Madame Jeanne Guyon - The Woman Who Became One with God

 

 

In the history of our world, not too many have attained that high degree of "spirituality" reached by Madame Guyon. A woman who was born just as we are in this fallen world was known to be in love with God, love could an understatement to describe such a mild woman whose crime was that she loved God, counted herself as worthy, persecuted at every step of her career; groping as she did in spiritual desolation and ignorance, nevertheless, she arose to the highest pinnacle of preeminence in spirituality and Christian devotion. The basis of her offense was found in her supreme devotion, and unmeasured attachment to Christ.

A woman in her experience fusing with the divine often describe in great zeal the love of God upon the unworthy and the sinners who were privileged to come into the abode presence of God. In her words in which she describes, O thou Source of Love! Thou dost indeed seem so jealous of the salvation Thou hast purchased, that Thou dost prefer the sinner to the righteous! The poor sinner beholds himself vile and wretched, is in a manner constrained to detest himself; and finding his state so horrible, casts himself in his desperation into the arms of his Saviour, and plunges into the healing fountain, and comes forth “white as wool.” Then confounded at the review of his disordered state, and overflowing with love for Him, who having alone the power, had also the compassion to save him—the excess of his love is proportioned to the enormity of his crimes, and the fullness of his gratitude to the extent of the debt remitted.

 

The Beginning

The French mystic was born in the Orleanais on April 18, 1648. Her parents most especially her father Claude Bouvier was extremely pious who happened to be a procurator of the tribunal of Montargis. Of a sensitive and delicate constitution, she was often sick in her childhood and her education suffered, her mother wasn’t fond of daughters abandoned her wholly to the care of servants and within the space of ten years she was moved nine times into different abodes. When she was four years old, The Dutchess of Montbason came to the convent of the Benedictines where she was and convinced her father due to their mutual friendship and obtained permission to take her to the same convent where she was. She was quite fond of her and soon became her constant companion.

At a tender age she delights in hearing about God and to be at the church though she had an handful of bad characters of which she was guilty of dangerous irregularities in the house. In one of the church meetings, she was told about hell and thought it was spoken to intimidate her as she was exceedingly lively but unfortunately for her in the following night she had dreams of Hell and how people suffered in utter darkness, the experience positioned her into a perpetual fear and caused her to cry out before God as a little girl for mercy and prayed for courage and strength to serve Him. Aftermath she met with the priest while she was heard to confess, in her experience she described in her words after confession my heart glowed with a kind of fervor, and at one time I felt a desire to suffer martyrdom. I found great fervency and delight in prayer, and was persuaded that this ardor, which was as new as it was pleasing, was a proof of God’s love. After much contemplations and heart evaluations with her choice of becoming a martyr, she quickly upbraided and that she was no longer a martyr having figuring out it could be a latent hypocrisy. 

At age 7, her father placed her under her half-sister care due to the fact that her education was poorly attended to and was been a sickly girl. She described her sister as a person of great capacity and most exalted piety, excellently qualified for the instruction of youth and she describe that this was a dispensation of God’s providence and the first means of her salvation. Through the love and affection of her half-sister which made discover in her many pleasant qualities, which the lord had implanted in her. At a point at about 8 years of age, while at home with her father, she was honored to entertain the then queen of England and was tried by answering difficult questions which left the queen amazed and caught her attention and suggest that she should be taken to her care but her father declined the offer. She continued to be in care with her good sister as she often calls her where she continued as tender affection in the Ursuline. Unfortunately for her she was obligated to go with some companies since where she contracted some bad characters and was became addicted to lying, peevishness and indevotion, she described that she could pass a day without thinking on God but the Lord continually watching on her and she didn’t remain long under the power of such habit because her sister’s care recovered her.

At about 10 years, she was back with her parents after series of sicknesses, once again she had to deal with her mother and often times her brother who seems to look her with an eye of jealousy, stirred up persecutions and her cousin who treated with great love was a form of consolation to her which stirred up jealousy in her mother thinking she love her cousin more than her. She took opportunity in sending her home when she was sick. Madame Guyon described her mother to be a very virtuous woman and one of the most charitable person of her age and not failing in her faith.

In her very young age, suitors never failed to seek her hand in marriage because of her beautiful countenance and her father declined, during this times at a point she was a benefactor of the spirit of piety (reverence for God) of which operated in with great sincerity but gradually decayed according to her it wasn’t nourished by prayer  and soon  all her old habit revived and was cold toward God and also adding an excessive vanity of which the love she started having for herself extinguished the love remained in her of the love of God. In this dark moment of her life she described, I forsook the fountain of living water when I left off prayer. I became as a vineyard exposed to pillage, hedges torn down with liberty to all the passengers to ravage it. I began to seek in the creature what I had found in God. He left me to myself, because I first left him. It was His will by permitting me to sink into the horrible pit, to make me feel the necessity I was in of approaching Him in prayer. She concluded saying that she fell into the greatest of all misfortune.

In this time of darkness, she arrived at a plane where its came to her another perspective of prayer of which she gave a definition to as her heart further pants for the living water. She said prayer is a stronghold into which the enemy cannot enter. He may attack it, besiege it, make a noise about its walls; but while we are faithful and hold our station, he cannot hurt us. It is alike requisite to dictate to children the necessity of prayer as of their salvation. Alas! unhappily, it is thought sufficient to tell them that there is a Heaven and a Hell; that they must endeavor to avoid the latter and attain the former; yet they are not taught the shortest and easiest way of arriving at it. The only way to Heaven is prayer.

