise ; and rest in that essential and 
eternal will, in which the promise originated. 

So much is this the case, that some individuals, across whose 
path God had spread the darkness of His providences, and who 
seemed to themselves for a time to be thrown out of His favour 
and to be hopelessly lost, have acquiesced with submission in 
the terrible destiny which was thus presented before them. 
Such was the state of mind of Francis de Sales, as he prostrated 
himself in the church of St. Stephen des Grez. The language 
of such persons, uttered without complaint, is, " My God, my 
God, why hast thou forsaken me?" They claim God as their 
God, and will not abandon their love to Him, although they 
believe, at the time, that they are forsaken of Him. They 



OF MADAME GUYON. 397 

choose to leave themselves, under all possible circumstances, 
entirely in the hands of God : their language is, even if it should 
be His pleasure to separate them for ever from the enjoyments 
of His presence, " Not my will, but thine be done." 

It is perhaps difficult to perceive, how minds whose life, as it 
were, is the principle of faith, can be in this situation. Take 
the case of the Saviour. It is certainly difficult to conceive how 
the Saviour, whose faith never failed, could yet believe Himself 
forsaken ; and yet it was so. 

We know that it is impossible for God to forsake those who 
put their trust in Him. He can just as soon forsake His own 
word ; and, what is more, He can just as soon forsake His own 
nature. Holy souls, nevertheless, may sometimes, in a way and 
under circumstances which we may not fully understand, believe 
themselves to be forsaken, beyond all possibility of hope ; and 
yet such is their faith in God and their love to Him, that the 
will of God, even under such circumstances, is dearer to them 
than anything and everything else. 

ARTICLE ELEVENTH. 

One great point of difference between the First Covenant, or 
the covenant of works, which said to men, " Do this and live" 
and the Second Covenant, or the covenant of grace, which says, 
" Believe and live" is this : The first covenant did not lead 
men to anything that was perfect. It shewed men what was 
right and good ; but it failed in giving them the power to fulfil 
what the covenant required. Men not only understood what 
was right and good, but they knew what was evil ; but, in their 
love and practice of depravity, they had no longer power of 
themselves to flee from it. 

The new or Christian covenant of grace, not only prescribes 
and commands, but gives also the power to fulfil. 

In the practical dispensations of divine grace, there are a 
number of principles which it may be important to remember. 

1. God being LOVE, it is a part of His nature to desire to 
communicate Himself to all moral beings, and to make Himself 



398 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

one with them in a perfect harmony of relations and feelings. 
The position of God is that of giver ; the position of man is that 
of recipient. Harmonized with man by the blood and power of 
the Cross, he has once more become the infinite fulness, the ori 
ginal and overflowing fountain, giving and ever ready to give. 

2. Such are the relations between God and man, involved in 
the fact of man s moral agency, that man s business is to receive. 

3. Souls true to the grace given them, will never suffer any 
diminution of it. On the contrary, the great and unchangeable 
condition of continuance and of growth in grace is co-operation 
with what we now have. This is the law of growth, not only 
deducible from the Divine nature, but expressly revealed and 
declared in the Scriptures : " For whosoever hath, to him shall 
be given, and he shall have more abundance ; but whosoever hath 
not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath" Matt, 
xiii. 12. 

A faithful co-operation with grace, is the most effectual pre 
paration for attracting and receiving and increasing grace. This 
is the great secret of advancement to those high degrees which 
are permitted ; namely, a strict, unwavering, faithful co-opera 
tion, moment by moment. 

4. It is important correctly to understand the doctrine of co 
operation. A disposition to co-operate, is not more opposed to 
the sinful indolence which falls behind, than to the hasty and 
unrighteous zeal which runs before. It is in the excess of zeal, 
which has a good appearance, but in reality has unbelief and 
self at the bottom, that we run before God. 

5. Co-operation, by being calm and peaceable, does not cease 
to be efficacious. Souls in this purified but tranquil state are 
souls of power ; watchful and triumphant against self ; resisting 
temptation ; fighting even to blood against sin. But it is, never 
theless, a combat free from the turbulence and inconsistencies of 
human passion ; because they contend in the presence of God, 
who is their strength, in the spirit of the highest faith and love, 
and under the guidance of the Holy Ghost, who is always tran 
quil in His operations. 



OF MADAME GUYON. 399 



ARTICLE TWELFTH. 

Those in the highest state of religious experience desire no 
thing, except that God may be glorified in them by the accom 
plishment of His holy will. Nor is it inconsistent with this, that 
holy souls possess that natural love which exists in the form of 
love for themselves. Their natural love, however, which, within 
its proper degree, is innocent love, is so absorbed in the love of 
God, that it ceases, for the most part, to be a distinct object of 
consciousness ; and practically and truly they may be said to 
love themselves IN and FOR God. Adam, in his state of inno 
cence, loved himself, considered as the reflex image of God arid 
for God s sake. So that we may either say, that he loved God 
in himself, or that he loved himself IN and FOR God. And it is 
because holy souls, extending their affections beyond their own 
limit, love their neighbour on the same principle of loving, 
namely, IN and FOR God, that they may be said to love their 
neighbours as themselves. 

It does not follow, because the love of ourselves is lost in the 
love of God, that we are to take no care, and to exercise no 
watch over ourselves. No man will be so seriously and con 
stantly watchful over himself as he who loves himself IN and 
FOR God alone. Having the image of God in himself, he has a 
motive strong, we might perhaps say, as that which controls the 
actions of angels, to guard and protect it. 

It may be thought, perhaps, that this is inconsistent with the 
principle in the doctrines of holy living, which requires in the 
highest stages of inward experience, to avoid those reflex acts 
which consist in self-inspection, because such acts have a ten 
dency to turn the mind off from God. The apparent difficulty 
is reconciled in this way. The holy soul is a soul with God ; 
moving as God moves ; doing as God does ; looking as God 
looks. If, therefore, God is looking within us, as we may 
generally learn from the intimations of His providences, then it 
is a sign that we are to look within ourselves. Our little eye, 
our small and almost imperceptible ray, must look in, in the 



400 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

midst of the light of His great and burning eye. It is thus that 
we may inspect ourselves without a separation from God. 

On the same principle, we may be watchful and careful over 
our neighbours ; watching them, not in our own time, but in 
God s time; not in the censoriousness of nature, but in the 
kindness and forbearance of grace ; not as separate from God, 
but in concurrence with Him. 

ARTICLE THIRTEENTH. 

The soul, in the state of pure love, acts in simplicity. Its in 
ward rule of action is found in the decisions of a sanctified con 
science. These decisions, based upon judgments that are free 
from self-interest, may not always be absolutely right, because 
our views and judgments, being limited, can extend only to 
things in part ; but they may be said to be relatively right : 
they conform to things so far as we are permitted to see them 
and understand them, and convey to the soul a moral assurance, 
that, when we act in accordance with them, we are doing as God 
would have us do. Such a conscience is enlightened by the 
Spirit of God ; and when we act thus, under its Divine guidance, 
looking at what now is and not at what may be, looking at the 
right of things and not at their relations to our personal and 
selfish interests, we are said to act in simplicity. This is the 
true mode of action. 

Thus, in this singleness of spirit, we do things, as some ex 
perimental writers express it, without knowing what we do. We 
are so absorbed in the thing to be done, and in the importance 
of doing it rightly, that we forget ourselves. Perfect love has 
nothing to spare from its object for itself, and he who prays per 
fectly is never thinking how well he prays. 

ARTICLE FOURTEENTH. 

Holy souls are without impatience, but not without trouble ; 
are above murmuring, but not above affliction. The souls of 
those who are thus wholly in Christ may be regarded in two 
points of view, or rather in two parts ; namely, the natural appe- 



OF MADAME GUYON. 401 

tites, propensities, and affections, on the one hand, which may be 
called the inferior part ; and the judgment, the moral sense, and 
the will, on the other, which may be described as the superior 
part. As things are, in the present life, those who are wholly 
devoted to God may suffer in the inferior part, and may be at 
rest in the superior. Their wills may be in harmony with the 
Divine will ; they may be approved in their judgments and con 
science, and at the same time may suffer greatly in their physical 
relations, and in their natural sensibilities. In this manner, 
Christ upon the cross, while His will remained firm in its union 
with the will of His heavenly Father, suffered much through 
His physical system ; He felt the painful longings of thirst, the 
pressure of the thorns, and the agony of the spear. He was 
deeply afflicted also for the friends He left behind Him, and for 
a dying world. But in His inner and higher nature, where He 
felt Himself sustained by the secret voice uttered in His sancti 
fied conscience and in His unchangeable faith, He was peaceful 
and happy. 

ARTICLE FIFTEENTH. 

A suitable repression of the natural appetites is profitable and 
necessary. We are told that the body should be brought into 
subjection. Those physical mortifications, therefore, which are 
instituted to this end, denominated austerities, are not to be dis 
approved. When practised within proper limits, they tend to 
correct evil habits, to preserve us against temptation, and to give 
self-control. 

The practice of austerities, with the views and on the principles 
indicated, should be accompanied with the spirit of recollection, 
of love, and prayer. Christ himself, whose retirement to solitary 
places, whose prayers and fastings are not to be forgotten, has 
given us the pattern which it is proper for us to follow. We 
must sometimes use force against our stubborn nature. " Since 
the days of John, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence; and 
the violent take it by force." 

2c 



402 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 



ARTICLE SIXTEENTH. 

The simple desire of our own happiness, kept in due subordi 
nation, is innocent. This desire is natural to us ; and is properly 
denominated the principle of SELF-LOVE. When the principle 
of self-love passes its appropriate limit, it becomes selfishness. 
Self-love is innocent ; selfishness is wrong. Selfishness was the 
sin of the first angel, " who rested in himself," as St. Augustine 
expresses it, instead of referring himself to God. 

In many Christians a prominent principle of action is the de 
sire of happiness. They love God and they love heaven ; they 
love holiness, and they love the pleasures of holiness ; they love 
to do good, and they love the rewards of doing good. This is 
well ; but there is something better. Such Christians are inferior 
to those who forget the nothingness of the creature in the infini 
tude of the Creator, and love God for His own glory alone. 

ARTICLE SEVENTEENTH. 

No period of the Christian life is exempt from temptation. 
The temptations incident to the earlier stages are different from 
those incident to a later period, and are to be resisted in a differ 
ent manner. 

Sometimes the temptations incident to the transition -state from 
mixed love to pure love are somewhat peculiar, being adapted to 
test whether we love God for Himself alone. 

In the lower or mixed state the methods of resisting tempta 
tions are various. Sometimes the subject of these trials boldly 
faces them, and endeavours to overcome them by a direct resist 
ance. Sometimes he turns and flees. But in the state of pure 
love, when the soul has become strong in the Divine contempla 
tion, it is the common rule laid down by religious writers, that 
the soul should keep itself fixed upon God in the exercise of its 
holy love as at other times, as the most effectual way of resist 
ing the temptation, which would naturally expand its efforts in 
vain u|K>n a soul in that state. 



OF MADAME GUYON. 403 

ARTICLE EIGHTEENTH. 

The will of God is the ultimate and only rule of action. God 
manifests His will in various ways. The will of God may in some 
cases be ascertained by the operations of the human mind, especi 
ally when under a religious or gracious guidance. But He re 
veals His will chiefly in His written word. And nothing can be 
declared to be the will of God, which is at variance with His 
written or revealed will, which may also be called His positive 
will. 

If we sin, it is true that God permits it ; but it is also true, 
that He disapproves and condemns it as contrary to His immut 
able holiness. 

It is the business of the sinner to repent. The state of peni 
tence has temptations peculiar to itself. He is sometimes tempted 
to murmuring and rebellious feelings, as if he had been unjustly 
left of God. When penitence is true, and in the highest state, 
it is free from the variations of human passion. 

ARTICLE NINETEENTH. 

Among other distinctions of prayer, we may make that of vocal 
and silent, the prayer of the lips and the prayer of the affections. 
Vocal prayer, without the heart attending it, is superstitious and 
wholly unprofitable. To pray without recollection in God and 
without love, is to pray as the heathen did, who thought to be 
heard for the multitude of their words. 

Nevertheless, vocal prayer, when attended by right affections, 
ought to be both recognised and encouraged, as being calculated 
to strengthen the thoughts and feelings it expresses, and to 
awaken new ones, and also for the reason that it was taught by 
the Son of God to His Apostles, and that it has been practised 
by the whole Church in all ages. To make light of this sacri 
fice of praise, this fruit of the lips, would be an impiety. 

Silent prayer, in its common form, is also profitable. Each 
has its peculiar advantages, as each has its place. 

There is also a modification of prayer, which may be termed 



404 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

the prayer of silence. This is a prayer too deep for words. The 
common form of silent prayer is voluntary. In the prayer of 
contemplative silence, the lips seem to be closed almost against 
the will. 

ARTICLE TWENTIETH. 

The principles of holy living extend to everything. For in 
stance, in the matter of reading, he who has given himself wholly 
to God, can read only what God permits him to read. He can 
not read books, however characterized by wit or power, merely 
to indulge an idle curiosity, or to please himself alone. 

In reading this may be a suitable direction, namely, to read 
but little at a time, and to interrupt the reading by intervals of 
religious recollection, in order that we may let the Holy Spirit 
more deeply imprint in us Christian truths. 

God, in the person of the Holy Ghost, becomes to the fully 
renovated mind the great inward Teacher. This is a great truth. 
At the same time we are not to suppose that the presence of the 
inward teacher exempts us from the necessity of the outward 
lesson. The Holy Ghost, operating through the medium of a 
purified judgment, teaches us by the means of books, especially 
by the word of God, which is never to be laid aside. 

ARTICLE TWENTY-FIRST. 

One characteristic of the lower states of religious experience 
is, that they are sustained, in a considerable degree, by medita 
tive and reflective acts. As faith is comparatively weak and 
temptations are strong, it becomes necessary to gain strength by 
such meditative and reflective acts, by the consideration of va 
rious truths applicable to their situation, and of the motives 
drawn from such truths. Accordingly, souls array before them 
all the various motives drawn from the consideration of misery 
on the one hand, and of happiness on the other ; all the motives 
of fear and hope. 

It is different with those who have given themselves wholly 
to God in the exercise of pure or perfect love. The soul does 



OP MADAME GUYON. 405 

not find it necessary to delay and to meditate, in order to discover 
motives of action. It finds its motive of action a motive simple, 
uniform, peaceable, and still powerful beyond any other power, 
in its own principle of life. 

Meditation, inquiry, and reasoning, are exceedingly necessary 
to the great body of Christians ; and absolutely indispensable to 
those in the beginnings of the Christian life. To take away these 
helps would be to take away the child from the breast before it 
can digest solid food. Still they are only the props, and not the 
life itself. 

ARTICLE TWENTY-SECOND. 

