The "Quietism" of Molinos was condemned by the pope in 1687, and there was no peace or rest for the mystics or their abettors in Paris. In 1688 Madame Guyon was shut up (chiefl}' through the instigation of her brother, the Barnabite Lamothe, who bitterly hated her doctrines) in the convent of the Visitation at Paris. In 1689 Madame de Maintenon procured her release aiul she soon gathered round her a circle of admiring and devoted friends, among whom was Fenelon, who formed an affection for her which was "stronger than persecution or death." A storm soon arose: Harlaj', archbishop of Paris, condemned her writings, and other bishops followed his example. The outcry became general. Madame Guyon demanded of the king, through Madame de Maintenon, a dogmatical exami- nation of her writings. A commission was appointed, consisting of Bossuet, Fenelon, the abbe Tronson, and the bishop of Chalons. At the end of sijc months thirtj^ articles were drawn up hj Bossuet, sufficient, as he deemed, to prevent the mischief likely to arise from Quietism, which were signed by Madame Guyon, who submitted at the same time to the censure which Bos- suet had passed on her writings in the preceding April. Notwithstanding this submission, she was subsequent- ly involved in the persecutions of Fenelon, the arch- bishop of Cambrai, and in 16',lo was imprisoned in the castle of Vincennes, and thence removed to the Bastile, enduring the harshest treatment, and subjected to re- peated examinations. In 1700 she was released, when she retired to Blois, to the house of her daughter, where she passed the remainder of her days in quiet and re- pose, in acts of love and charitj-, and in writing books. No reproach of her enemies and persecutors ever es- caped her lips. All the neighborliood loved her; and her bitterest foes admitted that all the charges ever brought against her moral character had been false and scandalous. Her last will begins as follows: "I protest that I die in the faith of the Catholic, apostoli- cal, Roman Church ; having no other doctrines than hers ; believing all that she believes, and condemning, without restriction, all that she condemns." She died June 9, 1717.
John Weslejr sums up, in his usual clear waj', the character of Madame Guj'on's religious experience as follows: "The grand source of all her mistakes was this — the not being guided by the written word. She did not take the Scriptures for the rule of her actions ; at most, they were but a secondarj' rule. Inward im- pressions, which she called Inspirations, were her pri- mary rule. The written word was not a lantern to her feet, a light in all her paths. No ; she followed another light — the outward light of her confessors, and the inward light of her own spirit. It is true, she wrote man}' volumes upon the Scriptures. But she read them not to learn, but to teach ; and therein was hurried on b}' the rapid stream of her overflowing im- agination. Hence arose that capital mistake which runs through all her writings, that God never does, never can purif}- a soul but by inward and outward suffering. Utterh' false ! Never was there a more purified soul than the apostle John. And which of the apostles suffered less — yea, of all the primitive Chris- tians ? Therefore, all that she says on this head, of 'darkness, desertion, and privation,' and the like, is fundamentally wrong. This unscrijitural notion led her into the unscriptural practice of bringing suftering upon herself — by bodilj' austerities ; by giving away her estate to ungodly, unthankful relations ; hy not justifj'ing herself, than which nothing could be more unjust or uncharitable; and hy that unaccountable whim (the source of numberless sufferings which did not end but with her life), the going to Geneva to con- vert the heretics to the Catholic faith. And yet with all this dross, how much pure gold is mixed! So did God wink at involuntary ignorance. AVhat a depth of religion did she enjoj' ! of the mind that was in Christ Jesus 1 AVhat heights of righteousness, and peace,
GUYOT
1040
GYPSIES
and joy in the Holy Ghost ! How few such instances do we find of exalted love to God and our neighbor ; of genuine humility; of invincil)le meekness and un- bounded resignation ! So that, ujioii th(! whole, I know not wliether we may not seareli many centuries to find another woman who was such a pattern of true holi- ness" (Wesley, Works, vii, 5()2, 5l)o). See also Curry in Methodist Qum-terlij 7^i'/(«', July, 1848, which con- tains a discriminating estimate of Upham's Life and Rclifjious Opinions of Miulame Gwjon (N. Y. 1848-1850, 2 vols. l"2ino). Comp. Christian Eevieir, iii, 449; xvi, 51 ; American Biblical Repository, iv, 608 (third series) ; New Englandf-r, vi, IGo.
Madame Guyon's principal works are, Moyen court et triis facile pour Voraison (Lyons, 1688 and 1690; of- ten reprinted; translated into English, London, 1703, 12mo) : — Le Cuniiqiie dts Cantiques interprete selon le sens mystique (Grenoble, 1685 ; Lyon, 1688, 8vo) : — Les torrents spiiituels (first published in the Ojnisctdes spirituels de Mme. Giiyon (Cologne, 1704, 12mo) : — Les livres de I'Ancien et da Nouveau Testament, traduits en frangais avec des explications et dcs rejlexions qui re- gardcnt la vie interieure (Cologne, 1713-1715, 20 vols. 8vo) : — Begueil de Poesies spiirituelles (Amst. 1689, 5 vols. 8vo) : — Cantiques spirituels,ou embl.mes sur V amour diein (5 vols.) : — Discours ckretiens et spirituels sur di- vers sujets qui regardant la vie intei-ieure (Cologne, 1716 ; Paris, 1790, 2 vols. 8vo) : — Lettres chritiennes et spiritu- elles sur divers sujets qui regardent la vie interieure, ou Vesprit du vrai christianisnie (Cologne, 1717, 4 vols. 8vo). She left MSS. containing her Justifications, and a number of mystic verses. The Vie de Mme. Gityon, ecrilc par elle-mhne (autobiography), which was pub- lished after her death, is perhaps not whollj^ her own ■work. It is generallj' thought to have been compiled by Poiret fro.n documents furnished by her, first to the ofiicial of the archbishop of Paris, Cheron, and after- wards to the bishop of Meaux, at the time of the con- ferences of Issj'. The book appeared first at Cologne in 1720 (3 vols. 12mo). Poiret also published her whole works (Amsterdam, 1713-22, 39 vols. 8vo). See, besides the works above cited, Herzog, Real-Encyhlo- pddie, V, 426 sq. ; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generate, xxii, 934 sq. ; English Cyclojnvdia.