 

Into the Wilderness

Over the years, there was a man constantly offering her hand in marriage which had been rejected by her father eventually he agreed and the consultation was done without her. She was made to sign the marriage article without her knowing what they were and this happened when she was 15 years of age though she was well pleased with the thought if marriage, flattering herself with a hope of being thereby set at full liberty, and delivered from the ill-treatment of my mother which she drew upon herself as she has described. God ordered it far otherwise. The condition which I found myself in afterward, frustrated my hopes says Guyon.

Madame Guyon had always wanted to be a nun, entering into an arranged marriage of which she never saw her husband until three days before the marriage, she felt heavy and depressed at an instance even on the day of her engagement, she describes this thus. The remembrance of the desire I had of being a nun, came pouring in. All who came to compliment me, the day after, could not forbear rallying me. I wept bitterly. I answered, “Alas! I had desired so much to be a nun; why then am I now married? By what fatality has such a revolution befallen me? No sooner was I at the house of my new spouse, then I perceived that it would be for me a house of mourning. Looking forward to the experience that would befall and change her entire course of life. Unfortunately for her, she was right about been a house of mourning as she was always opposed by her mother in-law which she further influenced her husband making it a dreadful experience, sometimes making her to perform the most humiliating office, in her dealings, they would make persons who are inferior to take over her which rendered her dishonored in the household of her marriage. In the light of the experience she described that such weighty crosses made her return to God, she resumed the practice of prayer and endeavor to offend God no more.

She testified in her words I felt His love gradually recovering the ascendant in my heart, and banishing every other. But during the midst of recovering her place with God, her crosses doubled, her mother in-law would utter the bitterest speeches against both in public and private and eventually uses part of her time alone bewailing herself and her grief became more bitter day after day and sometimes couldn’t hold herself especially the servants who owe her submission would treat her ill. But the effect created in her another nature which could relatedly to be lamb praying to God to assist her and he was indeed her refuge.

She recalls her ordeal where at a point wanted to cut off her tongue so she might no longer irritate those who seized every word she uttered with rage and resentment, she did pray to become dumb but the Lord reproved her seeing it as folly. Being kept with such persons, in a most severe confinement, from morning till night, without ever daring to quit them is most difficult. I have found that great crosses overwhelm, and stifle all anger. Such a continual contrariety irritates and stirs up sourness in the heart. It has such strange effect, that it requires the utmost efforts of self-restraint, not to break out into vexation and rage she says.

Not quite long she met a very religious person who happen to be of the order of St Francis stating her problems of difficulty about praying his reply thereafter changed her forever. “It is, Madame, because you seek without what you have within. Accustom yourself to seek God in your heart, and you will there find Him.”. Those few world was like a dart in her heart in her as she describes I felt a very deep wound, a wound so delightful that I desired not to be cured. The lord had other plans that day as He spoke to her through this man while having a session of prayer together saying “Fear not that charge; she is my spouse.” Those sweet words as she accepted them brought her into a higher realm of prayer in which she described that nothing was easier to her than prayer hours passed to her like minutes, I could hardly do anything else but pray she said. As she settled deeply into the inward spirit of prayer, she explained that she could hardly pronounce the vocal prayer, in her words, this immersion in God absorbed all things therein. At a point in time her husband said to her “One sees plainly that you never lose the presence of God.”

My only pleasure now was to steal some moments to be alone with Thee, O thou who art my only Love! All other pleasure was a pain to me. I lost not Thy presence, which was given me by a continual infusion, not as I had imagined, by the efforts of the head, or by force of thought in meditating on God, but in the will, where I tasted with unutterable sweetness the enjoyment of the beloved object. In a happy experience I knew that the soul was created to enjoy its God.

Little did she know she was about going to the bumpiest road in the deep of the wilderness.

 

Down the dark bumpy road in the wilderness

In her union with Christ did attracted a greater demon in flesh as her mother in-law, her first son and her husband even her maid servant continued to show grievance to her which was more rigorous to her of which she bore silently making no replies as she submits. Her husband was so jealous that he said she loved God so much that she loves him no more. Her mother in-law and son influenced her confessor and jointly ordered her to leave off prayer and the exercise of piety.

My confessor at first exerted his efforts to hinder me from practicing prayer, and from seeing Mother Granger. He violently stirred up my husband and mother-in-law to hinder me from praying. The method they took was to watch me from morning until night. I dared not go out from my mother-in-law’s room, or from my husband’s bedside. Sometimes I carried my work to the window, under a pretense of seeing better, in order to relieve myself with some moment’s repose. They came to watch me very closely, to see if I did not pray instead of working. When my husband and mother-in-law played cards, if I did turn toward the fire, they watched to see if I continued my work or shut my eyes. If they observed I closed them, they would be in a fury against me for several hours. She says .

But the experience inwardly on the other hand was a total message related of which she testified.

While they were striving to prevent my addresses to Thee, thou drewest me into an inexpressible silence. The more they labored to separate me from Thee, the more closely didst Thou unite me to Thyself. The flame of Thy love was kindled, and kept up by everything that was done to extinguish it. I was scarce able to contain the fire which burned in my soul, which had all the fervor of what men call love, but nothing of its impetuosity. The more ardent, the more peaceable it was. This fire gained strength from everything that was done to suppress it. And the spirit of prayer was nourished and increased from their contrivances and endeavors to disallow me any time for practicing it. I loved without considering a motive or reason for loving.