The holy soul delights in acts of contemplation ; to think of 
God and of God only. But the contemplative state, without any 
interruption, is hardly consistent with the condition of the present 
life. It may be permitted to exist, however, and ought not to 
be resisted, when the attraction towards God is so strong, that 
we find ourselves incapable of profitably employing our minds in 
meditative and discursive acts. 

ARTICLE TWENTY-THIRD. 

Of the two states, the meditative and discursive on the one 
hand, which reflects, compares, and reasons, and supports itself 
by aids and methods of that nature, and the contemplative on the 
other, which rests in God without such aids, the contemplative 
is the higher. God will teach the times of both. Neither state 
is, or ought to be, entirely exclusive of the other. 

ARTICLE TWENTY-FOURTH. 

In some cases God gives such eminent grace, that the contem 
plative prayer, which is essentially the same with the prayer of 
silence, becomes the habitual state. We do not mean, that the 
mind is always in this state ; but that, whenever the season of 
recollection and prayer returns, it habitually assumes the con 
templative state, in distinction from the meditative and discursive. 

It does not follow that this state, eminent as it is, is invariable. 



406 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

Souls may fall from this state by some act of infidelity in 
themselves ; or God may place them temporarily in a different 
state. 

ARTICLE TWENTY-FIFTH. 

" Whether, therefore" says the Apostle, " ye eat or drink, or 
whatsoever ye do, do all things to the glory of God," 1 Cor. x. 31. 
And in another passage he says, " Let all things be done unth 
charity" 1 Cor. xvi. 14. And again, " By love serve one another," 
Gal. v. 13 : passages which, with many others, imply two things ; 
first, that everything which is done by the Christian ought to be 
done from a holy principle ; and, second, that this principle is 
love. 

ARTICLE TWENTY-SIXTH. 

Our acceptance with God, when our hearts are wholly given 
to Him, does not depend upon our being in a particular state, but 
simply upon our being in that state in which God in His provi 
dence requires us to be. The doctrine of holiness, therefore, 
while it recognises and requires, on its appropriate occasions, the 
prayer of contemplation or of contemplative silence, is not only 
not inconsistent with other forms of prayer, but is not at all in 
consistent with the practice of the ordinary acts, duties, and 
virtues of life. It would be a great mistake to suppose, 
that a man who bears the Saviour s image, is any the less on 
that account a good neighbour or a good citizen ; that he can 
think less or work less when he is called to it ; or that he is not 
characterized by the various virtues, appropriate to our present 
situation, of temperance, truth, forbearance, forgiveness, kindness, 
chastity, justice. There is a law, involved in the very nature 
of holiness, which requires it to adapt itself to every variety of 
situation. 

ARTICLE TWENTY-SEVENTH. 

It is in accordance with the views of Dionysius the Areopagite, 
to say, that the holy soul, in its contemplative state, is occupied 



OF MADAME GUYON. 40? 

with the pure or spiritual Divinity. That is to say, it is occupied 
with God, in distinction from any mere image of God, such 
as could be addressed to the touch, the sight, or any of the 
senses. 

And this is not all. It does not satisfy the desires of the soul 
in its contemplative state, to occupy itself merely with the attri 
butes of God ; with His power, wisdom, goodness, and the like ; 
but it rather seeks and unites itself with the God of the attributes. 
The attributes of God are not God himself. The power of God 
is not an identical expression with the God of power ; nor is the 
wisdom of God identical with the God of wisdom. The holy 
soul, in its contemplative state, loves to unite itself with God, 
considered as the subject of His attributes. It is not infinite 
wisdom, infinite power, or infinite goodness, considered separately 
from the existence of whom they can be predicated, which it 
loves and adores ; but the God of infinite wisdom, power, and 
goodness. 

ARTICLE TWENTY- EIGHTH. 

Christ is " the way, and the truth, and the life." The grace 
which sanctifies as well as that which justifies, is by Him and 
through Him. He is the true and living way ; and no man can 
gain the victory over sin, and be brought into union with God, 
without Christ. And when, in some mitigated sense, we may be 
said to have arrived at the end of the way by being brought home 
to the Divine fold and reinstated in the Divine image, it would 
be sad indeed if we should forget the way itself, as Christ is 
sometimes called. At every period of our progress, however ad 
vanced it may be, our life is derived from God through Him and 
for Him. The most advanced souls are those which are most 
possessed with the thoughts and the presence of Christ. 

Any other view would be extremely pernicious. It would be 
to snatch from the faithful eternal life, which consists in knowing 
the only true God and Jesus Christ His Son, whom He hath 
sent. 



408 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 



ARTICLE TWENTY-NINTH. 

The way of holiness is wonderful, hut it is not miraculous. 
Those in it, walk hy simple faith alone. And perhaps there is 
nothing more remarkable nor wonderful in it, than that a result 
so great should be produced by a principle so simple. 

When persons have arrived at the state of DIVINE UNION, so 
that, in accordance with the prayer of the Saviour, they are 
made one with Christ in God, they no longer seem to put forth 
distinct inward acts, but their state appears to be characterized 
by a deep and Divine repose. 

The continuous act is the act of faith, which brings into moral 
and religious union with the Divine nature ; faith which, through 
the plenitude of Divine grace, is kept firm, unbroken. 

The appearance of absolute continuity and unity in this blessed 
state is increased perhaps by the entire freedom of the mind from 
all eager, anxious, unquiet acts. The soul is not only at unity 
with itself in the respects which have been mentioned, but it has 
also a unity of rest. 

This state of continuous faith and of consequent repose in God 
is sometimes denominated the passive state. The soul, at such 
times, ceases to originate acts which precede the grace of God. 
The decisions of her consecrated judgment, are the voice of the 
Holy Ghost in the soul. But if she first listens passively, it is 
subsequently her business to yield an active and effective co 
operation in the line of duty which they indicate. The more 
pliant and supple the soul is to the Divine suggestions, the more 
real and efficacious is her own action, though without any ex 
cited and troubled movement. The more a soul receives from 
God, the more she ought to restore to Him of what she hath 
from Him. This ebbing and flowing, if one may so express it, 
this communication on the part of God and the correspondent 
action on the part of man, constitute the order of grace on the 
one hand, and the action and fidelity of the creature on the 
other. 



OF MADAME GUYON. 409 

ARTICLE THIRTIETH. 

it would be a mistake to suppose, that the highest state of 
inward experience is characterized by great excitements, by rap 
tures and ecstasies, or by any movements of feeling which would 
be regarded as particularly extraordinary. 

One of the remarkable results in a soul of which faith is the 
sole governing principle, is, that it is entirely peaceful. Nothing 
disturbs it. And being thus peaceful, it reflects distinctly and 
clearly the image of Christ ; like the placid lake, which shows, 
in its own clear and beautiful bosom, the exact forms of the 
objects around and above it. Another is, that having full faith 
in God and divested of all selfishness and resistance in itself, it 
is perfectly accessible and pliable to all the impressions of grace. 

ARTICLE THIRTY-FIRST. 

It does not follow, that those who possess the graces of a truly 
sanctified heart, are at liberty to reject the ordinary methods 
and rules of perception and judgment. They exercise and value 
wisdom, while they reject the selfishness of wisdom. The rules 
of holy living would require them every moment to make a 
faithful use of all the natural light of reason, as well as the 
higher and spiritual light of grace. 

A holy soul values and seeks wisdom, but does not seek it in 
an unholy and worldly spirit. Nor, when it is made wise by the 
Spirit of wisdom, who dwells in all hearts that are wholly de 
voted to God, does it turn back from the giver to the gift, and 
rejoice in its wisdom as its own. 

The wisdom of the truly holy soul is a wisdom which estimates 
things in the present moment. It judges of duty from the facts 
which now are; including, however, those things which have a 
relation to the present. It is an important remark, that the 
present moment necessarily possesses a moral extension; so that, 
in judging of it, we are to include all those things which have 
a natural and near relation to the thing actually in hand. It 
is in this manner that the holy soul lives in the present, com- 



410 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

mitting the past to God, and leaving the future with that ap 
proaching hour which shall convert it into the present. " Sufficient 
to the day is the evil thereof." To-morrow will take care of 
itself; it will bring, at its coming, its appropriate grace and 
light. When we live thus, God will not fail to give us our 
daily bread. 

Such souls draw on themselves the special protection of Pro 
vidence, under whose care they live, without a far extended 
and unquiet forecast, like little children resting in the bosom 
of their mother. Conscious of their own limited views, and 
keeping in mind the direction of the Saviour, Judge not that 
ye be not judged, they are slow to pass judgment upon others. 
They are willing to receive reproof and correction ; and, separate 
from the will of God, they have no choice or will of their own 
in anything. 

These are the children whom Christ permits to come near 
Him. They combine the prudence of the serpent with the sim 
plicity of the dove. But they do not appropriate their prudence 
to themselves as their own prudence, any more than they ap 
propriate to themselves the beams of the natural sun, when they 
walk in its light. 

These are the poor in spirit, whom Christ Jesus hath declared 
blessed ; and who are as much taken off from any complacency 
in what others might call their merits, as all Christians ought 
to be from their temporal possessions. They are the " little 
ones," to whom God is well pleased to reveal His mysteries, 
while He hides them from the wise and prudent. 

ARTICLE THIRTY-SECOND. 

The children, in distinction from the mere servants of God, 
have the liberty of children. They have a peace and joy, full 
of innocency. They take with simplicity and without hesita 
tion the refreshments both of mind and body. They do not 
speak of themselves, except when called to do it in providence, 
and in order to do good. And such is their simplicity and truth 
of spirit, they speak of things just as they appear to them at th* 



OP MADAME GUYON. 4ll 

moment ; and when the conversation turns upon their own works 
or characters, they express themselves favourably or unfavour 
ably, much as they would if they were speaking of others. If, 
however, they have occasion to speak of any good of which 
they have been the instrument, they always acknowledge, with 
humble joy, that it comes from God alone. 

There is a liberty, which might more properly be called 
license. There are persons who maintain that purity of heart ren 
ders pure, in the subjects of this purity, whatever they are prompted 
to do, however irregular it may be in others. This is a great error. 

ARTICLE THIRTY-THIRD. 

It is the doctrine of Augustine, as also of Thomas Aquinas, 
that the principle of holy love existing in the heart, necessarily 
includes in itself, or implies the existence, of all other Christian 
virtues. He who loves God with all his heart, will not violate 
the laws of purity, because it would be a disregard of the will 
of God, which he loves above all things. His love, under such 
circumstances, becomes the virtue of chastity. He has too much 
love and reverence for the will of God to murmur or repine 
under the dispensations of His providence. His love, under such 
circumstances, becomes the virtue of patience. And thus this 
love becomes by turns, on their appropriate occasions, all the 
virtues. As his love is perfect, so the virtues which flow out of 
it, and are modified from it, will not be less so. 

It is a maxim in the doctrines of holiness, that the holy soul 
is crucified to its own virtues, although it possesses them in the 
highest degree. The meaning of this saying is this : The holy 
eoul is so crucified to self in all its forms, that it practises the 
virtues without taking complacency in its virtues as its own^ and 
even without thinking how virtuous it is. 

ARTICLE THIRTY-FOURTH. 

The Apostle Paul speaks of Christians as dead. " YE ARE 
DEAD," he says, " and your life is hid with Christ in God." 
(Coloss. iii. 3.) These expressions will apply, in their full im- 



412 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

port, only to those Christians who are in the state of unselfish 
or pure love. Their death is a death to selfishness. They are 
dead to pride and jealousy, self-seeking and envy, to malice, 
inordinate love of their own reputation, anything and every 
thing which constitutes the fallen and vitiated life of nature. 
They have a new life, which is " hid with Christ in God." 

ARTICLE THIRTY-FIFTH. 

Some persons of great piety, in describing the highest re 
ligious state, have denominated it the state of transformation. 
But this can be regarded as only a synonymous expression for 
the state of PURE LOVE. 

In the transformed state of the soul, as in the state of PURE 
LOVE, love is its life. In this principle of love all the affections 
of the soul, of whatever character, have their constituting or 
their controlling element. There can be no love without an 
object of love. As the principle of love, therefore, allies the 
soul with another, so from that other which is God, all its 
power of movement proceeds. In itself it remains without pre 
ference for anything ; and consequently is accessible and pliant 
to all the touches and guidances of grace, however slight they 
may be. It is like a spherical body, placed upon a level and 
even surface, which is moved with equal ease in any direction. 
The soul in this state, having no preferences of itself, has but 
one principle of movement, namely, that which God gives it. 
In this state the soul can say with the Apostle Paul, "Hive; 
yet not /, but Christ liveth in me." 

ARTICLE THIRTY-SIXTH. 

Souls which have experienced the grace of sanctification in 
its higher degrees, have not so much need of set times and 
places for worship as others. Such is the purity and the strength 
of their love, that it is very easy for them to unite with God in 
acts of inward worship, at all times and places. They have an 
interior closet. The soul is their temple, and God dwells in it. 

This, however, does not exempt them from those outward 



OP MADAME GUYON. 413 

methods and observances which God has prescribed. Besides, 
they owe something to others ; and a disregard to the ordinances 
and ministrations of the Church could not fail to be injurious to 
beginners in the religious life. 

ARTICLE THIRTY-SEVENTH. 

The practice of confession is not inconsistent with the state of 
pure love. The truly renovated soul can still say, Forgive us 
our trespasses. If it does not sin now, deliberately and know 
ingly, still its former state of sin can never be forgotten. 

ARTICLE THIRTY-EIGHTH. 

In the transformed state, or state of pure love, there should 
be not only the confession of sins, properly so called, but also 
the confession of those more venial transgressions, termed faults. 
We should sincerely disapprove such faults in our confession ; 
should condemn them and desire their remission ; and not merely 
with a view to our own cleansing and deliverance, but also be 
cause God wills it, and because He would have us to do it for 
His glory. 

ARTICLE THIRTY-NINTH. 

It is sometimes the case, that persons misjudge of the holiness 
of individuals, by estimating it from the incidents of the out 
ward appearance. Holiness is consistent with the existence, in 
the same person, of various infirmities ; (such as an unprepos 
sessing form, physical weakness, a debilitated judgment, an 
imperfect mode of expression, defective manners, a want of 
v nowledge, and the like.) 

ARTICLE FORTIETH. 

The holy soul may be said to be united with God, without 
anything intervening or producing a separation, in three par 
ticulars. 

First. It is thus united intellectually ; that is to say, not 
by any idea which is based upon the senses, and which of course 



414 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

could give only a material image of God, but by an idea which 
is internal and spiritual in its origin, and makes God known to 
us as a Being without form. 

Second. The soul is thus united to God, if we may so express 
it, affectionately. That is to say, when its affections are given 
to God, not indirectly through a self-interested motive, but 
simply because He is what He is. The soul is united to God in 
love without anything intervening, when it loves Him for His 
own sake. 

