Jeanne Guyon (1648 – 1717) was a French mystic who advocated ceaseless prayer as a means of growing closer to God. She was accused of advocating Quietism, and was imprisoned for several years after publishing the book A Short and Very Easy Method of Prayer. In 1703, following the release from her final captivity, she went to live with her son in a village in the Diocese of Blois. In 1704, her works were published in the Netherlands and became very popular. She spent the rest of her years surrounded by many seekers, many from England, Scotland, and Germany, while writing volumes of correspondence and poetry.
Quotes by Jeanne Guyon…
Our activity should consist in placing ourselves in a state of susceptibility to Divine impressions, and pliability to all the operations of the Eternal Word.
These dealings of God in your life lead you to true freedom. This freedom, however, does not lead you into irresponsibility. You will still fulfill your required duties. This freedom will bring you to doing the things that God desires of you. After all, you have discovered you are in God.
Being overly concerned with your faults is worse for your spiritual condition than the fault itself.
The very discovery of these hidden things is in itself a purifying experience! The soul needs to discover what is inside. The self nature needs to see what it really is, and what it is like, right to the very bottom.
Set aside all reflection, for you will find it hard to reason about how God leads you. If you are determined to pursue reasoning you may become very good at it and convince yourself to follow your own way. Or worse, you will reason that you are following God.
The boundless sea has absorbed the river and its limited waters. Now the river shares in all that the sea has. The sea carries the river along; the river cannot carry itself along. The river has become one with the sea. No, the river does not have all the qualities of the sea, but it is, nonetheless, in the sea.