The object whom she described as the WELL-BELOVED was that which attracted her heart, she knew nothing else again but to love and suffer. 

The day of mourning befell her when Mother Granger who used to be her mentor and her daughter died on the same day. Her daughter whom she considered as her only consolation as she had so much affection for her unlike her son whom she considered as the son of her sorrow.

The years of marital misery ended with Jacques' death who died on his sick bed on July 21, 1676, she became a widow at age 28 soon after which she suffered persecution from one of her acquaintance, preaching against her so strongly though enduring all and keeping silence.

Something unusual happened to her spiritual walk with God afterwards as she described in her words, The loss of my reputation every day increasing, became sensible to my heart, though I was not allowed to justify or bewail myself. As I became always more impotent for every kind of exterior works, as I could not go to see the poor, nor stay at church, nor practice prayer; as I became colder toward God, in proportion as I was more sensible of my wrong steps, all this destroyed me the more both in my own eyes and in those of others. This was a season of spiritual dryness which happens to lingered for some years soon after she reconciled with her Beloved.

 

Destiny Calls

After her mystical experience of which brought her into a new light and perceived he have a call of which she discovered her purpose to dispense in a country called Geneva, she said to a certain man while on the search for answer on the will of God for her life “my design was to go into the country, to employ there my substance, to erect an establishment for all such as should be willing truly to serve God, and to give themselves unto him without reserve. Before now, she had been engaged in charity works of which she gave herself wholly to it even after her husband’s death and her joy increased when her mother in-law turned a new heart towards her, in her words she says My mother-in-law joined me heartily and appeared to me so much changed. I could not but be both surprised and overjoyed at it. Even her maid who of recent times treated harshly and have been her plague took an inconceivable friendship for her and begged for all what she had to make her suffer, she came to be overwhelmed with love in her heart for her and praised her everywhere and served her with extraordinary respect but died of grief afterwards

The journey into clarity began and she sought for directions from her superiors in the letters received letters from sundry religious persons, she describes some of whom lived far from me, and from one another, relating to my going forth in the service of God, and some of them to Geneva in particular, in such a manner as surprised me. One of them intimated that I must there bear the cross and be persecuted; and another of them that I should be eyes to the blind, feet to the lame, and arms to the maimed. This birth much more conviction in her and soon prepare for her assignment but she weighed the price she would pay, the price of abandonment even her own children, she stated, as soon as I became fully convinced of its being the will of the Lord, and saw nothing on earth capable of detaining me, my senses had some pain about leaving my children. But on the other remembered the laws of her Sacred Marriage which obliged her to give up and follow her spouse(God) where ever He goes to and she stated that it was His pleasure to call her after Him.

As she journeys through France and of those who were accompanied (two maids and her daughter) with her, she gave all her money out and also to her children nothing was reserved, she had intentions of partnering with the new Catholics at Paris but was advised by the priest whom God used at first in her to life to draw closer to God saying that are directions and work is incompatible with them but will be full of persecutions but full of compassion gave out her money to the new Catholics. One her arrival at Annecy, a poor man asked her for alms having nothing with her, she gave him the buttons of her sleeves and yet another man, she gave him the ring she wore in the name of Jesus which was a token of marriage to Him(Jesus). Yet her persecutors didn’t relent in giving false report saying she imprudently spent all the great sum of money that was with her and given to the friends of Father La Comber her director.

However, her daughter was having trouble surviving in the new environment which had effect drastically on her health and was moved to Ursuline convent in Thonon as a pensioner. Sometimes shortly after her arrival at Gex, the Bishop of the Bishop of Geneva came to see her. He was so clearly convinced, and so much affected, that he could not forbear expressing it. He opened his heart to her on what God had required of him. He confessed to her his own deviations and infidelities. Every time when she spoke to him he entered into what she said, and acknowledged it to be the truth. Shortly afterwards she continued to suffer greatly in sickness and the physicians judged her to be in danger. Unfortunately, the sisters of the house neglected her and she had nothing left to preserve herself as she have given all to charity nevertheless the sisters received all the penny that was remitted to her from France and she translated that as considerable. The sisters of the house however called for Father La Combe who was her director, he came to see her and laid hands on her and she was perfectly cured of the illness of which the physicians refused to acknowledge this miracle.

Madame Guyon testified how much she had become after her trying season which she thought would blackened her but turn out to have purified her soul. In her words she says, After I had come out of the trying condition I have spoken of I found it had purified my soul, instead of blackening it as I had feared. I possessed God after a manner so pure, and so immense, as nothing else could equal. In regard to thoughts or desires, all was so clean, so naked, so lost in the divinity, that the soul had no selfish movement, however plausible or delicate; both the powers of the mind and the very senses being wonderfully purified. Sometimes I was surprised to find that there appeared not one selfish thought. The imagination, formerly so restless, now no more troubled me. I had no more perplexity or uneasy reflections.

She believed her experience is the good pleasure of God and her soul began immersing into him some deeply as it seems she have come into a union with the origin. She described in her teachings of the soul. The soul actually comes out of itself to pass into its divine object. I call it death, that is to say, a passage from one thing to another. It is truly a happy Passover for the soul, and its passage into the promised land.