Third. The soul is thus united to God PRACTICALLY ; and 
this is the case when it does the will of God, not by simply fol 
lowing a prescribed form, but from the constantly operative im 
pulse of holy love. 

ARTICLE FORTY-FIRST. 

We find in some devout writers on inward experience, the 
phrase SPIRITUAL NUPTIALS. It is a favourite method with some 
of these writers, to represent the union of the soul with God by 
the figure of the bride and the bridegroom. Similar expressions 
are found in the Scriptures. 

We are not to suppose that such expressions mean anything 
more, in reality, than that intimate union which exists between 
God and the soul, when the soul is in the state of pure love. 

ARTICLE FORTY-SECOND. 

We find again other forms of expression, which it is proper to 
notice. The union between God and the soul is sometimes de 
scribed by them as an " essential " union, and sometimes as a 
"substantial" union, as if there were a union of essence, sub 
stance, or being, in the literal or physical sense. They mean to 
express nothing more than the fact of the union of pure love, 
with the additional idea that the union is firm and established ; 
not subject to those breaks and inequalities, to that want of 
continuity and uniformity of love which characterize inferior 
degrees of experience. 



OF MADAME GUYON. 415 

ARTICLE FORTY-THIRD. 

It is the holy soul of which St. Paul may be understood 
especially to speak, where he says, " As many as are led by the 
Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." (Rom. viii. 14.) 

Those who are in a state of simple faith, which can always be 
said of those who are in the state of pure love, are the " little 
ones" of the Scriptures, of whom we are told that God teaches 
them. " I thank thee," says the Saviour, " Father, Lord of 
heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise 
and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes." (Luke x. 21.) 
Such souls, taught as they are by the Spirit of God which dwell- 
eth in them, possess a knowledge which the wisdom of the 
world could never impart. But such knowledge never renders 
them otherwise than respectful to religious teachers, docile to 
the instructions of the Church, and conformable in all things to 
the precepts of the Scriptures. 

ARTICLE FORTY-FOURTH. 

The doctrine of pure love has been known and recognised as 
a true doctrine among the truly contemplative and devout in all 
ages of the Church. The doctrine, however, has been so far 
above the common experience, that the pastors and saints of all 
ages have exercised a degree of discretion and care in making it 
known, except to those to whom God had already given both 
the attraction and light to receive it. Acting on the principle 
of giving milk to infants and strong meat to those that were more 
advanced, they addressed in the great body of Christians the 
motives of fear and of hope, founded on the consideration of 
happiness or of misery. It seemed to them, that the motive of 
God s glory, in itself considered, a motive which requires us to 
love God for Himself alone without a distinct regard and refer 
ence to our own happiness, could be profitably addressed, as a 
general rule, only to those who are somewhat advanced in in 
ward experience. 



416 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

ARTICLE FORTY-FIFTH. 

Among the various forms of expression indicative of the 
highest experience, we sometimes find that of " Divine union," 
or " union with God." 

Union with God, not a physical but moral or religious union, 
necessarily exists in souls that are in the state of pure love. 
The state of " Divine union " is not a higher state than that of 
pure love, but may rather be described as the same state. 

Strive after it ; but do not too readily or easily believe that 
you have attained to it. The traveller, after many fatigues and 
dangers, arrives at the top of a mountain. As he looks abroad 
from that high eminence, and in that clear atmosphere, he sees 
his native city ; and it seems to him to be very near. Overjoyed 
at the sight, and perhaps deceived by his position, he proclaims 
himself as already at the end of his journey. But he soon finds 
that the distance was greater than he supposed. He is obliged 
to descend into valleys, and to climb over hills, and to surmount 
rugged rocks, and to wind his tired steps over many a mile of 
weary way, before he reaches that home and city, which he once 
thought so near. 

It is thus in relation to the sanctification of the heart. True 
holiness of heart is the object at which the Christian aims. He 
beholds it before him, as an object of transcendent beauty, and 
as perhaps near at hand. But as he advances towards it, he 
finds the way longer and more difficult than he had imagined. 
But if on the one hand we should be careful not to mistake an 
intermediate stopping-place for the end of the way, we should be 
equally careful on the other not to be discouraged by the diffi 
culties we meet with ; remembering that the obligation to be 
holy is always binding upon us, and that God will help those 
who put their trust in Him. 

" Whatsoever is born of God, overcometh the world ; and this 
is the victory that overcometh the world, EVEN OUR FAITH." 
(1 John v. 4.) 



OP MADAME GUYON. 417 

In the preceding view I have omitted a number of passages 
which were exclusively Roman Catholic in their aspect, in being 
of less interest and value to the Protestant reader than other 
parts. 



CHAPTER XLVI. 

1697 The appointment of Fgnelon as Archbishop of Cambray Importance attached to his 
opinions Opinions of some distititfuMied men on the " Maxims of the Saints" Decided 
course of Bossuet Feelings of Louis XIV. towards F(5uelon Characters of Bossuet and 
Ffinclon compared The true question between them Notices of some of the moro im 
portant publications of Bossuet Remarks on the work entitled " A History of Quietism " 
Correspondence with the Abbfi do Rancd. 

IN the contest arising in other quarters, Madame Guyon was 
comparatively forgotten. The publication of the " Maxims of 
the Saints" at once turned all thoughts and eyes to Fenelon. 

The theological and controversial position of Fenelon had 
become the more important, and attracted the more attention, 
in consequence of his eminent ecclesiastical rank. Such had 
been his success as a missionary in Poitou, so conscientious and 
faithful his labours as tutor of the Duke of Burgundy and the 
other grandchildren of the king, that he had been appointed, a 
little more than a year previous to this time, Archbishop of 
Cambray ; with the understanding that he should continue to 
spend at least three months of the year at Versailles, in the in 
struction of the young princes. 

Fenelon had not used the name of Madame Guyon ; but his 
work so clearly recognised the doctrine of Pure Love, that he 
was naturally regarded as her expounder and defender. The 
doctrines she advocated had given great offence ; and the public 
feeling, heightened by the instrumentality of prominent eccle 
siastics, could not be satisfied with permitting her to remain at 
large. If the views of Madame Guyon were heretical and her 
personal efforts dangerous, the heresy was not diminished, and 
the danger was not less, under the present auspices. Was it 
right and manly on the part of the principal agents in these 

2 D 



418 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

transactions, that Madame Guyon should be condemned, and 
the Archbishop of Cambray, who had added the authority of his 
great learning and influence to her opinions, should be approved ? 
that one should be imprisoned, and that the other should 
escape without notice ? These were questions which naturally 
arose at the present time. 

The position of Fenelon was no longer a matter of uncer 
tainty. On the great question of the fact and of the mode of 
present sanctification, he had spoken in a manner too clear to be 
mistaken. And those who understood his character knew that 
he was too conscientious either to abandon his position, or to be 
unfaithful in defending it, without a change in his convictions. 
Naturally mild and forbearing in his dispositions, he was in 
flexible in his principles. Incapable of being influenced by flat 
teries on the one hand, or threats on the other, he asserted only 
what he believed ; and he felt himself morally bound to defend 
the ground he had taken, although he had no disposition to do 
it otherwise than in the spirit of humility and candour. It be 
came necessary, therefore, on the part of his opponents, either to 
concede that he was right, or to show that he was wrong ; either 
to admit that the alleged heresy was not a heresy, or to include 
a name so distinguished in the category of those who had devi 
ated from the strictness of the Catholic faith. 

Some of the leading men in France, De Noailles, Pirot, a 
theologian of great eminence, Tronson, and some others, gave 
an early attention to the book of Fenelon, and examined it with 
care. The spirit of piety which pervaded it was so pleasing to 
some of them that they seemed unwilling to condemn it. Mon 
sieur de Noailles in particular, Archbishop of Paris and a cardi 
nal, and Godet-Marais, Bishop of Chartres, men whose opinions 
could not fail to have great weight, saw so much of truth and 
merit in the work, that they were disposed to let it pass in 
silence. But it was not so with Bossuet, whose feelings seem 
to have become somewhat exasperated towards the new sect. 

" Take your own measures," said Bossuet ; " I will raise my 
voice to the heavens against those errors so well known to yon. 



OP MADAME GUYON. 419 

I will complain to Rome, to the whole earth. It shall not be 
said that the cause of God is weakly betrayed. Though I 
should stand single in it, I will advocate it." 

The courage of Bossuet had a support which was better 
known to himself than to others. He knew that in attacking 
the doctrines of Fenelon, he should be found a defender of the 
opinions of the throne. 

If Louis XIV. had no love for Madame Guyon, he had as 
little, and perhaps less, for Fenelon. Their minds were differ 
ently constituted. There was no common bond of sympathy. 
In obedience to public sentiment, and in accordance undoubtedly 
with his own convictions of duty, he had nominated Fenelon to 
the archbishopric of Cambray ; but his want of personal interest 
in him was so distinctly marked as to be noticed and mentioned 
both by the Duke of St. Simon and the Chancellor D Aguesseau. 
There was something peculiarly commanding in the personal 
appearance of Fenelon. His mind, possessing that moral simpli 
city and strength which he inculcated in his writings, left its 
impress of calm and dignified serenity in his countenance, and 
gave a character to his manners. Vice withdrew from him ; 
and hypocrisy stood abashed in his presence. These writers 
observe that Fenelon, while he possessed a great superiority of 
genius, exhibited also an elevation of moral and personal char 
acter, of which the king of France stood in awe. 

Bossnet, aroused once more to a sense of his position as the 
guardian of the Church, and strong also in the favour of the 
king, no longer concealed his intentions. Fenelon, on the other 
hand, although he foresaw what it would cost him, was equally 
ready to defend a doctrine which he believed to be in accordance 
with the Scriptures, and sanctioned by the opinions of many au 
thorized writers. The distinguished character of the combatants 
gave increased interest to the controversy. Men looked on with 
a sort of awe, as they beheld this conflict of the two great minds 
of France. " Then," says the Chancellor D Aguesseau, " were 
seen to enter the lists two combatants, rather equal than alike ; 
one of them of consummate skill, covered with the laurels he 



420 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

had gained in his combats for the Church, an indefatigable 
warrior. His age and repeated victories might have dispensed 
him from further service ; but his mind, still vigorous and 
superior to the weight of years, preserved, in his old age, a great 
portion of the fire of his early days. The other, in the strength 
and manhood of earlier life, was not as yet much known by hi.- 3 
writings ; but, enjoying the highest reputation for his eloquence 
and the loftiness of his genius, he had long been familiar with 
the subject that came under discussion. A perfect master of its 
facts and language, there was nothing in it which he did not 
comprehend ; nothing in it which he could not explain ; and 
everything he explained appeared plausible." 

Bossuet had the experience of age ; Fenelon had the energy 
of manhood. Bossuet had the greater powers of argument; 
Fenelon possessed the richer imagination. Both were masters of 
style, but in different ways : the one spoke and wrote with the 
confidence, and something of the dogmatism, of a teacher ; the 
other, in gentler accents, seems to converse with us as a friend. 

Bossuet was naturally a man of strong passions, strengthened 
probably by controversy, and that ascendency over other minds, 
which it had become the habit to concede to him. Fenelon was 
naturally mild and amiable, without the weakness which often 
attaches to amiable dispositions ; and this interesting trait had 
been strengthened by the principles he had inculcated, and by 
his personal piety. Both were eminently eloquent in the pulpit, 
as well as in their writings ; but their eloquence partook of the 
peculiarities of their characters. The one was argumentative and 
vehement ; stronger in the thunders of the law than in the in 
vitations of the Gospel ; carrying the intellects and hearts of his 
hearers, as if by a mighty force. The other, rejecting on prin 
ciple those arts of authority and of intellectual compulsion, which 
he felt he had the power to apply, won all hearts by the sweet 
accents of love. 

In the long list of great names of English theology and litera 
ture, we do not recollect any who, standing alone, fully represent 
these distinguished men. It might aid, however, our conception! 



OF MADAME GCYON. 421 

of them, if we should add, that Bossuet can hardly fail to remind 
one of the expansive and philosophic mind of Burke, combined 
with the heavy strength and dictatorial manner of Johnson. 
Fenelon had a large share of the luxuriant imagination of Jeremy 
Taylor, chastened by the refined taste and classic ease of Addison. 

This was in reality the great question between them : Can a 
man be holy in this life or not? Can he love God with all his 
heart or not ? Can he " walk in the Spirit ;" or must he be more 
or less immersed in the flesh? Fenelon very correctly said, when 
he was charged by Bossuet with introducing a new spirituality, 
" It is not a new spirituality which I defend, but the old." There 
probably has not been any period in the history of the Church, 
in which the doctrine of present sanctification has not been agi 
tated ; not a period, in which, while the great mass of Christians 
have complained of the "body of sin" which they have carried 
about with them, there have not been some who have been deeply 
conscious of the constant presence and indwelling of the Holy 
Ghost, and of their entire union with God. 

At one time the views and feelings of Bossuet and Fenelon on 
this subject approximated. To a considerable portion of the 
work of Bossuet, entitled, Instructions on Prayer, Fenelon would 
have cheerfully assented. In repeated instances, Bossuet spoke 
favourably of the doctrines of Madame Guyon, except a few pecu 
liarities of expression. But new influences had arisen ; strongly 
marked parties had made their appearance ; new causes of dis 
trust and alienation had presented themselves ; and what at first 
seemed a harmless exaggeration of the authorized doctrines of 
the Church, at last assumed the form of an odious heresy. 

The publications in this controversy occupy more than two 
quarto volumes of the writings of these distinguished men. 

The advocates of Fenelon and of Madame Guyon maintained, 
that the doctrines found in their writings were supported by a 
continuous succession of testimonies from the time of the Apostles 
down to that period. 

In answer, Bossuet published his work, entitled, The Tradi 
tionary History of the New Mystics. This treatise does not enter 



422 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

into the subject in its full extent ; being occupied chiefly with 
an examination of the opinions of Clement of Alexandria, and of 
passages which are found in the works that are circulated under 
the name of Dionysius the Areopagite. It is an interesting 
specimen of theological and literary criticism, conducted with 
great ingenuity, but with doubtful success. 

Another work soon appeared, entitled, A Memoir of the Bishop 
of MeauXj addressed to the Archbishop of Cambray, on the 
Maxims of the Saints. Five distinct papers or articles appeared, at 
different times, under this title. The first is dated July 15, 1697. 

The doctrine of Fenelon may be reduced to three leading pro 
positions. First, The provisions of the Gospel are such, that 
men may gain the entire victory over their sinful propensities, 
and live in constant and accepted communion with God. Second, 
Persons are in this state, when they love God with all their 
heart ; in other words, with pure or unselfish love. Third, There 
have been Christians, though probably few in number, who, so 
far as can be decided by man s imperfect judgment, have reached 
this state / and it is the duty of all, encouraged by the ample 
provision which is made, to strive to attain to it. 

