The Autobiography of Madame GuyonGuyon, Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte
Religion
The Autobiography of Madame Guyon
Guyon, Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte
Catholics -- France -- Biography; Guyon, Jeanne Marie Bouvier de La Motte, 1648-1717
Many others were gained to God, whom I looked on to be my children. He
gave me three famous friars, of an order by which I have been, and
still am, very much persecuted. He made me also of service to a great
number of nuns, of virtuous young women, and even men of the world;
among the rest a young man of quality, who had quitted the order of the
knights of Malta, to take that of the priesthood. He was the relation
of a bishop near him, who had other designs of preferment for him. He
has been much favored of the Lord, and is constant in prayer. I could
not describe the great number of souls which were then given me, as
well maids, as wives, priests and friars. But there were three curates,
one canon, and one grand-vicar, who were more particularly given me.
There was one priest for whom I suffered much, through his not being
willing to die to himself, and loving himself too much. With a sad
regret I saw him decaying, falling away. As for the others there are
some of them who have continued stedfast and immovable, and some whom
the tempest has shaken a little, but not torn away. Though these start
aside, yet they still return. But those who are snatched quite away
return no more.
There was one true daughter given me, whom our Lord made use of to gain
many others to Him. She was in a strange state of death when I first
saw her, and by me He gave her life and peace. She afterward, fell
extremely ill. The doctors said she would die; but I had an assurance
of the contrary, and that God would make use of her to gain souls, as
he has done. There was in a monastery a young woman confined in a state
of distraction. I saw her, knew her case, and that it was not what they
thought it was. As soon as I had spoken to her she recovered. But the
prioress did not like that I should tell her my thoughts of it, because
the person who had brought her thither was her friend. They plagued her
more than before, and threw her back again into her distraction.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account