After a month she arrived at Gex, her relations request that she give up her guardianship over her children and to make over her estate to her children but this coming from people who regards nothing but their own self-interest, she had no friends to advise her or manner of people of give to guide on matters as this but she innocently signed the article sent to her, unfortunately she didn’t notice the clause which says when her children should die, she should inherit nothing of her own estate, but that it should revolve to her kindred. There were many other things, which appeared to be equally to her disadvantage. But above all she counted this as a pleasure to lose all for God, in a comments she said The love of poverty, thus contracted, is the kingdom of tranquility.

She began to disseminate her mystical ideas, but, in consequence of the effects they produced, the Bishop of Geneva, M. D'Aranthon d'Alex, who had at first viewed her coming with satisfaction, asked her to leave his diocese, and at the same time expelled Père Lacombe, who betook himself to the Bishop of Vercelli. She began suffering persecution instigated by the bishop from the new Catholics, the ecclesiastic, and the sisters at Gex, stirred up all the persons of piety against her. Every day they invented some new slander. No kind of stratagem, or malicious device in their power, did they omit. They came to surprise and ensnare me in my words; says Guyon.

At a time during the heated persecution, she desired a retreat and she told her director of which she was granted access, during those times of retreat, she has great impression from the lord to start but didn’t know what and where to start writing from and of which she related it to her director Father La Combe which gave her a confirmation that he had that strong impression to command to start writing of which he dared not to tell her because of her weaknesses says her director.

But the question was what would she write? But she gave all to God to direct her, as he started off writing of which she knew what to write about but as she began suitable matters began flowing in an abundant way without taking cautions, as she writing she says I was relieved and grew better. I wrote an entire treatise on the interior path of faith, under the comparison of torrents, or of streams and rivers.  Meanwhile the state at which she grew in the Lord became stronger of which she accounted that it was the possession of the Lord in her soul and she could go days without altering a word to such degree as not to leave her a moment of her own.

Her sister however brought a maid to support her but soon afterwards the maid fell grievously sick as seems though she was going to die, she did all she could to help her but continued to sick. One day, after dinner she was moved to say “rise and be no longer sick”. She arose and was cured. The nuns were very much astonished and knew nothing of what have passed but saw her walking. They attributed her disorder to be a vivid imagination. She continued to experience healing people as God uses her, in her words she says, I have at sundry times experienced, and felt in myself, how much God respects the freedom of man, even demands his free concurrence; for when I said, “Be healed,” or, “Be free from your troubles,” if such persons acquiesced, the Word was efficacious, and they were healed. If they doubted, or resisted, though under fair pretexts, saying, “I shall be healed when it pleases God, I will not be healed till He wills it;” or, in the way of despair, “I cannot be healed; I will not quit my condition,” then the Word had no effect.

I felt in myself that the divine virtue retired in me. I experienced what our Lord said, when the woman afflicted with the issue of blood touched him. He instantly asked, “Who touched me?” The apostles said, “Master, the multitude throng thee, and press thee; and sayest thou, Who touched me?” He replied, “It is because virtue hath gone out of me” (Luke 8:45,46). Jesus Christ had caused that healing virtue to flow, through me, by means of His Word. When that virtue met not with a correspondence in the subject, I felt it suspended in its source. That gave me some pain. I should be, as it were, displeased with those persons; but when there was no resistance, but a full acquiescence, this divine virtue had its full effect. Healing virtue has so much power over things inanimate, yet the least thing in man either restrains it, or stops it entirely. Thus this was some the secrets she discovered in the healing anointing via experience and revelation.

Shortly after, she fell sick even into extremity during those times she had a dream of been a certain Father La Mothe raising persecutions against her and that her director Father La Combe would forsake her in the time of persecution. She wrote to him and this disquieted him greatly. During this extraordinary sickness which continued for more than six months, the Lord began teaching her gradually that there was another manner of conversing among souls wholly His, than by speech. The operations of God in an ineffable silence in which is also a way to communicate to His(God’s) creature. There after she began hearing a language which had been unknown to her. She gradually perceived, When Father La Combe entered, she could not speak anymore she described in her words, there was formed in my soul the same kind of silence toward him, as was formed in it in regard to God. I comprehended that God was willing to show me that men might in this life learn the language of angels. I was gradually reduced to speak to him only in silence. It was then that we understood each other in God, after a manner unutterable and divine. Our hearts spoke to each other, communicating a grace which no words can express.  It was like a new country, both for him and for me; but so divine, that I cannot describe it. At first this was done in a manner so perceptible, that is to say, God penetrated us with Himself in a manner so pure and so sweet, that we passed hours in this profound silence, always communicative, without being able to utter one word. It was in this that we learned, by our own experience, the operations of the heavenly Word to reduce souls into unity with itself, and what purity one may arrive at in this life.

Upon this experience she was given the liberty to communicate this means to other souls but a difference she stated: I did nothing but communicate to them the grace with which they were filled, while near me, in this sacred silence, which infused into them an extraordinary strength and grace. She stated that the love of God made up her occupation as she was lost in Him and Him alone she hence concluded that Jesus was living in her and she lived no more. She continued in sickness in pain and always having convulsion but Father La Combe was beside her sickbed. During her indisposition, the Lord put it into the heart of Father La Combe to established a hospital seized with sickness with the means of sustenance during their illness of which they never had that kind of institution established in the country. She also contributed to it from her pensions delivering sick beds and other amenities needed and other people participated in the charity. The Bishop of Geneva was greatly offended with her more than ever especially seeing that in these small matters rendered her beloved. He claimed that She won everyone over. He openly declared he “he could not bear her in his diocese”, though she had done nothing but good, he extended the persecution to the women who were her assistants.