It is obvious, I think, that Bossuet felt considerable reluctance 
in attacking this doctrine in its general form. He felt much 
safer in directing his objections against the development of it in 
particulars. Accordingly, in the third section of the first Me 
moir, he selects forty-eight propositions, or more truly and pro 
perly, forty-eight sentences and parts of sentences, to which he 
makes objections more or less specific and important. Some of 
these objections are strongly put undoubtedly ; others appear 
to be founded upon a misconception ; and others, again, are 
illustrations of those mere verbal criticisms, to which almost 
every literary and theological performance is exposed in conse 
quence of the imperfection of language. 

Another work of Bossuet is entitled An Answer to four Let 
ters of the Archbishop of Cambray. Fenelon had written the 
letters to which he refers, in answer to the Memoir of the Bishop 
ofMeaux. The work of Fenelon is characterized by forbearance 



OF MADAME GUYON. 423 

and kindness. He endeavoured to carry into the controversy the 
principles of his belief and heart. The work of Bossuet gives pain 
ful evidence that his increased interest in the discussion had begun 
to be embittered by feelings of impatience and personal alienation. 

There is another important work of Bossuet, entitled, A Sum 
mary of the Doctrine of the Archbishop of Cambray, written 
both in French and Latin. To this work Fenelon made a reply 
which attracted much attention. Bossuet, in allusion to this 
reply, made the following remark in one of his subsequent pub 
lications : " His friends say everywhere, that his reply is a tri 
umphant work ; and that he has great advantages in it over me. 
We shall see hereafter whether it is so." 

On this remark, which seemed to indicate a degree of asperity 
of feeling, Fenelon commented afterwards, in a letter which he 
addressed to Bossuet, in the following terms : " May Heaven 
forbid that I should strive for victory over any person ; least of 
all, over you I It is not man s victory, but God s glory, which 
I seek ; and happy, thrice happy, shall I be, if that object is 
secured, though it should be attended with my confusion and 
your triumph. There is no occasion, therefore, to say, We shall 
see who will have the advantage. I am ready now, without 
waiting for future developments, to acknowledge that you are my 
superior in science, in genius, in everything which usually com 
mands attention. And in respect to the controversy between us, 
there is nothing which I wish more than to be vanquished by 
you, if the positions which I take are wrong. Two things only 
do I desire, TRUTH and PEACE ; truth which may enlighten, 
and peace which may unite us." 

Among other publications of Bossuet, in this remarkable con 
troversy, were the two learned treatises in Latin, entitled, 
Mystici in Tuto, and Schola in Tuto. The object of the last- 
mentioned treatise is to show, that the schoolmen did not recog 
nise and teach the doctrine of PURE LOVE ; at least in the sense 
in which Fenelon understood it. In this opinion, I think it may 
be conceded that Bossuet is generally correct. 

The object of the other work is to show that the class of 



424 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

writers denominated the Mystics, who are experimental rather 
than speculative and critical, are also either equally ignorant 
of it or are equally opposed to it. Some of these writers are 
such imperfect masters of the art of literary composition, they 
express themselves with so little of rhetorical precision, that it 
would be an easy thing 1 for an ingenious man, who paid more 
attention to the word than to the thought, to perplex them by 
the aid of their own declarations, and to place them even in 
opposition to themselves, out of their own writings. But, as a 
general statement, nothing can be more clear than that these 
writers agree in this doctrine. It is their favourite doctrine. 
They abound in expressions and passages, so strong, so remark 
able, that we cannot help the conviction, that their hearts, as 
well as their heads, speak. They taught perfect love, because it 
seemed to some of them at least, that they had it. 

But we will not undertake to go through with this enumera 
tion. Take it all in all, the subject of discussion, the men who 
were engaged in it, its multiplied relations, the historical, theo 
logical, and literary ability displayed in it, it was a controversy 
perhaps not exceeded in interest by any of which we have record. 
Fenelon was not idle. He showed himself at home on every 
proposition, and not more a master of language than of every 
form of legitimate argument. 

Bossuet, surprised at the strength and skill of his antagonist, 
and exposed to defeat after fifty years of victory, made a renewed 
and still more vigorous effort in a new work, which he denomi 
nated the History of Quietism, which is as much narrative in 
its character as argumentative. Of this work, Charles Butler, 
in his Life of Fenelon, speaks in the following terms : " In 
composing it, Bossuet availed himself of some secret and confi 
dential writings which he had received from Madame Guyon, 
also of private letters written to him by Fenelon, during their 
early intimacy, and of a letter which, under the seal of friend 
ship, Fenelon had written to Madame de Maintenon, and which, 
in this trying hour, she unfeelingly communicated to Bossuet. 
The substance of these different pieces, Bossuet connected toge- 



OF MADAME GUYON. 425 

ther with great art, he interwove in them the mention of many 
curious facts, gave an entertaining account of Madame Guyon s 
visions and pretensions to inspiration ; and related many inter 
esting anecdotes of the conduct of Louis XIV. and of Madame 
de Maintenon during the controversy. And this was not all. 
He so dignified his narrative from time to time with bursts of 
lofty and truly episcopal eloquence ; he deplored so feelingly 
the errors of Fenelon ; he presented his own conduct during 
their disputes in so favourable a view, and put the whole toge 
ther with such exquisite skill, and expressed it with so much 
elegance and even brilliancy of language, as excited universal 
admiration, and attracted universal favour to its author. In one 
part of it he assumed a style of mystery, and announced l that 
the time was come, when it was the Almighty s will, that the 
secrets of the union (that is to say, of the undue intimacy be 
tween La Combe, Fenelon, and Madame Guyon) should be 
revealed. A terrible revelation was then expected ; it seemed 
to appal every heart; it seemed that the existence of virtue 
itself would become problematical, if it should be proved that 
Fenelon was not virtuous." 

This performance of Bossuet, which in its literary features 
deserves all the encomium which Butler has passed upon it, 
could not fail to excite universal attention. There is a letter of 
Madame de Maintenon extant, which shows the eagerness with 
which it was read. " They talk here (at Versailles) of nothing 
else; they lend it; they snatch it from one another; they de 
vour it." There was a natural desire on the part of men of 
taste to read anything that came from the hand of Bossuet. 
But under the existing circumstances, religious zeal, more than 
anything else, instigated the principle of curiosity. When the 
Church was in danger, how was it possible to remain indifferent? 
There were some also, like the Athenian who was tired of hear 
ing Aristides called the Just, wearied with what was constantly 
said of the disinterestedness and virtue of Fenelon, who seized 
with avidity upon everything that promised to obscure the lustre 
of his character. 



426 LIFE AND KEL1G10US EXPERIENCE 

When this remarkable work appeared, the consternation of 
the friends of Fenelon was very great. Strong in the confidence 
of his own integrity, and never doubting the care of an over 
ruling Providence, Fenelon, who wished to retain a Christian 
spirit in the bitterness of controversy, had at first no intention 
to answer it. But his friends informed him, particularly the 
Abbe de Chanterac, on whose opinions he had great reliance, 
that the impression against him was so strong as to render a full 
refutation of it absolutely necessary. On further reflection, 
therefore, he wrote the reply, under the title of an Answer to 
the History of Quietism, in about six weeks. The work of 
Bossuet appeared in the middle of June ; the reply of Fenelon 
was published on the third of August. 

If the work of Bossuet was ingenious and eloquent, as any 
thing which appeared from his pen could hardly be otherwise, 
the reply of Fenelon was not less so. " A nobler effusion," says 
Butler, " of the indignation of insulted virtue and genius, elo 
quence has never produced. In the very first lines of it, Fenelon 
placed himself above his antagonist, and to the last preserves 
ais elevation." 

" Notwithstanding my innocence," says Fenelon, "I was always 
apprehensive that the controversy might take the shape of a 
dispute in relation to facts, I well knew, that such a dispute 
between persons who sustained the office of Bishop, must occa 
sion no small degree of scandal. If, as the Bishop of Meaux 
has a hundred times asserted, my work on the Maxims of the 
Saints in relation to the Interior Life, considered in its theolo 
gical and experimental aspects, is full of the most extravagant 
contradictions and the most monstrous errors, why does he in 
troduce other topics, and have recourse to other discussions, 
which must be attended with the most terrible of scandals ? 
Why does he reveal to libertines what he terms, speaking of 
myself, a woful mystery, a prodigy of seduction ? Why, when 
the propriety of censuring my book is the sole question, does he 
travel out of its text, and introduce other matters ? 

" The reason of this course is here. The Bishop of Meaux 



OP MADAME GUYON. 427 

begins to find it difficult to establish the truth of his accusations 
of my doctrine. In his inability to convict me of theological 
error, he calls to his aid the personal history of Madame Guyon, 
and lays hold of it as he would of some amusing romance, which 
he thought would be likely to make all his mistakes of my doc 
trine disappear and be forgotten. And not only this, he attacks 
me personally. No longer satisfied with unfavourable insinua 
tions, he boldly publishes on the house-top what he formerly 
only ventured to whisper. And, in doing this, I am obliged to 
add, that he has recourse to a mode of proceeding, which human 
society condemns not only as wrong, but as odious. 

" The secret of private letters, written in intimate and reli 
gious confidence, (the most sacred after that of confession,) has 
nothing sacred, nothing inviolable to him. He produces my 
letters to Rome ; he prints letters which I wrote to him in 
the strictest confidence. But all will be useless to him ; he 
will find that nothing that is dishonourable ever proves ser 
viceable. 11 

In some passages of the work of Bossuet the complaint is 
made, that improper influences had been used, that cabals and 
factions were in motion in Fenelon s favour. Ferielon replied 
by asserting, if such were the case, it could not be ascribed to 
himself personally, who was at that time banished from the 
court in a state of exile. " The Bishop of Meaux," he says, 
u complains that cabals and factions are in motion ; that passion 
and interest divide the world. Be it so. But what interest can 
any person have to stir in my cause ? I stand single, and am 
wholly destitute of human help ; no one, that has a view to his 
interest, dares look upon me. Great bodies, great powers/ says 
the bishop, { are in motion. But where are the great bodies, the 
great powers that stand up for me ? These are the excuses the 
Bishop of Meaux gives, for the world s appearing to be divided 
on his charges against my doctrine, which at first he represented 
to be so completely abominable as to admit of no fair explana 
tion. This division, in the public opinion, on a matter which 
he represented to be so clear, makes him feel it advisable to shift 



428 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

the subject of dispute from a question of doctrine to a personal 
charge" 

11 If the Bishop of Meaux," he adds, " has any further writing, 
any further evidence to produce against me, I conjure him not 
to do it by halves. Such a proceeding, which leaves a part 
untold, is worse than any full and open publication. Whatever 
he has against me, I conjure him to announce it, and to forward 
it instantly to Home. I thank God that I fear nothing which 
will be communicated and examined judicially. I fear nothing 
but vague report and unexamined allegation." 

He concludes by saying, " I cannot here forbear from calling 
to witness the adorable Being whose eye pierces the thickest 
darkness, and before whom we must all appear. He reads my 
heart. He knows that I adhere to no person, and to no book ; 
that I am attached to Him alone and to His Church ; that, in 
cessantly, in His holy presence, I beseech Him, with sighs and 
tears, to shorten the days of scandal, to bring back the shepherds 
to their flocks, and to restore peace to His Church ; and, while 
He once more reunites all hearts in love, to bestow on the Bishop 
of Meaux as many blessings as the Bishop of Meaux has inflicted 
crosses on me." 

4t Never did virtue and genius," says Butler, " obtain a more 
complete triumph. Fenelon s reply, by a kind of enchantment, 
restored to him every heart. Crushed by the strong arm of 
power, abandoned by the multitude, there was nothing to which 
he could look but his own powers. Obliged to fight for his 
honour, it was necessary for him, if he did not consent to sink 
under the accusation, to assume a port still more imposing than 
that of his mighty antagonist. Much had been expected from 
him ; but none had supposed that he would raise himself to so 
prodigious a height as would not only repel the attack of his 
antagonist, but actually reduce him to the defensive." 

Much to the credit of Fenelon, he seemed entirely willing that 
his own high character should stand or fall with that of Madame 
Guyon. The king of France had shown himself decidedly 
hostile to her ; Madame de Maintenon, once her warm friend, 



OF MADAME GUYON. 429 

had either adopted new views, or fallen under unpropitious in 
fluences ; the prominent men of the Church were almost all 
united against her ; her character, as well as her opinions, had 
been assailed ; and, apparently deserted by every one, she was 
at the present time shut up in prison. Fenelon, who had a 
mind too pure to estimate virtue by the public favour or the 
want of public favour which attended it, was not the person to 
forsake her at this trying time. 

Bossuet attacked her, in a manner not the most ingenuous, 
by secret insinuations. Fenelon defended her by facts and argu 
ments. He not only produced the honourable testimonials both 
in respect to her piety and morals, which had been given her 
by Bishop D Aranthon some time before, but he drew a strong 
argument in her favour from the conduct of Bossuet himself, 
who had repeatedly examined her in relation to her opinions, 
who had expressed himself in a favourable manner on more than 
one occasion, who just before her imprisonment at Vincennes had 
administered the sacramental element to her, and given her an 
honourable written testimonial. 

In the second century, in the reign of Marcus Aurelius, a 
religious sect sprang up called the Montanists, from Montanus, 
a Phrygian by birth ; probably a man of piety, whose specula 
tive opinions on religion were vitiated by a mixture of error. 
His doctrines attracted the attention of the churches of that 
period, and were condemned as heretical. His reputation for 
piety, however, was so great, that he drew after him many 
followers ; among others, two distinguished Phrygian ladies, 
Priscilla and Maximilla, whose zeal was such that they were 
willing to become his disciples at the great and perhaps criminal 
expense of leaving their families. Priscilla, in particular, be 
came one of the active teachers and leaders of the sect. 

Bossuet compared Fenelon and Madame Guyon to Montanus 
and his friend and prophetess Priscilla. Fenelon exclaimed 
against the comparison, as calculated to bring odium upon him. 
Bossuet, in justifying what he had said, admitted that, though 
Montanus and Priscilla were closely connected with each other 



430 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

in their religious views and efforts, there never had been any 
reason to suspect any improper intercourse between them, and 
that the relation between them was nothing more than a com 
munity and intercourse of mere mental illusion. And in making 
reference to them, he wished to be understood as merely saying, 
that the relation of Madame Guyon and Fenelon was of the 
same nature. 

This partial retraction did not entirely satisfy Fenelon. " Does 
my illusion," he says, " even in the modified form in which you 
now present it, resemble that of Montanus ? That enthusiastic 
and deluded man detached from their husbands two wives, who 
followed him everywhere. The result of his instructions and 
example was to inspire in them the same false spirit of prophecy 
with which he himself was actuated. And it cannot be unknown 
to you, that, in the unhappy and wicked excitements to which 
their system led, two of them, Montanus and Maxiinilla, strangled 
themselves. And such is the man on whom succeeding ages 
have looked with disapprobation, and even with horror, to whom 
you think it proper to compare me. And you say farther, that 
I have no right to complain of the comparison. And I say in 
reply, that I have undoubtedly less reason to complain for my 
self, than I have to grieve for you ; you, who can coolly say, 
that you accuse me of nothing, and cast no improper reflection 
upon me, when you make such a comparison. I repeat that 
you have done a greater injury to yourself than to me. But 
what a wretched comfort is this, when I see the scandal it brings 
into the house of God 1 I can rejoice in no dishonour which 
you may incur by such attempts to injure myself. Such joy 
belongs only to heretics and libertines." 

" The scandal was not so great," says the Chancellor D Agues- 
seau, " while these great antagonists confined their quarrel to 
points of doctrine. But the scene was truly afflicting to all 
good men, when they attacked each other on facts. They differed 
from each other so much in their statements that it seemed 
impossible that both of them should speak the truth ; and the 
public saw with great concern that one of the two prelates must 



OF MADAME GUYON. 431 

be guilty of prevarication. Without saying on which side the 
truth lay, it is certain that the Archbishop of Cambray con 
trived to obtain, in the opinion of the public, the advantage of 
probability." 

At this time, among the distinguished men of France, was the 
Abbe de Ranee. In early years a man of the world, and de 
voted to its pleasures and honours, his conversion was remark 
able. But from the day that his eye was opened to the truth 
of God, and his heart felt its influences, he left no doubt of his 
purpose to live to God alone. Established in the office of 
regular Abbot of the monastery of La Trappe, he projected and 
carried into effect a wonderful reform of the monks under his 
care, who had previously become immersed in sloth, and aban 
doned to shameful excesses. The keen eye of this remarkable 
man, from the rocks and forests of his almost impenetrable seclu 
sion, watched with great attention the contest between Fenelon 
and Bossuet. The following letters, addressed to Bossuet, will 
show what his feelings were ; and if a man so pious, and in 
general so candid, could express himself with so much severity, 
I think we can infer from it how deep must have been the 
general feeling. De Ranee" distinctly acknowledged the import 
ance of the principle of faith ; it would be uncharitable to doubt 
that he himself was a sincere believer ; but attaching great 
importance to those physical restraints, humiliations, and suffer 
ings, which go under the name of austerities, he was alarmed 
at the diminished estimation in which they appeared to be held 
in the writings of Madame Guyon and Fenelon. This I think 
was the secret of the peculiar tone of his letters. 

" LA TRAPPE, March 1697. 

" To THE BISHOP OF MEAUX. I confess, sir, that I cannot be 
silent. The book of the Archbishop of Cambray has fallen into 
my hands. I am unable to conceive how a man like him could 
be capable of indulging in such phantasies, so opposite to what 
we are taught by the gospel, as well as by the holy tradition of 
the Ch irch. I thought that all the impressions, which might 



432 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

have engendered in him this ridiculous opinion, were entirely 
effaced ; and that he felt only the grief of having listened to 
them ; but I was much deceived. It is known that you have 
written against this monstrous systemthat is, that you have 
destroyed it ; for whatever you write, sir, is decisive. I pray to 
God that He may bless your pen, as He has done on so many 
other occasions ; and that He may gift it with such energy, that 
not a stroke it makes but what shall be a blow. While I cannot 
think of the work of the Archbishop of Cambray without indig 
nation, I implore of our Lord Jesus Christ that He will give 
him grace to be sensible of his errors." 

In a letter of the 14th of April following, the Abbe de Ranee" 
expresses himself still more harshly, respecting the book of the 
Archbishop of Cambray : 

" If the chimeras of these fanatics were to be received," says 
he to Bossuet, " we must close the book of God ; we must 
abandon the gospel, however holy and necessary may be its prac 
tices, as if they were of no utility ; we must, I say, hold as 
nothing the life and actions of Jesus Christ, adorable as they are, 
if the opinions of these mad men are to find any credence in the 
mind, and^if their authority be not entirely extirpated from it. 
It is, in short, a consummate impiety, hidden beneath singular 
and unusual phrases, beneath affected expressions and extraordi 
nary terms, all of which have no other end than to impose upon 
the soul and to delude it." 

The letters of the Abbe de Ranee, contrary in all probability 
to his own expectations, were made public, and great efforts were 
made to circulate them. As the letters were not addressed to 
Fenelon, arid were apparently written with no design of their 
being published, he did not make any formal reply to them. A 
few months afterwards, however, be had occasion to address a 
Pastoral Letter to the clergy of his own diocese. The letter v 
while it did not entirely exclude some other appropriate topics, 
was a learned and eloquent defence of the doctrine of PURE LOVE, 
as expressing a true, desirable, and possible form of Christian 
experience. This letter seemed to Fenelon to furnish a suitable 



OF MADAME OUYON. 433 

opportunity to open a correspondence with De Ranee*. He ac 
cordingly sent to the Abbe a copy of it, accompanied by the 
following letter, addressed to the Abbe himself : 

" CAMBRAT, October 1697. 

" To THE ABBE" DE RANGE. I take the liberty, my reverend 
father, of sending you a Pastoral Letter, which I have issued 
respecting my book. This explanation seemed to me to be 
necessary, as soon as I perceived from your letters, which were 
made public, that so enlightened and experienced a man as your 
self had conceived me in a manner very different from my mean 
ing. I am not surprised that you believed what was said to you 
against me, both with regard to the past and the present. I am 
not known to you ; and there is nothing in me which can render 
it difficult to believe the evil which is reported of me. You 
have confided in the opinion of a prelate whose acquirements 
are very vast. It is true, my reverend father, that if you had 
done me the honour to write to me respecting anything which 
may have displeased you in my book, I should have endeavoured 
either to remove your displeasure, or to correct myself. In case 
you should be thus kind, after having read the accompanying 
pastoral letter, I shall still be ready to profit by your knowledge, 
and with deference. Nothing has occurred to alter in me those 
sentiments which are due to you, and to the work which God 
has performed through you. Besides, I am sure you will not be 
hostile to the doctrine of disinterested love, when that which is 
equivocal in it shall be removed ; and when you are convinced 
how much I should abhor to weaken the necessity of desiring 
our beatitude in God. On this subject I wish for nothing more 
than what St. Bernard has taught with so much sublimity, and 
which you know better than I do. He left this doctrine to his 
children as their most precious inheritance. If it were lost and 
forgotten in the whole world beside, it is at La Trappe, where 
we should still find it in the hearts of your pious ascetics. It is 
this love which gives their real value to the holy austerities 
which they practise. This pure love, which leaves nothing to 

2 E 



434 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

nature, by referring everything to grace, does not encourage 
illusion, which always springs from the natural and excessive 
love of ourselves. It is not in yielding to this pure love, but in 
not following it sufficiently, that we are misled. I cannot con 
clude this letter without soliciting of you the aid of your prayers, 
and of those of your community. I have need of them ; you 
love the Church ; God is my witness that I wish to live but for 
her, and that I should abhor myself, if I could account myself 
as anything on this occasion. I shall ever be, with sincere 
veneration, yours, &c. FRANCIS, ARCHBISHOP OF CAMBRAY." 

Such was the reputation for piety of the Abbe de Ranee, 
that few men in France at that time, perhaps none, could have 
done Fenelon so much injury. But how calmly and triumph 
antly does the gentle and purified spirit of Fenelon carrry him 
above the violence which issued from the solitude of La Trappe I 
De Ranee had faith ; but not enough to subdue the fears, the 
agitations, and the injustice of nature. 

The faith of Fenelon was of that triumphant kind which can 
forgive its enemies, and turn the other cheek to him who hag 
smitten us. " We know not," says M. de Bausset, in his Life 
of Fenelon, " whether the Abbe de Ranee replied to this letter. 
It must have caused him some regret for having expressed him 
self with so much asperity concerning a bishop who wrote to 
him with such mildness and esteem. It is certain, however, that 
the name of the Abbe of La Trappe was heard no more in the 
course of this controversy." 



CHAPTER XLVII. 

1697-1699 The controversy brought before the Pope He appoints commissioners Divi 
sions in regard to it The decision delayed Dissatisfaction of the King He writes to the 
Pope Banishes Ffinelon Letter of Fgnelon to Mwiame de Maintenon Interest in the 
behalf of F6nelon by the Duke of Burgundy Conversation of the King with the Duke of 
Beauvilliers His treatment of the Abbe" Beaumont and others Letter of Ffinelon to the 
Duke of Beauvilliers Second letter to the King Condemnation of Fe"nelon. 

IT was seen at an early period of the controversy, that there 
was no probability of its being settled by any tribunal short of 



OP MADAME GUYON. 435 

the highest authority of the Roman Catholic Church. Innocent 
XII., a man of a benevolent and equitable spirit, filled the papal 
chair. The subject was pressed upon him with great earnest 
ness, by persons supposed to act in accordance with the wishes of 
Louis XIV. 

It was a matter of great grief to the Pope, that such a con 
troversy on such a subject should be brought before him. He 
had indulged the hope that the business might be settled in 
France by mild and conciliatory measures ; and went so far as 
to order his nuncio to express this wish. The suggestion was 
entirely unavailing. Louis was so strongly impressed that the 
doctrine of Fenelon was heretical ; it had caused such great dis 
cussions and divisions in France ; and in many ways it had been 
so brought before his notice, and had so implicated itself in his 
various relations, that it had become a personal concern. Nothing 
would satisfy him but its formal condemnation. 

The position of Innocent was a trying one. Such were the 
relations between him and the king of France, that it would 
probably have occasioned much difficulty between them, if he 
had declined giving attention to this matter. 

The Pope appointed a commission of twelve persons, called 
consultors, to examine the book of Fenelon and give an opinion 
upon it. They were directed to hold their meeting in the cham 
ber of the master of the Sacred Palace. Having discussed the 
principles and expressions of the book, in twelve successive 
sittings, they found themselves so divided in opinion, that no 
satisfactory result could reasonably be anticipated. They were 
accordingly dissolved. 

His next step was to select a commission or congregation of 
cardinals, in the hope that they would be able to come to some 
conclusion. This body also had twelve sittings. They found 
themselves, however, greatly divided; came to no conclusion, 
and were dissolved. 

He then appointed a new congregation of cardinals. They 
met in consultation no less than fifty-two times. The result of 
their deliberations was, but by no means with entire unanimity, 



436 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

that they extracted from Fenelon s work a number of proposi 
tions which they regarded as censurable, and reported them to 
the Pope. After they had advanced so far, they held thirty- 
seven meetings to settle the form of the censure. In addition 
to these more formal meetings, private conferences on the sub 
ject were frequently held by the Pope s direction, and sometimes 
in his presence. 

The cardinals Alfaro, Fabroni, Bouillon, and Gabriellio, and 
some others perhaps of less note, took the side of Fenelon. Men 
of no ordinary learning and power, they maintained with great 
ability, that the doctrine in question had authority and support 
in many approved Catholic writers. They did not hesitate, in 
the least, to defend the statements repeatedly made by Fenelon 
in his arguments with Bossuet and on other occasions, that it 
was a doctrine not only received but greatly cherished by many 
pious and learned men in all ages of the Church ; by Clement, 
Cassian, Dionysius, Thauler, Gerson, De Sales, John of the 
Cross, St. Theresa, the Bishop of Bellay, and others ; and to 
this they were willing to add, that there was not more of such 
learned and pious authority in its favour, than there was of 
Scripture and reason. Gabriellio said, on one occasion, expressly, 
that it was a doctrine conformed to the Scriptures, the Fathers, 
and the Mystics. 

They did not, however, in maintaining the doctrine of pure 
love, exclude the idea of a suitable regard to our own happiness. 
They seem to have taken the ground, that God and ourselves, 
considered as objects of love, are incommensurable ; and conse 
quently, that the motive of God s love, exceeding the other be 
yond all comparison, practically absorbs and annihilates it. So 
that a soul wholly given to God, may properly be said to love 
God alone. But the doctrine of GOD ALONE does not exclude 
other things, since God is All in All. In other words, in loving 
God for Himself alone, who is the sum of all good, we cannot 
help loving ourselves, our neighbour, and everything else in 
their proper place and degree. Alfaro, in concluding some re 
marks, at one of these meetings, read a letter addressed many 



OF MADAME GUYON. 437 

ages before, by St. Louis of France, to one of his daughters, in 
which ne advised her to do everything from the principle 01 
pure love. 

Among other things, they expressed no small degree of dis 
satisfaction with the course the controversy had taken in certain 
respects; remonstrating strongly against the attempt to con 
found doctrines with men, to implicate the permanency of truth 
with the imperfections of character, and to support a doubtful 
argument by personal defamation. It was much to their credit, 
when they saw the efforts constantly made in high places and 
low, to destroy the character of Fenelon, that they gave their 
opinions freely and boldly in his favour. " Consider a moment," 
said Cardinal Bouillon, " who it is that you propose to con 
demn, a distinguished Archbishop, prudent arid wise in the 
government of his diocese, who combines with a literary taste 
and power not exceeded by that of any other person in the king 
dom, the utmost sanctity of life and manners." They went so 
far as to intimate, that, if the doctrine of PURE LOVE were con 
demned, sustained as it was by such a weight of authority 
and argument, and encircled as it was by so many strong 
affections, it could hardly fail to produce a schism in the 
Church. 

The leading men on the other side were the Cardinals Mas- 
soulier, Pantiatici, Carpegna, Casanata, and Granelli. Their 
arguments were directed against the doctrine, partly in its 
general form, and partly against particular expressions and 
views, which characterized it, in the writings of Fenelon. So 
far as their arguments were general, they were very much the 
same as are employed against it at the present day. They 
maintained that it was a state too high to be possessed and 
maintained in the present life ; that there were many things 
in the Scriptures against it ; that the exaggerated expressions 
in the mystical or experimental writers of the Catholic Church 
ought to be received in a modified sense; that it was either 
modified or rejected by a great majority of their theological 
writers and other writers not of th# mystical class; and that 



438 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

it had been attended, in a number of instances, with practical 
disorders. 

The contest between the two parties was animated, and some 
times violent. For a time it seemed doubtful what would be 
the result. The discussion was thus continued from 1697 to 
1699, a period of nearly two years, under the eye and in the 
presence of the Pope. The king of France, who was in frequent 
communication with Bossuet, became impatient, on learning 
doubts which he did not himself entertain, and a delay which he 
did not anticipate. 

In order to hasten an issue, he had written at an earlier 
period a letter to the Pope, in which he denounced the book of 
the Archbishop of Cambray, as erroneous and dangerous, and 
as already censured by a great number of theological doctors 
and other learned persons. He added, that the explanations 
more recently given by the Archbishop were inadmissible ; and 
concluded by assuring the Pope, that he would employ all his 
authority to obtain the due execution of his Holiness s decree. 

This letter, drawn up by Bossuet, was dated the 26th of July 
1697. 