While still in her sick state, the Ursulines, with the Bishop of Verceil, earnestly requested the Father-general of the Barnabites, to seek among the religious, a man of merit, piety and learning, in whom he might place confidence, and who might serve him for a prebend and a counselor. At first he cast his eyes on Father La Combe; yet before he absolutely engaged him with the said bishop, he wrote to him, to know whether he had any objection thereto. Father La Combe replied that he had no other will but that of obeying him, and that he might command him herein as he should think best in the case. He gave her an account of this, and that they were going to be entirely separated. she was glad to find that our Lord would employ him, under a bishop who knew him, and would be likely to do him justice. Yet it was some time before he went, matters not being all arranged.

She then went off from the Ursulines and sought for a house for her, her daughter and her maid, she did found one at a distance though solitary of which she found comfortable to the state of Jesus but the devil didn’t leave her long such sweet peace as it was difficult to tell the persecution which were stirred up against her. They threw stones at her window, overturned her gardens all night, and coming to her all door at night to abuse all night long. From time to time, she continued her charity work at Gex, in all these they were still more irritated and they sent to desire her to go out of the diocese. All the good which the Lord had helped her done was condemned.

 

A New Destination

The Marchioness of Prunai, sister of the chief Secretary of State to his Royal Highness (the Duke of Savoy) and his prime minister, had sent an express from Turin, in the time of her illness, to invite her to come to reside with her; and to let her know that, “being so persecuted as she was in this diocese, she should find an asylum with her; that during that time things might grow better; that when they should be well disposed she would return with her and join her with a friend of hers from Paris, who was willing also to come to labor there, according to the will of God,” She wasn’t at that time execute what the lady desires and was expected to continue at the Ursulines till things should change.

When the lady discover she had been obliged to leave the Ursulines, she then wrote a letter to obliged Father La Combe to go pass some weeks at Turin and to bring Madame Guyon with him where she should find a refuge. All this she did unknown to her saying as she told them a superior force moved her to do this as she know not the cause. It was concluded that she should go with Father La Combe to Turin taking her daughter and some folks with her but scarcely as she arrived at Turin, a letter had been written against her to paris and ridiculous stories were circulated about the Journey into Turin of which her brother Father de la Mothe was so active in uttering all those stuff believing all was spoken about her. The Bishop of Geneva also wrote against her, Father La Combe went into Verceil and she stayed in Turin with the Marchioness of Prunai. Her eldest son came to find her upon the death of her Mother in-law which was an argumentation of her troubles.

The bishop of Geneva continued to write against her to different persons in high authority but soon was in her favor as these persons showed her the letters from him and were greatly displeased to have come from him. They advised her to take better precautions, she kept those letters for two years and afterwards burnt them. Other letter he sent to court didn’t have much effect on her however God continued to use as she converts two or three ecclesiastics of which she had suffered from their many infidelities. God did wonders in them and they were greatly restored.

Father La Combe arrived from Verceil and ordered her urgently to go back to Paris where she was formally at and had suffered great persecutions. She accounted that it was a double sacrifice for her to back to where had cried her down so much. The next morning, she began the journey to Paris with her daughter and her maid, going on, she was ordered to Grenoble as she resides at a widow’s house visiting no one. She was greatly surprised when several persons of the same faith started visiting her who made profession of a singular devotion to God, she immediately perceived a gift in her which God given to her of administering to each that which suited their states. All of a sudden she came into a state she called the Apostolic State of which she used to discern the condition of each who had spoken to her. In her words she describes I gave every one of them “the very thing they had stood in need of.” To her greatest surprise, people started coming from all sides, far and near, men of the world, maids, wives all came one after another. The Lord supplied me with what was pertinent and satisfactory to them all, after a wonderful manner, without any share of my study or meditation therein. Nothing was hid from me of their interior state, and of what passed within them. They were instantly furnished with a wonderful facility of prayer. God conferred on them His grace plentifully, and wrought marvelous changes in them. The most advanced of these souls found, when with me, in silence, a grace communicated to them which they could neither comprehend, nor cease to admire. The others found an unction in my words, and that they operated in them what I said. Friars of different orders, and priests of merit, came to see me, to whom our Lord granted very great favors, as indeed He did to all, without exception, who came in sincerity. She says

At some point which was surprising to her was when she tried to speak to some other folks, she finds herself not able to say a word as the Lord would not have her do it Some other persons criticized saying the people are fools for going to see her and they treated her as if she was a stupid simpleton. Amidst the general applaud, the Lord made her comprehend what the Apostolic State was. Among them who were given to God through some were given to as plants to cultivate she says, some were faithful and others were unfaithful and were taken from her because they couldn’t give up their infidelities.

There was a strong persecution against Father La Combe which was stirred up in the village where he serves, burning all books that has to do with prayer and hence prohibiting others to stop the practice of prayer and of the heart. Also some groups of superiors were stirred up against her without even knowing who she was but yet was against her. On a faithful day one of the  novices who were also disciple of her brought in his companion who could not of function in his duties, yet encountered her in the whom the Lord help her to discern the problem and was given unto her the remedy of which she administered to him and thereafter he began to practice prayer and he was transformed greatly even he was astonished of the Gift of prayer he possessed  of which the  superiors and the master noticed and was told of him that it was the Lady whom they persecuted without even knowing her that help him transformed at this stage. They were surprised and they began to submits themselves to prayer after the manner taught by the book of which the Lord inspired her to write.

The superior gave their testimonies afterwards saying “I am become quite a new man. I could not practice prayer before, because my reasoning faculty was grown dull and exhausted; but now I do it as often as I will, with ease, with much fruit, and a quite different sensation of the presence of God.” And the master said, “I have been a friar these forty years, and can truly say that I never knew how to pray; nor have I ever known or tasted of God, as I have done since I read that little book.” Many others were gained to God and great numbers of nuns she was of service to and even men of the world and also three famous friars, priests and much more of which God gave to her.

She was specially moved to read the holy scriptures, when she started, she was impelled to write the passage and instantly its clarity was given to her and of which she began writing down, Light was poured in upon as she found out she had a hidden grace of wisdom and knowledge of which she never knew. Before she wrote, she knew not what she was going to write and after she had written she remembered nothing of which she had penned downed. She began writing at night sleeping only two hours at night, The Lord made her write with so much purity. She had no books but the bible in her words as she progresses in writing she says I still continued writing with a prodigious swiftness; for the hand could scarcely follow fast enough the Spirit which dictated. Through the whole progress of so long a work I never altered my manner nor made use of any other book than the Bible itself.  She could scarcely eat because of the number of people coming to her, she wrote the canticles in a day and the half.

A councilor of the parliament and a man of God came to her and saw tracts of prayer of which she had written long ago, he happened to love and ask if he could lend it, he loved it so much that he lent it to his friends, to whom he thought it might be of service. Everyone wanted Copies of it so he resolved to have it printed, they request her to write a preface of which she did and thus the book was printed.

The persecutions continued, some persons who were envious of her conceiving evil devices against and writing against her without even knowing her. They said was a sorceress and that by dark magic she attracted soul, that everything in her was diabolical with many other gross accusations. Her friends advised her to withdraw and leave but she said before leaving Grenoble she must say something further of her state. She continued winning souls unto God and building them into union with God, she stated that with her true children she could communicate best in silence, in the spiritual language of the divine word she says.

The Bishop of Grenoble persuaded her to go spend some time with Marseilles, to let the storm pass away. She was told that she would be well received there, so she wrote to Father La Combe for his consent of which he agreed. Upon leaving Grenoble, she was accompanied by the Bishop of Grenoble, her maid and some other persons of whom through her were greatly transformed and they met with many accidents of which the Lord preserved them. One of her intimate friend took her little book which was printed at Grenoble and took it to Malta, he had a chaplain who was in opposition to spiritual path took up the condemned it immediately and stirred up a path of city and some other folks who called themselves the disciples of St Cyran. She arrived at Marseilles in the morning and that very afternoon all was in a noise against her. Some went to speak with the Bishop that on the account to that book she should be banished from the city. They gave him the book and he examine the book. He liked it very well and he sent for two persons of whom had earlier seen her and ask where the tumult had risen from. She was obliged to see the Bishop and he received her with great respect and begged her for what had happened and desired her to stay and assured her that he would protect her.

During her short time at Marseilles, she was of God used and helped souls and the people of Grenoble didn’t cease to instigate lies against her, a woman most especially going from confessors to confessors animating stories against her and the fire was kindled across the quarters. Soon after words a pious man who knew of her lifestyle wrote to the woman to retract her words else would published the evil deeds she had done all her life. Soon afterward she wrote both to the bishop and others to retract what she had said. She induced one to write to her, to inform her that she was in despair for what she had done.

Father La Combe had written to her that he did not think I ought to go to Paris. I even felt a strong repugnance to the idea of going, which made her think it was not yet the time for it. One morning she felt herself inwardly pressed to go somewhere. she took a conveyance to go to see the Marchioness of Prunai she thought she should pass through Nice on her way to her habitation, she realized that the conveyance couldn’t pass through the mountains, she was confused and stranded not seeing refuge and was wandering as a vagabond, she did found her after some time who could her across the sea and thereafter could find her way to Marchioness of Prunai’s house. She had some joy embarking on a journey on the sea of which she spent eleven days and there after celebrated Easter at the Marchioness of Prunai.

She finally arrived at Verceil where she was badly received, however she sent for Farther La Combe who came in with a strange fret at her arrival, she asked if he required of him to return back but he said He doesn’t know how the Bishop of Verceil would take her arrival after he had given over all his expectations of it and he no longer express any desire to see her. It seemed to her that she had been rejected from the face of the earth and wasn’t able to find any refuge and as if every creature combined to crush her, she passed the night without Sleep. She was able to see the Bishop and he developed a great friendship as she had been her sister. The bishop was active and earnest in establishing a congregation for her and several other pious people were willing to join them but in her words she said it was not the will of God to fix me thus, but to crucify me yet more. But the friendship he had for the Bishop, his relations were jealous and they said she had come to ruin him and carry off his money into France of which also he was persecuted but he continues to grow in the love of God and in the place they won souls to the Lord but her indisposition increase, the air which was extremely bad caused her a continual cough of which they thought she won’t get over it, the bishop was much more on hearing the condition of her health. He gave up the design of establishing his congregation.

 

Thorns in the Flesh

Soon afterwards it was determined that she go into France and the Lord made it known to her that she would suffer more persecutions that she had ever suffered of which Father La Combe encouraged her to resign herself to the will of God, they saw Father La Mothe  her brother who had at a time persecuted her greatly came in with an appearance of friendship though had a different thought towards them and conceived evil devices against them of which Father La Comber was oppressed and was imprisoned for several years of charges wrongly designed against him.