The desires and feelings of the king were made known in 
other ways still more painful. When Fenelon was first appointed 
Archbishop of Cambray in 1695, his character was so much 
esteemed and his services were regarded so important, that the 
king insisted he should spend three months in the year at Ver 
sailles in the instruction of the young princes. 

Six days after the date of the letter to the Pope, the king 
wrote a letter or order to Fenelon, which might properly be 
denominated an order of banishment, in which he required him 
to leave Versailles, and repair to the diocese of Cambray, and 
forbade him to quit it. It was added further, that he was not 
at liberty to delay his departure any longer than was absolutely 
necessary to arrange his affairs. 

Those principles of inward experience, which so triumphantly 
sustained Madame Guyon in her imprisonment, received a new 
confirmation in the victory which they now achieved in Fenelon. 



OP MADAME GUYON. 439 

The very moment he received from the king the order which 
thus banished him from all places out of his own diocese, he 
wrote the following letter to Madame de Maintenon. Bausset 
says, that he copied it from the original manuscript in Fenelon s 
handwriting : 

" VERSAILLES, Aug. 1, 1697. 

" In obedience to the king s commands, Madame, I shall de 
part from this place to-morrow. I would not pass through 
Paris, did I not feel it difficult to find anywhere else a man fit 
to attend to my affairs at Rome, and who would be willing to 
make the journey thither. I shall return to Cambray with a 
heart full of submission, full of zeal, of gratitude, and of the 
greatest attachment towards the king. My greatest grief is, 
that I have harassed and displeased him. Not a day of my life 
shall pass over, that I will not pray to God to bless him. I am 
willing to be still more humbled. The only thing that I would 
implore of his Majesty is, that the diocese of Cambray, which is 
guiltless, may not suffer for the faults that are imputed to me. 
I solicit protection only for the Church ; and I limit this pro 
tection to the circumstance of being free to perform the little 
good that my situation will permit me to perform as part of 
my duty. 

" It only remains, Madame, that I request your forgiveness 
for all the trouble I may have caused you. God knows how 
much I regret it ; and I will unceasingly pray to Him, until He 
alone shall occupy your whole heart. I shall, all my life, be as 
sensible of your past goodness, as though I had never forfeited 
it ; and my respectful attachment towards you, Madame, will 
never diminish." 

" We may easily conceive," says Bausset, u what an effect 
this letter, every line of which breathes nothing but mildness, 
affection, and serenity, had upon Madame de Maintenon. Ke- 
callirig all her former friendship for Fenelon, she could not con 
ceal from herself the active part which she had taken in his 
present disgrace. It cannot, indeed, be doubted, that this letter 
left a painful and durable impression upon her heart. She tells 



440 LIFE AND KELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

us, herself, that her health was impaired in consequence ; ana 
that she did not conceal the cause of her illness from Louis XIV. 
The monarch himself seemed, at first, to be a little hurt ; and 
could not help peevishly exclaiming to her, as he marked her 
affliction, So it seems, Madame, we are to see you die in conse 
quence of this business." 

The Duke of Burgundy, who had owed so much to Fenelon, 
was no sooner informed of the order of exile, than he hastened to 
throw himself at the feet of the king, his grandfather. He ap 
pealed to himself and to the renovation of his own heart and 
life, as a proof of the purity of the life and maxims of his faithful 
and affectionate instructor. Louis was touched by an attach 
ment so ingenuous and generous. But fixed in his principles of 
belief, and invariable in whatever he had decided, he merely 
replied to the young prince, " My sow, it is not in my power to 
make this thing a matter of favour. The purity of religious faith 
is concerned in it. And Bossuet knows more on that subject than 
either you or /." 

On the second of August, Fenelon departed from Versailles, 
never to return again. He remained at Paris only twenty-four 
hours. He cast a tender and last look towards the seminary of 
St. Sulpitius, in which he had spent the peaceful and happy 
years of his youth. A motive of delicacy, nevertheless, forbade 
his entering its walls. He feared that he might involve in his 
own sorrow and disgrace his former friend and instructor, Mon 
sieur Tronson, who had the charge of it. He, however, wrote 
him a few lines, in which he expressed his veneration and 
gratitude ; and, asking the continuance of that good man s 
prayers, of which he said he had much need in his sufferings, 
he went on his way. 

It was but a few months after he had reached Cambray, and 
was assiduously engaged in his religious duties among his own 
people, when he received intimations that the way was open for 
his return on certain conditions. To this he refers in a letter 
to the Abbe de Chanterac, dated Dec, 9, 1697 : " It is reported," 
he says, " that the only means by which I can appease the king, 



OP MADAME GUYON. 441 

obtain my return to court, and prevent all scandal, is to remove 
the present unfavourable opinions by an humble acknowledgment 
of error. But I assure you, that I have no present nor future 
idea of returning to court. If I am in error, it is my desire to 
be undeceived. But as long as I am unable to perceive my 
error, it is my purpose to justify my position with unceasing 
patience and humility. Be assured that I will never return to 
court at the expense of truth, or by a compromise, which would 
leave the purity either of my doctrine or of my reputation in 
doubt." 

The friends of Fenelon were, to some extent, involved in his 
calamities. Foremost among them was the Duke of Beauvil- 
liers. He believed in the doctrine of pure love, originated and 
sustained by faith in the Son of God ; and he had experienced 
in his own renovated heart the effects which this doctrine, more 
than any other, is calculated to produce. He was the avowed 
and known friend of Madame Guyon, as well as of Fenelon 
The king was offended with him. Taking Beauvilliers aside 
soon after the banishment of the Archbishop of Cambray, he told 
him how much he was dissatisfied at his connexion with a person 
whose doctrines were so much suspected. He intimated to him 
distinctly, that his continuance in such a course would be likely 
to be attended with the most unpleasant consequences. 

Beauvilliers assured him of his entire conviction, that the 
princes who had been under the care of the Archbishop of Cam- 
bray had not been infected with any erroneous or dangerous 
doctrine. He then proceeded to say, " I remember, Sire, that I 
recommended to your Majesty the appointment of Fenelon to 
be the preceptor of the Duke of Burgundy. I can never repent 
that I did so. I have been the friend of Fenelon ; I am his 
friend now. I can submit to whatever your Majesty may impose 
upon me ; but I cannot eradicate the sentiments of my heart. 
The power of your Majesty has raised me to my present position . 
the same power can degrade me. Acknowledging the will of God 
in the will of my king, I shall cheerfully withdraw from your 
court whenever you shall require it ; regretting that 1 have 



442 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

displeased you, and hoping that I may lead hereafter a life of 
greater tranquillity." 

The king, overawed by the nobleness of his sentiments, or 
fearing the rashness of the course which he had threatened, per 
mitted him to remain in his place. 

On the 2d of June 1698, the king deprived the Abbe Beau 
mont and the Abbe de Langeron of their title of sub-preceptors. 
" The former was Feneloris nephew ; the latter was his most 
tender and faithful friend. Messieurs M. Dupuy and De Les- 
chelle, gentlemen who held situations about the person of the 
young prince, were dismissed on the same day, and ordered to 
quit the court. The pretext for their dismission was their par 
tiality for the spiritual maxims of the Archbishop of Cambray. 
The real motive was their affectionate and inviolable fidelity to 
wards him. 

" All of them had been concerned in the education of the Duke 
of Burgundy for nine years ; and the excellence of this educa 
tion has been detailed. They were dismissed without receiving 
the slightest reward for their services. Thus severely were 
punished the men, who had transformed the vices of the Duke 
of Burgundy into virtues ; a severity which could have been 
justified only, had they changed his virtues into vices." 

Fenelon felt more deeply the disgrace and suffering of his 
friends than his own ; but he maintained the same equanimity 
and triumphant faith, which had supported him hitherto. In a 
letter, which he wrote at this time to the Duke of Beauvilliers, 
we find the following expressions, which indicate very clearly, 
how patient and lovely is the heart that is wholly given to 
God: 

" I cannot avoid telling you, my good duke, what I have at 
heart. Yesterday I spent the day in devotion and prayer for 
the king. I did not ask for him any temporal prosperity, for of 
that he has enough. I only begged that he might make a good 
use of it ; and that, amidst such great success, he might be as 
humble as if he had undergone some deep humiliation. I 
begged that he might not only fear God and respect religion, but 



OF MADAME GUYON. 443 

that he might also love God, and feel how easy and light His 
yoke is to those who bear it less through fear than love. I never 
found in myself a greater degree of zeal ; or, if I may venture 
to use the expression, of affection to his person. 

" Far from being under any uneasiness at my present situa 
tion, which might have suggested unpleasant feelings against 
him, I would have offered myself with joy to God, for the sanc- 
tification of the king. I even considered his zeal against my 
book as a commendable effect of his religion, and of his just 
abhorrence of whatever has to him the appearance of novelty. 
Desirous that he might be an object of the Divine favour, I called 
to mind his education without solid instruction, the flatteries 
which have surrounded him, the snares laid for him in his youth, 
the profane counsels that were given him, the distrust that was 
with so much pains instilled into him against the excesses of 
certain professors of devotion ; and lastly, the perils of greatness, 
and so great a multiplicity of nice affairs. I own, that with all 
these things in view, I had great compassion for a soul so much 
exposed. I judged his case deserved to be lamented ; and I 
wished him a more plentiful degree of mercy to support him in 
so formidable a state of prosperity. In all this I had not, as I 
apprehended, the least interested view ; for I would have con 
sented to a perpetual disgrace, provided I knew that the king 
was entirely after God s own heart. 

" As far as relates to myself, all I can say is, I am at peace in 
the midst of almost continual sufferings. Trusting in God s 
assistance to sustain me, the scandals which my enemies cast 
upon me shall neither exasperate nor discourage me." 

One object of these proceedings of the king of France, was to 
make an impression at Eome. They were a part of a plan of 
intimidation ; but they did not have the immediate effect anti 
cipated. Public opinion was still divided ; there had been a 
want of unanimity in the debates and decisions of the congrega 
tion of the cardinals at Rome ; the Pope himself hesitated to 
give a decision. 

Under these circumstances, Louis, near the close of the year 



444 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

1698, wrote another letter, which was despatched to the Pope by 
an extraordinary courier. It was as follows : 

" MOST HOLY FATHER, At the time when I expected from 
the zeal and friendship of your Holiness, a prompt decision upon 
the book of the Archbishop of Cambray, I could not learn, with 
out grief, that this decision, so necessary to the peace of the 
Church, is still retarded by the artifices of those who think it 
their interest to protract it. I see so clearly the fatal conse 
quences of this delay, that I should not consider myself as duly 
supporting the title of eldest son of the Church, were I not to 
reiterate the urgent entreaties which I have so often made to 
your Holiness, and to beg of you to calm, at length, the anxieties 
of conscience which this book has caused. Tranquillity can now 
be expected only from the decision that shall be pronounced by 
the common father ; but let it be clear and precise, and capable 
of no misinterpretations ; such a decision, in fact, as is necessary 
to remove all doubt with regard to doctrine, and to eradicate the 
very root of the evil. I demand, most holy Father, this decision, 
for the good of the Church, the tranquillity of the faithful, and 
for the glory of your Holiness. You know how truly sensible I 
am, and how much I am convinced of your paternal tenderness. 
To such powerful and important motives, I would add, the 
attention which I entreat you to pay to my request, and the filial 
respect with which I am, 

" Most holy Father, your truly devoted Son, 

" Louis." 

Under such circumstances as these, on the 12th of March 

1699, a decree was issued under the signature of the Pope, con 
demning the book of Fenelon, or perhaps more properly condemn 
ing twenty-three propositions, purporting to be extracted from 
it. The Pope, however, took the pains to say, and to have it 
understood, that they were condemned in the sense which they 
might bear, or which they were actually regarded as bearing 
in the view of others, and not in the sense in which they were 



OP MADAME GUYON. 445 

explained by Fenelon himself. " The Pope," says Monsieur de 
Bausset, " had openly declared on many occasions, that neither 
he nor the cardinals had intended to condemn the explanations 
which the Archbishop of Cambray had given of his book." 

To such a condemnation Fenelon could have comparatively 
but little objection. It was really not a condemnation of himself, 
but of others who undertook to speak and to interpret for him. 
While he was sincere and firm in his own belief, he had no dis 
position to defend the misconceptions and perversions of other 
people. To what extent, however, he availed himself of the 
suggestion which thus dropped from the Pope, we have no means 
of knowing. Certain it is, whatever view he took of the act of 
condemnation, he made no complaint. He thought it his duty 
to be submissive to the higher authorities of his Church. He 
received the news of his condemnation on the Sabbath, just as 
he was about to ascend his pulpit to preach. He delayed a few 
moments ; changed the plan of his sermon, and delivered one 
upon the duty of submission to the authority of superiors. 

From that time he ceased to write controversially upon the 
subject. But, without regarding what was said by others, and 
in the discharge of his own duties among his own people, he 
never ceased to inculcate in his life, his conversations, and his 
practical writings, the doctrine of pure love. He thought it his 
duty to avoid certain forms of expression, and certain illustra 
tions which had been specifically condemned in the papal decree, 
and which were liable to misconception ; but it is not easy to see 
that he went further. In other words, he condemned sincerely 
what he understood tlie Pope to condemn ; and he did this 
without any change, further than has already been intimated, 
either in his life or opinions. 



446 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 



CHAPTER XLVIII. 

Character of Ffinelon Labours Method of preaching Visits among his peopleThe pea 
sant who lost his cow The feelingH of F6nelon, when the palace was burnt Conduct 
during war Respect in which he was held by the belligerent parties Hospitality Ex 
tract from the Chevalier Ramsay Of the spirit of quietude or quietism ascribed to him 
Meditations on the infant Jesus His forbearance and meekness in relation to others 
Views on religious toleration Feelings in relation to his separation from his friends- 
Correspondence with the Duke of Burgundy His death. 

As the personal history of Fenelon is closely connected with 
that of Madame Guyon, we propose to occupy a few pages further 
with some incidents of his life, and with some general views of 
his character. 

At an early period Fenelon had devoted himself to the ministry 
of Jesus Christ. After he was appointed Archbishop of Cambray, 
he had but one object, that of benefiting his people. This was 
particularly the case after he was confined by the royal order to 
his own diocese. We do not mean to imply, that he had a more 
benevolent disposition then, but he had a better opportunity to 
exercise it. With a heart filled with the love of God, which can 
never be separated from the love of God s creatures, it was his 
delight to do good. 

He was very diligent in visiting all parts of his diocese. He 
preached by turns in every church in it ; and with great care and 
faithfulness, examined, instructed, and exhorted both priests and 
people. 

In his preaching he was affectionate and eloquent, but still 
very plain and intelligible. Excluding from his sermons super 
fluous ornaments as well as obscure and difficult reasonings, he 
might be said to preach from the heart rather than from the head. 
He generally preached without notes, but not without premedi 
tation and prayer. It was his custom, before he preached, to 
spend some time in the retirement of his closet ; that he might 
be sure that his own heart was filled from the divine fountain, 
before he poured it forth upon the people. One great topic of 
his preaching was the doctrine, so dear to him, and for which he 
had suffered so much, of PURE LOVE. 



O* MADAME GOYON. 447 

He was very temperate in his habits, eating and sleeping but 
little. He rose early ; and his first hours were devoted to prayer 
and meditation. His chief amusement*, when he found it neces 
sary to relax a little from his arduous toils, was that of walking 
and riding. He loved rural scenes, and it was a great pleasure 
to him to go out in the midst of them. " The country," he says, 
in one of his letters, " delights me. In the midst of it, I find 
God s holy peace." Everything seemed to him to be full of in 
finite goodness ; and his heart glowed with the purest happiness, 
as he escaped from the business and carts which necessarily oc 
cupied so much of his time, into the air and the fields, into the 
flowers and the sunshine of the great Creator. 

But in a world like this, where it is a first principle of Chris 
tianity that we should forget ourselves and our own happiness in 
order that we may do good to others, he felt it a duty to make 
even this sublime pleasure subservient to the claims of bene 
volence. He improved these opportunities to form a personal 
acquaintance with some of the poor peasants in his diocese, and 
their families, and to counsel and console them. Sometimes, 
when he met them, he would sit down with them upon the grass ; 
and inquiring familiarly about the state of their affairs, he gave 
them kind and suitable advice ; but above all things, he affec 
tionately recommended to them to seek an interest in the Saviour, 
and to lead a religious life. 

He went into their cottages to speak to them of God, and to 
comfort and relieve them under the hardships they suffered. If 
these poor people presented him with any refreshments in their 
unpretending and unpolished manner, he pleased them much by 
seating himself at their simple table, and partaking cheerfully 
and thankfully of what was set before him. He shewed no false 
delicacy because they were poor, and because their habitations, 
in consequence of their poverty, exhibited but little of the con 
veniences and comforts of those who were more wealthy. In 
the fulness of his benevolent spirit, which was filled with the love 
of Christ and of all for whom Christ died, he became in a manner 
one of them, as a brother among brothers, or as a father among 
his children. 



448 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

There are various anecdotes which illustrate his condescensior 
and benevolence. In one of these rural excursions he met witl 
a peasant in much affliction. Inquiring the cause of his grief, 
he was informed by the man that he had lost his cow. Fenelon 
attempted to comfort him, and gave him money enough to buy 
another. The peasant was grateful for the kindness of the arch 
bishop, but still he was very sad. The reason was, although the 
money given him would buy a cow, it would not buy the cow he 
had lost, to which he seemed very much attached. Pursuing 
his walk, Fenelon found, at a considerable distance from the 
place of his interview with the peasant, the very cow which was 
the object of so much affliction. The sun had set, and the night 
was dark ; but the good archbishop drove her back himself to 
the poor man s cottage. 

The revenues which he received as Archbishop of Cainbray 
were very considerable ; but he had learned the difficult though 
noble art of being poor in the midst of plenty. He kept nothing 
for himself. His riches were in making others rich ; his happi 
ness, in making the poor and suffering happy. When at Versailles 
in the instruction of the young princes, the news came that a 
fire had burned to the ground the archi episcopal palace at Cam- 
bray, and consumed all his books and writings. His friend, the 
Abbe de Langeron, seeing Fenelon conversing with a number of 
persons, and apparently much at his ease, supposed he had not 
heard this unpleasant news, and began with some formality and 
caution to inform him of it. Fenelon, perceiving the solicitude 
and kindness of the good Abbe, interrupted him by saying that 
he was acquainted with what had happened ; and added further, 
although the loss was a very great one, that he was really less 
affected in the destruction of his own palace, than he would have 
been by the burning of a cottage of one of the peasants. 

So elevated and diffusive were his religious principles, that 
they rendered him the friend of all mankind. It was not neces 
sary for him to stop and inquire a man s creed or nation, as a 
preliminary to his beneficence. Occasions were not wanting 
which illustrated this remark. The war, which raged near the 
commencement of the eighteenth century, between France and 



OF MADAME GUYON. 449 

Bavaria on the one side, and England, Holland, and Austria on 
the other, drew near to the city where he resided. Cambray, 
formerly the capital of a small province of the same name in the 
north of France, is not far from the Netherlands, which has 
sometimes been denominated the battle-field of Europe. At the 
time of which we are speaking, large armies met in its vicinity, 
and battles were fought near it. At this trying time, not only 
the residence of Fenelon, but other houses beside, hired by him 
for the purpose, were filled with the sick and wounded, and poor 
people driven from the neighbouring villages. The expense he 
thus incurred, absorbed all his revenues ; but he had no inclin 
ation to spare either time, money, or personal effort in these acts 
of benevolence ; acts which were shown as kindly and as freely 
to the enemies of his country, taken prisoners in the war, as to 
those of his own nation. 

The sight of the wretched condition of the refugees in his 
palace was painful ; many were suffering from the want of pro 
per clothing ; others were in agony in consequence of their 
wounds, and others were afflicted with distempers that were in 
fectious ; but nothing abated his zeal. He appeared among 
them daily with the kindness of a parent ; dropping words of 
instruction and consolation, and testifying by his tears how 
much he was moved with compassion. 

The marked respect in which he was held, was not confined 
to the French army alone. He was held in equal veneration by 
the enemy. The distinguished commanders opposed to France, 
the Duke of Marlborough, Prince Eugene, and the Duke of 
Ormond, embraced every suitable opportunity of showing their 
esteem ; sending detachments of their men to guard his meadows 
and his corn : and causing his grain to be transported with a 
convoy to Cambray, lest it should be seized and carried off by 
by their own foragers. In the discharge of his religious duties, 
he went abroad among the people of his diocese, without regard 
to the hostile armies which occupied the territory. As he went, 
in the discharge of these duties, in the spirit of Him who came 
to bring peace on earth and good-will to men, he had faith in a 

2F 



450 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

Divine protection. So far from any violence being offered to 
him, the English and Austrian commanders, when they heard 
that he was to take a journey in that part of the diocese where 
their armies were situated, sent him word that he had no need 
of a French escort, and that they would furnish an escort them 
selves. It is said that even the hussars of the Imperial troops 
did not hesitate to do him service. So true it is that men who 
live in the spirit of the Gospel do, by the very force of their 
virtue, disarm the hostility of nature. 

Among those who were taken prisoners at the battle of De- 
main and conducted to Cambray, was Count, afterwards Marshal 
Munich. Although he was characterized by great enterprise 
and bravery, and had an almost exclusive taste for arms, he was 
deeply affected by what he saw of the peaceful virtues and the 
truly Christian generosity of Fenelon. He was then young, but 
was afterwards one of the most distinguished commanders in the 
armies of Kussia. His name is associated, in the history of war, 
with sanguinary and victorious campaigns in the Crimea. Eaised 
to the highest place of worldly honour by his talents and courage, 
he suddenly fell under the displeasure of the Empress Elizabeth 
in 1741, and was banished to Siberia, where he remained an 
exile twenty years. He was restored by Peter III. But in all 
the vicissitudes of his life, in peace and war, in the court and in 
the camp, disgraced and suffering in the deserts of Siberia, or 
free and honoured in the halls of princes, he delighted, to the very 
close of his life, to remember the happy days which he passed, 
as a prisoner of war, in the society of Fenelon ; instructing and 
soothing, as it were, the agitations of his own wild and turbulent 
spirit by recounting the virtues and actions witnessed at Cambray. 

At this very period there was another visitant at Cambray of 
a very different character, the celebrated Cardinal Quirini, whose 
whole life, as remote as possible from the pursuits of war, was 
devoted to learned researches and useful studies. In the prose 
cution of literary objects, he visited almost all parts of Europe, 
and became acquainted with the most distinguished literary men. 
In the account of his travels, which he wrote in Latin, he speaks 
very particularly of his interview with Fenelon. 



OF MADAME GUYON. 451 

" I considered," he says, " Cambray as one of the principal 
objects of my travels in France. I will not even hesitate to 
confess, that it was towards this single spot, or rather towards 
the celebrated Fenelon who resided there, that I was most 
powerfully attracted. With what emotions of tenderness I still 
recall the gentle and affecting familiarity with which that great 
man deigned to discourse with me, and even sought my con 
versation ; though his palace was then crowded with French 
generals and commanders-in-chief, towards whom he displayed 
the most magnificent and generous hospitality. I have still 
fresh in my recollection all the serious and important subjects 
which were the topics of our discourse. My ear caught with 
eagerness every word that issued from his lips. The letters 
which he wrote me, from time to time, are still before me ; 
letters which are an evidence alike of the wisdom of his princi 
ples and of the purity of his heart. I preserve them among my 
papers, as the most precious treasure which I have in the world." 

It is an evidence both of the kindness and faithfulness of 
Fenelon, that he endeavours in these very letters to recall the 
Cardinal Quirini from a too eager and exclusive pursuit of 
worldly knowledge, to that knowledge of Jesus Christ which 
renews and purifies the soul. 

Strangers from all parts of Europe came to see him. Although 
the duties of hospitality became a laborious work to him, amid 
the multiplicity and urgency of his other employments, he ful 
filled them with the greatest attention and kindness. It was 
pleasing to see how readily he suffered himself to be interrupted 
in his important duties, in order to attend to any, whatever 
might be their condition and whatever their wants, who might 
call upon him. He did not hesitate to drop his eloquent pen, 
with which he conversed with all Europe, whenever Providence 
called him to listen to the imperfect utterance of the most ignor 
ant and degraded among his people. And, in doing this, he 
acted on religious principle. He would rather suffer the greatest 
personal inconvenience, than injure the feelings of a fellow-man. 

" t have seen him," saya the Chevalier Ramsay, " in the course 



452 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

of a single day, converse with the great and speak their lan 
guage, ever maintaining the episcopal dignity ; afterwards dis 
course with the simple and the little, like a good father instruct 
ing his children. This sudden transition from one extreme to 
the other, was without affectation or effort, like one who, by the 
extensiveness of his genius, reaches to all the most opposite dis 
tances. I have often observed him at such conferences, and 
have as much admired the evangelical condescension by which 
he became all things to all men, as the sublimity of his dis 
courses. While he watched over his flock with a daily care, 
he prayed in the deep retirement of internal solitude. The many 
things which were generally admired in him, were nothing in 
comparison of that Divine life by which he walked with God like 
Enoch, and was unknown to men." 

Fenelon, in the language of those who knew his virtue, but 
still were willing to say something to his discredit, was denomi 
nated a Quietist. This term is susceptible of a good and a bad 
meaning. That quietude is bad which is the result of the igno 
rant and unbelieving pride of self; but it is not so with that 
quietude which is the result of an intelligent and believing 
acquiescence in the will of God. There is certainly great grace 
in being truly and religiously quiet in spirit. It is a remark to 
be found in some of the pagan philosophers, that man can never 
be truly happy, until he arrives at such an inward tranquillity 
as excludes not only unprofitable actions, but even useless 
thoughts. Heathenism had light enough to perceive the truth ; 
but, rendered weak in its sins, it had not power enough to realize 
it. It is Christianity alone which reveals the way, the truth, and 
the life. It is Christianity, realized in the presence and opera 
tions of the Holy Spirit, which gives that Divine peace which 
nature perceives to be necessary, but which God alone can im 
part. The quietude which was ascribed to Fenelon was that 
inward rest which the Saviour calls peace ; and of which it is 
declared there is no peace to the wicked. It was that state of 
inind which the Saviour not only denominates peace, but which 
he describes as my peace, in other words Christ s peace, "the 



OP MADAME GUYON. 453 

peace of God which passeth understanding," that supported the 
Archbishop of Cambray, in the trials he endured, and in the 
duties of humanity and religion which he was called to discharge. 

" He dismissed, as fast as they arose," says an anonymous 
writer, " all useless ideas and disquieting desires, to the end that 
he might preserve his soul pure and in peace ; taken up with 
God, detached from everything not Divine. This brought him 
to such a simplicity as to be far from valuing himself for his 
natural talents, accounting all but dross, that he might win 
Christ, and be found in Him." 

Among his religious meditations we find the following : 

" I adore thee, infant Jesus ! naked, weeping, and lying in 
the manger. Thy childhood and poverty are become my delight. 
that I could be thus poor, thus a child, like thee ! Eternal 
Wisdom ! reduced to the condition of a little babe, take from 
me the vanity and presumptuousness of human wisdom. Make 
me a child with thee. Be silent, ye teachers and sages of the 
earth ! I wish to know nothing, but to be resigned, to be will 
ing to suffer, to lose and forsake all, to be all faith. The WORD 
made flesh! Now silent, now He has an imperfect utterance, 
now weeps as a child. And shall I set up for being wise? 
Shall I take a complacency in my own schemes and systems ? 
Shall I be afraid lest the world should not have an opinion high 
enough of my capacity ? No, no ; all my pleasure shall be to 
decrease, to become little and obscure, to live in silence, to bear 
the reproach of Jesus crucified, and to add thereto the helpless 
ness and imperfect utterance of Jesus a child." 

* To die to all his own abilities," says the writer to whom we 
have just now referred, " must have been a thing more painful 
to him than any other. He understood thoroughly the principles 
of almost all the liberal sciences. He had studied the ancients 
of all kinds, poets, orators, and philosophers. He was well 
acquainted both with their faults and with their beauties. Yet 
he rejected that pompous erudition which so powerfully tends to 
swell the mind with pride. He thought it his duty to renounce 
all the false riches of the mind, and to be wise with sobriety. This 



454 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

is what those learned men and teachers, who are always contend 
ing about frivolous questions, will never be able to comprehend." 

It was one characteristic of this remarkable and deeply pious 
man, that he bore the passions and faults of others with the 
greatest equanimity. He was faithful, without ceasing to be 
patient. Believing that the providence of God attaches to times 
as well as to things, and that there is a time for reproof as well 
as for everything else, a time which may properly be denomi 
nated God s time, he waited calmly for the proper moment of 
speaking. Thus keeping his own spirit in harmony with God, 
he was enabled to administer reproof and to utter the most 
unpleasant truths without a betrayal of himself, and without 
giving offence to others. 

" It is often," he said, " our own imperfection which makes 
us reprove the imperfections of others ; a sharp- sigh ted self- 
love of our own, which cannot pardon the self-love of others. 
The passions of other men seem insupportable to him who is 
governed by his own. Divine charity makes great allowances 
for the weaknesses of others, bears with them, and treats them 
with gentleness and condescension. It is never over-hasty in 
its proceeding. The less we have of self-love, the more easily 
we accommodate ourselves to the imperfections of others, in order 
to cure them patiently, when the right season arrives for it. Im 
perfect virtue is apt to be sour, severe, and implacable. Perfect 
virtue is meek, affable, and compassionate. It thinks of nothing 
but doing good, bearing others burdens. It is this principle of 
disinterestedness with regard to ourselves, and of compassion for 
others, which is the true bond of society." 