Every imaginable device was used to terrify her by threats, forged letters, and by memorials drawn against her accusing her of teaching erroneous doctrines and living a bad life and urging her to leave the country to fleeing the consequences of the exposure and they failed in all these devices at a time her brother Father La Mothe told her in church in the presence of Father La Combe “It is now, my sister, that you must think of fleeing, you are charged with crimes of a deep dye.”  She replied saying “If I am guilty of such crimes I cannot be too severely punished; wherefore I will not flee or go out of the way. I have made an open profession of dedicating myself to God entirely. If I have done things offensive to Him, whom I would wish both to love, and 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; but if I am innocent, for me to flee is not the way for my innocence to be believed.”

 Similar attempts were made to ruin Father La Combe of which he was greatly misinterpreted to the king and an order was procured for his imprisonment and arrest. Although he appeared innocent but they made the king to believe that he was a dangerous man in the article of religion and he was shut up in a certain fortress of Bastile for life. but as his enemies heard that the captain in that fortress esteemed him, and treated him kindly, they had him removed into a much worse place. However, her brother endeavor more than ever to induce her to induce her to flee and he insisted on taking himself as her director of which she did not agree. He decried her whenever he goes and encourage the brethren to do so and they sent her abusive letters assuring if she didn’t put herself under his direction she is undone. Some advised her to pretend to be under his direction and to deceive him but she abhorred the thought of deceit and however left to the hand of God who is gracious without defending herself. She testified that the lord was gracious to continually increase the peace of her soul while everyone seems to cry against her except those who knew her well by a near union of the spirit. Even at church, some priest rose up against her saying it was necessary to cast her out of the church but she left herself to God without reserve.

Although at this time so general an outcry was raised against her, God did not fail to make use of her to gain many souls to Himself. The more persecution raged against her the more children were given her, on whom the Lord conferred great favors through His handmaid. They were continually pressing her to flee Paris though the Archbishop bid her not to leave Paris, they had plans to give the appearance of criminality to her and her director Father La Combe by her flight. They continually spreading stories of crimes. They then made the king believe “that she was an heretic, that she carried on a literary correspondence with Molinos (she never knew there was a Molinos in the world, till the Gazette had told her of it) that she had written a dangerous book; and that on those accounts it would be necessary to issue an order to put her in a convent, that they might examine her and that she was a dangerous person that it would be proper to lock her up to be allowed no commerce with anyone since she continually hold assemblies which was very false. To support this accusation, they counterfeited her handwriting and forged a letter stating that she had “great designs” but feared that they would prove abortive through the imprisonment of Father La Combe for which reasons she had left off holding assemblies at her house. They showed the letter to the king and upon it was an order given for her imprisonment.

The order was executed after two months because she fell into a severe sickness, suffering in pains and still in persecution and her friends deserted her but she kept silent leaving herself to the Lord. As soon as she was able to carried to the church in a chair, she was told that she must speak to the prebend of which was a snare between her brother and the canon of whose house she lodged. Of which they told her she had uttered many things and accused many people and they procured banishment of sundry people, one of them was banished because he said her little was a good book.

She testified about her own book which created a difference even while in prison, it is remarkable that they say nothing to those who prefixed their approbations, and that, far from condemning the book, it has been reprinted since I have been in prison, and advertisements of it have been posted up at the Archbishop’s palace, and all over Paris. In regard to others, when they find faults in their books, they condemn the books and leave the person at liberty; but as for me, my book is approved, sold and spread, while I am kept a prisoner for it.

On January 29, 1688, she went to Saint Mary’s were she was to be imprisoned. There they let her know she must neither have her maid nor her daughter to serve her but must be locked in a chamber and that they would never allow her daughter in that house. She suffered much more rejection even at prison and her acquaintance denied her and the jailer made her suffer so much more that she entered into her formal condition of which the doctors came to examine her four times. They said to me, if she had explained herself, as she now did, in the book entitled, Short and Easy Method of Prayer, she would not now have been here.

Her persecutors are now very industrious in urging her daughter to consent to a marriage and if they succeed, it would be to her ruin. To succeed, they placed her with a relation of the man whom they wanted her to marry but she was confident that the Lord won’t permit it to be accomplished, as the man have no affinity to Christianity even in principle and moral. To induce her to give up her daughter, they promised her an immediate release from prison and from every charge under which she labors but she refused and they threatened her with Life imprisonment and death yet she refused and the officials commended to be shut up more closely even unto death, she was thrown into violent fever and almost stifled with the closeness of the place yet she was not granted any assistance.

After several months by the Lord intervene and her release was secured and she retired into a place where she was sick with fever for three month, yet they never stopped forging lies against her, suspected of going continually out and holding assemblies. She however stayed in the house of her daughter where she was married and stayed with her for two and the half years and even there persecutions never stopped.

The family in which her daughter was married being of the number of Abbe Fenelon’s friends, she had the opportunity of often seeing him at her house and they discussion on the subject of spiritual life of which he made several objections to her experiences therein of which she answered with her usual simplicity but she clearly expounded everything to him and solved all his objections that no one more fully imbibed her sentiments than he.