It was a natural result of his principles, that he inculcated 
and practised religious toleration. Without being indifferent to 
the principles and forms of religion, he had a deep conviction 
that the appropriate weapon of religion, in its defence and in its 
extension, is that of love. A man s belief is and ought to be 
sacred. We may try to correct it by kind argument ; but in 
every act beyond that, we violate the laws of the mind, as well 
as the claims of morals, and act without authority. Such were 



OF MADAME GUYON. 455 

the views of Fenelon ; which he inculcated at a time and under 
circumstances which showed the firmness of his purpose as well 
as the benevolence of his heart. 

When he was appointed a missionary among the Protestants 
of Poitou, he accepted this difficult and delicate office, only on 
the condition that the king should remove all the troops, and all 
appearance of military coercion, from those places to which he 
was sent. In the latter period of his life, in the year 1709, he 
was visited by a young prince at the episcopal residence. The 
Archbishop recommended to him, very emphatically, never to 
compel his subjects to change their religion. " Liberty of 
thought," said he, " is an impregnable fortress, which no human 
power can force. Violence can never convince ; it only makes 
hypocrites. When kings take it upon them to direct in matters 
of religion, instead of protecting it, they bring it into bondage. 
You ought, therefore, to grant to all a legal toleration ; not as 
approving everything indifferently, but as suffering with patience 
what God suffers ; endeavouring in a proper manner to restore 
such as are misled, but never by any measures but those of 
gentle and benevolent persuasion." 

Fenelon had many friends affectionately attached to him, in 
Versailles, Paris, and other parts of France ; but in his banish 
ment he saw them but very seldom. Many of them were persons 
of eminent piety. 

" Let us all dwell," he says in one of his letters, " in our only 
CENTRE, where we continually meet, and are all one and the 
same thing. We are very near, though we see not one another ; 
whereas others, who even live in the same house, yet live at a 
great distance. God reunites all, and brings together the re 
motest points of distance in the hearts that are united to Him. 
I am for nothing but unity ; that unity which binds all the 
parts to the centre. That which is not in unity is in separation ; 
and separation implies a plurality of interests, self in each too 
much fondled. When self is destroyed, the soul reunites in 
God ; and those who are united in God are not far from each 
other. This is the consolation which I have in your absence, and 



456 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

which enables ine to bear this affliction patiently, however long 
it may continue." 

" Oh ! what a beautiful sight," he said frequently, " to see 
all kinds of goods in common, nobody looking on his own know 
ledge, virtue, joys, riches, as his peculiar property ! It is thus 
that the saints in heaven possess everything in God, without 
having anything of their own. It is the fiux and reflux of an 
infinite ocean of good, common to all, which satiates their desires, 
and completes their happiness. Perfectly poor in themselves, 
they are perfectly rich and happy in God, who is the true source 
of riches. If this poverty of spirit, which, in depriving us of 
self, fills us with love, prevailed here below as it should do, we 
should hear no more those cold words of mine and thine. Being 
one in the abandonment of self, and one in harmony with God, 
we should be all at the same time rich and poor in unity." 

After Fenelon left Versailles, he never had the opportunity 
of seeing his beloved pupil, the Duke of Burgundy ; and it was 
a number of years before they had the means even of corre 
sponding with each other. But the Duke never forgot him ; and 
Fenelon, on his part, never ceased to counsel and encourage. 

" Offspring of Saint Louis ! " he says, in one of his letters 
written a short time before the lamented death of the prince, 
" be like him, mild, humane, easy of access, affable, compassion 
ate, and liberal. Let your grandeur never hinder you from con 
descending to the lowest of your subjects, yet in such a manner 
that this goodness may never weaken your authority, nor lessen 
their respect. Suffer not yourself to be beset by insinuating 
flatterers ; but value the presence and advice of men of virtuous 
principles. True virtue is often modest and retired. Princes 
have need of her, and therefore ought to seek her out. Place no 
confidence in any but those who have the courage to contradict 
you with respect, and who love your prosperity and reputation 
better than your favour. Make yourself to be loved by the good, 
feared by the bad, and esteemed by all. Hasten to reform yourself, 
ihat you may labour with success in the reformation of others." 

The effect of the correspondence of Fenelon with the Duke of 



OF MADAME GUYON. 457 

Burgundy may be seen, among other evidences which he gave, 
from the following letter : 

TO THE ARCHBISHOP OF CAMBRAY. 

" MY DEAR ARCHBISHOP, I will endeavour to make use of 
the advice you give me. I ask an interest in your prayers, that 
God will give me His grace so to do. Desire of God more and 
more, that He will grant me the love of Himself above all 
things else ; and that I may love my friends and love my ene 
mies IN Him and FOR Him. In the situation in which I am 
placed, I am obliged to listen to many remarks, and sometimes 
to those which are unfavourable. When I am rebuked for taking 
a course which I know to be a right one, I am not disquieted by it. 
When I am made to see that I have done wrong, I readily blame 
myself. And I am enabled sincerely to pardon all, and to pray 
for all, who wish me ill or who do me ill. 

" I do not hesitate to admit that I have faults ; but I can also 
add, that I have a fixed determination, whatever may be my 
failings, to give myself to God. Pray to Him without ceasing, 
that He will be pleased to finish in me what He has already be 
gun, and to destroy in me those evils which proceed from my 
fallen nature. In respect to yourself, you may be assured that 
my friendship is always the same." 

Fenelon died in 1715, at the age of sixty-five. His work was 
accomplished. It was found after his death that he was with 
out property and without debts. United to Christ, he had no 
fear. As he had the spirit, so he delighted in the language of 
the Saviour. His dying words were, " THY WILL BE DONE." 

There is, perhaps, not another man in modern times, whose 
character has so perfectly harmonized in its favour all creeds, 
nations, and parties. His religion expanded his heart to the 
limits of the world. It was natural, therefore, that the whole 
human race should love his memory. In the time of the French 
Revolution, when the chains fastened by the tyranny of ages, 
were rent asunder by infuriated men, who, in freeing themselves 



458 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

from outward tyranny, forgot to free themselves from the domi 
nation of their own passions, the ashes of the good and great of 
other days, in the forgetfulness of all just distinctions, were 
scattered by them to the four winds of heaven. But they wept 
over and spared the dust of Fenelon.* 



CHAPTER XLIX. 

Of the influence of Madame Quyon on Fgnelon Woman s influence Madame Quyon 
transferred from Vincennes to Vaugirard Religious efforts there Interference of the 
Archbishop of Parifi Feelings of the King towards Madame Guyon His treatment of 
some members of the Seminary of St. Cyr Removes a son of Madame Guyon from his 
office Proceedings of Bishop of Chartres Feelings of Madame Guyon in relation to 
Ffinelon Visited by the Archbishop of Paris, who reads to her a letter from La Combe 
Her feelings A Poem. 

THE natural traits of Fenelon, remarkable in themselves, were 
still more remarkable in the beauty of their combination. Reli 
gion added to the attractions of his character. At an early period 
of his life he was a religious man ; religious in the ordinary 
sense of the term, and with a reference to the common standard. 

Tt is impossible to separate the influence of the instructions, of 
the exhortations and prayers, and personal life and example of 
Madame Guyon, from the benevolent labours and the sublime 
faith of Fenelon. 

* [We fear that the French Revolutionists were not quite BO reverential as the text would 
indicate. The following brief statement of a visit by an accomplished lady, will interest 
the reader. ENGLISH ED. 

" I visited Cambray in 1841. The Revolution had done its perfect work in his palace, 
cathedral, and/Jr$< tomb ! His memory is revered as the good and great Ffinelon. Rue F(ine- 
lon, Place Fgnelon, and his name given as the Christian name in the families of the citizens, 
shows the estimation he is yet held in. The people spoke of him as if he had lived but yester 
day ; his present tomb was raised by the venerable Louis Belmas, who was lying in state 
twenty-four hours after his death, when we visited the palace it was designed by David, in 
1825, and is simple and truthful to history. The Revolutionists in 1793 destroyed the vener 
able cathedral, in which lay the remains of its venerable Archbishop. Their blushing 
posterity have, by way of making some atonement for their lawless violence, erected a 
monument to the memory of a man whose name is immortalized by his talents in the liter 
ary world, and in the Christian world, by a Christian piety which will shed its sweet influ 
ence for ever on the hearts of those who believe that God is Love ! 

"The few remains of Ffinelon were collected and deposited in the new tomb; his coffin 
bad been melted into bullets in 1793."~A. S. K.I 



OF MADAME GUYON. 459 

And if any female should think these pages worthy of her 
perusal, let her gather the lesson from these statements, that 
woman s influence does not terminate, as is sometimes supposed, 
with the moulding and the guidance of the minds of children. 
Her task is not finished when she sends abroad those whom she 
has borne and nurtured in her bosom, on their pilgrimage of 
action and duty in the wide world. Far from it. Man is neither 
safe in himself, nor profitable to others, when he lives dissociated 
from that benign influence which is to be found in woman s pre 
sence and character ; an influence which is needed in the pro 
jects and toils of mature life, in the temptations and trials to 
which that period is especially exposed, and in the weakness and 
sufferings of age, hardly less than in childhood and youth. 

But it is not woman, gay, frivolous, and unbelieving, or 
woman separated from those Divine teachings which make all 
hearts wise, that can lay claim to the exercise of such an influ 
ence. But when she adds to the traits of sympathy, forbearance, 
and warm affection, which characterize her, the strength and 
wisdom of a well-cultivated intellect, and the still higher attri 
butes of religious faith and holy love, it is not easy to limit the 
good she may do, in all situations and in all periods of life. 

To the last moment of his life, Fenelon bore the most decided 
testimony to the virtues of Madame Guyon ; while his own per 
sonal history and doctrines were conclusive evidence of the influ 
ence she had exerted. When the controversy between Fenelon 
and Bossuet commenced, Madame Guyon was a prisoner in the 
castle of Vincennes. And we naturally return to the story of 
her remarkable life. 

From the period in which she gave herself wholly to God, she 
was calm and patient. The walls which enclosed her had no 
terrors to a heart that recognised the presence of God as dis 
tinctly in sorrow as in joy. Not that her feeble constitution did 
not suffer, or that she did not feel deeply her separation from her 
friends, but she had inward supports, which enabled her to rise 
above such sufferings ; and with Paul and Silas she sang songs 
in prison. 



460 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

Madame Guyon was imprisoned in the castle of Vincennes on 
the 31st of December 1695. She was allowed the company of 
the pious maid-servant who had so long attended her, and was 
her daughter in the Gospel ; but she was not permitted, except 
under great restrictions, to see her relatives and other friends, or 
to correspond with them. Either because her physical system 
would not bear such close and long-continued confinement, or 
because the principal agents in restraining her were touched 
with some degree of pity, after the expiration of nearly a year 
she was imprisoned at Vaugirard, a village in the immediate 
neighbourhood of Paris, the 28th of August 1696. Her pious 
maid-servant was detained for a longer period at Vincennes. 

At Vaugirard, from which she was subsequently transferred to 
the Bastile, she remained till September 1698. Her prison at 
Vaugirard seems to have been a place of confinement connected 
with a monastery at that village. It was understood by her that 
she would have a little more liberty than was allowed her at 
Vincennes ; and her strong desire to benefit souls returned. 
She saw her friends more frequently than she had recently done ; 
she corresponded with them, and endeavoured to inspire the true 
life of faith in the sisters of the monastery, whenever she had 
opportunity to speak to them. 

The Archbishop of Paris, at whose request she had been trans 
ferred to Vaugirard, became alarmed. He knew the feelings of 
the king, and that it was indispensable that these things should 
stop. Accordingly she was reduced to the painful necessity of 
signing a paper, in which she agreed expressly to cease from 
such labours, on the 9th of October 1696. She promised to 
place herself under the watch and direction of the curate of the 
seminary of St. Sulpitius ; and, without his express permission 
to receive no visits, hold no conversations, and write no letters. 

To one whose life it was to do good, such a prohibition must 
have been exceedingly painful. But, as she was entirely in the 
power of others, she could not well do otherwise than submit. 
Any other course would have merely resulted in the severer im 
prisonment of Vincennes. Her only resource now was prayer. 



OP MADAME GUYON. 461 

It ia remarkable, that a man whose mind was occupied with 
plans of vast extent, such as perhaps no French monarch before 
him had entertained, should enter into a contest, which may 
well be called a personal contest, with an unprotected woman. 
But so it was. 

After the remarkable attention to religion in the Female 
Seminary of St. Cyr, which was attributed to the influence of 
Madame Guyon, and supposed to be conducted on principles 
allied to those of Protestantism, Louis, greatly offended, not only 
insisted on the exclusion of Madame Guyon, but came to St. 
Cyr personally, instituted an examination into the state of things 
himself, and removed from the seminary three of the most pious 
ladies connected with it. The only reason assigned was their 
sympathy with the new doctrine of an inward and purified life 
sustained by faith. So that, like Fenelon, she was obliged to 
suffer, not only in her own person, but in the person of her 
friends. 

Madame Guyon s second son, a young man of promise, had 
been appointed a year or two previous a lieutenant in the king s 
guards. Nothing was alleged against his character or conduct ; 
but such was the king s hostility to Madame Guyon, and his 
determination to crush her effectually, that he unceremoniously 
removed her son from the public service. 

The zeal of the king was seconded by the prompt and effec 
tive co-operation of a number of the bishops. This was parti 
cularly the case with Godet Marais, Bishop of Chartres, within 
whose diocese St. Cyr was situated. As the alleged heresy had 
made its appearance in a seminary for whose religious character 
and interests he felt especially responsible, he issued an eccle 
siastical ordinance, in which he condemned the writings of 
Madame Guyon, as false, rash, impious, heretical, and tending to 
renew the errors of Luther and Calvin. 

Not satisfied with this, he instituted personally a minute 
examination of all the rooms and pnvate apartments of the 
seminary of St. Cyr, and took away all the writings of Madame 
Guyon which he found there ; and among other things some 



462 LIFE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 

manuscripts and letters of Fenelon. Madame Maisonfort, a 
pious and highly educated lady, who had the immediate charge 
of the seminary, remonstrated against such violent and unjust 
proceedings, without effect. 

These transactions, and others like them, took place from 
1695 to 1698. They added to the sorrows of Madame Guyon s 
imprisonment ; but did not lead her to doubt for a moment the 
goodness and truth of God. Both at Vincennes and at Vau- 
girard, she kept herself informed, to a considerable extent, of 
the progress of events. But nothing touched her feelings so 
deeply as the trials of Fenelon. She had been the instrument, 
in the hands of Providence, of bringing to his notice the great 
doctrine of present