She thereafter took a private little house of which to follow the inclination she had for retirement where sometimes she had the pleasure of seeing her family and some few special friends. She met some few ladies who testified to Med Maintenon that their conversation with her made them get closer to God and she encouraged her to continue to instruct them and three years after while this lasted she received from her every mark of esteem and confidence. But that very thing afterwards drew on her the most sever persecution. In her words she says The free entrance I had into the house, and the confidence which some young ladies of the Court, distinguished for their rank and piety, placed in me, gave no small uneasiness to the people who had persecuted me. The directors took umbrage at it, and under pretext of the troubles I had some years before, they engaged the Bishop of Chartres, Superior of St. Cyr, to present to Mad. Maintenon that, by my particular conduct, I troubled the order of the house; that the young women in it were so attached to me, and to what I said to them, that they no longer hearkened to their superiors.

Some afterwards she was sick and the physicians tried in vain to find a cure, Her servant was induced to give her some poison, after taking she suffered much more exquisite pain and could have died within few hours. The servant immediately ran away and she never saw him again. When she was at Bourbon, the waters which she threw up burned like spirits of wine. She had no thought of being poisoned, till the physicians of Bourbon assured her of it. The waters had but little effect. she suffered from it for above seven years. But yet, God kept her in such a disposition of sacrifice, that she was quite resigned to suffer everything and to receive of His hand all that might befall her

At this time, she had her first acquaintance with the bishop of Meraux. She was introduced by an intimate friend, she gave him the foregoing history of her life and she also proposed to the bishop to examine all her writings which took him about four to five months to do and he then advance all his objections to which she gave answers to since he wasn’t acquainted with the interior paths though she could not clear up all the difficulties in which he found in them. He admitted that looking into the ecclesiastical histories for ages past, we may see that God has sometimes made use of laymen, and of women to instruct, edify, and help souls in their progress to perfection.

In her opinions she thinks one of the reasons of God’s acting thus, is that glory may not be ascribed to any, but to Himself alone. For this purpose, He has chosen the weak things of this world, to confound such as are mighty. 1 Cor.1:27. This led her to pray a prayer.

I pray God, with my whole heart, sooner to crush me utterly, with the most dreadful destruction, than to suffer me to take the least honor to myself, of anything which He has been pleased to do by me for the good of others.

The first time she wrote a history of herself, in very short, in it she particularized her faults and sins and said little of the favors of God. She was ordered to burn it and write another one and in it to omit nothing anyway remarkable that had befallen her. She did it.

As the outcry against her was more violent, Madame Maintenon was moved to declare against her. she sent to her through the Duke of Beauvilliers, requesting the appointment of proper persons to examine her life and doctrines, offering to retire into any prison until fully exculpated. Her proposal was rejected. In the meantime, one of her most intimate friend died of which she felt loss very deeply.

She was determined to retire out of the way of giving offence to any, she wrote to some of her friends and bade them farewell, she also wrote to some superiors and sent them two little books and her commentaries of the holy scripture and call for an examination on them. After all examination and nothing was out against her but thought they would leave her in peace but was otherwise, they more her innocence appeared the more they render her a criminal. She did went to Meaux and was in continual fever for six weeks while she waited on the bishop there was a discussion between them and she thus give her answers in this manner, who would fain have compelled me to give it under my hand, that I did not believe the Word incarnate, (or Christ manifest in the flesh). I answered him, that “through the grace of God, I know how to suffer, even to death, but not how to sign such a falsehood.” Several of the nuns who overheard this conversation, and perceiving the sentiments of the bishop, they joined with the Prioress, in giving a testimonial, not only of her good conduct, but of their belief in the soundness of her faith.

 

The bishop some days after, brought her a confession of faith, and a request to submit her books to the church, that she may sign it, promising to give her a certificate, which he had prepared. On her delivering her submission signed, he, notwithstanding his promise, refused to give the certificate. Sometime after, he endeavored to make her sign his pastoral letter, and acknowledge that she had fallen into those errors, which he there lays to her charge, and made many demands of her of the like absurd and unreasonable nature, threatening her with those persecutions she afterward endured, in case of noncompliance. She however continued to resolute in putting her name to falsehood. She remained about six months at Meaux, he gave her the certificate. Finding Mad. Maintenon disapproved of the certificate he had granted, he wanted to give her another in place of it. her refusal to deliver up the first certificate enraged him, and as she understood they intended to push matters with the utmost violence. Many place of retreat were offered but was not free in her mind to accept any and not involve in trouble her friends and family to whom they might attribute her escape. She resort to continue at Paris to live there in some secret place with her maids and she continued there for five to six months, spending time in praying, reading and workng.

On December 27, 1695, she was arrested though indisposed at that time, she was there three days in the custody of Mons. Des Grez, who had arrested; because the king would not consent to put her in prison that a convent was sufficient. But they greatly deceived him and was consented to being taken to Vincennes of which she spent a series of ten years in prison suffering long persecution and all sort of suffering.

She borne long suffering and languish, oppressive and painful maladies. She was inwardly under great desolation for several months in which she could only say these words. My My God why hath thou forsaken me. All creature seems to be against her, she said according to her, she put herself on the side of God, against herself. While in prison, she was content to pass the rest of her life there if such were the will of God.

After leaving the prison, she went to live with her son in a village in the Diocese of Blois. There she passed some fifteen years surrounded by a stream of pilgrims, many from England and Scotland, and spending her time writing volumes of correspondence and poetry. She continued to be revered by the Beauvilliers, the Chevreuses, and Fénelon, who never failed to communicate with her whenever safe and discreet intermediaries were available. Among the pilgrims, Milord Chewinkle stayed in Blois with Guyon for seven years. One visitor, Pierre Poiret, went on to publish many of Guyon's works.

What she had written being only done in obedience to the commands of her director. She died June 9, 1717, at Blois, in her seventieth year.