The Enduring Legacy of Madame Guyon
My pastor grew up in the Russian Orthodox church in New Jersey and came to California in the early 1970s to attend Westmont College in Santa Barbara. He became a hippie Christian of the kind depicted in the movie Jesus Revolution (released in 2023.)
Around the time he was attending Westmont College, Madame Guyon's book, A Short and Very Easy Method of Prayer, originally published in 1685 in France, was updated into modern English by Gene Edwards who started a publishing company in nearby Isla Vista.
Gene Edwards was one of the most listened to pastors during the Jesus Revolution period of the 1970s. By chance, he had come across a flimsy, mimeographed copy of A Short and Very Easy Method of Prayer (mimeograph was the primitive precursor to Xerox.) On the opening page of this copy was an inscription: "That this little book has fallen into your hands is an indication that God desires to do a special work in your heart."
I am grateful that part of God's special work in Gene Edward's heart was to make known Madame Guyon's work and that he went through the trouble to publish A Short and Very Easy Method of Prayer in contemporary English, retitling it as Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ in 1975.
My pastor learned of and read this newly published book at Westmont, and liked her emphasis on a deep inner experience of faith and prayer. Her insights stayed with him over the decades. About a year ago, he mentioned Madame Guyon and Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ while discussing the need for an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I had never heard of Madame Guyon and liked the title of the book so decided to check it out and learn more about Madame Guyon.
Born in 1648 in Montargis, France, Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte Guyon (most often referred to as Madame Guyon or Jeanne Guyon) grew up wanting to become a nun, but was forced by her parents into an unhappy marriage with a well-off man much older than her. After becoming a widow at twenty-eight, she renewed and deepened her relationship with God.
Over time, she was accused of being a practitioner and advocate of Quietism. Quietism was conveniently a vaguely defined categorization used by religious authorities at the time to lump any mystical experience they didn't understand or approve of into a so-called system thereby making it easier to declare it a heresy and associate with true heresies such as Gnosticism. (Because of this association with Quietism, many summaries of Madame Guyon online are inaccurate as far as what she believed and advocated.)
Madame Guyon's most "notorious" work, Moyen Court et Facile de Faire Oraison—A Short and Very Easy Method of Prayer, was never intended to be a published book. She originally wrote the tract for "a few individuals who desired to love God with all their hearts”, as she explained in the preface. Because these individuals found it so helpful, they insisted on having their own copies, so she decided to have some printed. Word spread, and these copies quickly became in demand and disseminated widely, which caught the attention of the Catholic Church. Eventually, her writings were condemned and this book was banned and burned by Catholic authorities. Madame Guyon was also imprisoned in the Bastille for her writings.
Her writings especially caused outrage among people who love empty religious observance, ossified tradition, and theological knowledge devoid of any spiritual experience. (Incidentally, people guilty of these exist in both Catholicism and Protestantism.)
It goes without saying correct doctrine and study of scripture are indispensable and go hand in hand with prayer, but head knowledge without intimacy was one of the sins of the Pharisees, the people Jesus was most critical of. Too often, religion just remains dead, outward performance. "Whitewashed tombs" was what Jesus called the Pharisees. Many in church don't go beyond a mindless follow of ritual, tradition, legalistic observance, and/or a dry, academic study of scripture that remains stuck on the intellectual plane with no real intimacy, obedience, or heart-change. These churchgoers may profess faith, but many are functional atheists.
It is no surprise then that this so-called "faith" is easily overwhelmed and undermined by outside forces such as a college environment. As my pastor pointed out, many parents bewail the loss of Christian faith in their children after they leave home, but clearly these children never had intimacy and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ in the first place.
Madame Guyon is most often thought of as a mystic. A common misunderstanding about mystics is that they are anti-intellectual. Mystics like Madame Guyon are not against the intellect. They are aware of the limitations of the intellect and that the fruit of the spirit mentioned in Galatians 5—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—transcend the intellect. It’s worth noting, intellect devoid of these attributes, along with an absence of morals and conscience, characterizes sociopathy.
The fruit of the spirit is not something you can manufacture through a sheer force of will. It is a natural outgrowth of abiding in the agape love of God. We are to abide in His love and abide in His word (scripture.) This is the deep well from which true ministry arises. Good deeds and works should be an outflow of this genuine intimacy, in contrast to legalistic doing which is often insincere, exhausting, and fruitless.
In spite of being banned and burned (or maybe because of), Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ, since its original publication in 17th century France, was translated and passed along, in one form or another, from country to country, and generation to generation.
While not espousing what was deemed Quietist theology by the Catholic Church, many have praised the impact of her work. The list of people this book has influenced over the centuries is impressive, names most Christians would recognize, including:
- John Wesley
- Hudson Taylor
- Charles Spurgeon
- The Quakers — They were among the first to translate her writings into English.
- The Moravians — The Moravian Movement arose in an area of Europe where her writings were very popular.
- Watchman Nee — Nee was personally responsible for the translation of Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ into Chinese.
- What is the chief aim of man?
- Man’s chief aim is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.
For people who are at a loss as to how to apply this catechism to their daily lives, Madame Guyon's Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ can help. This book could just as well be titled, "Enjoying the Depths of Jesus Christ."
Madame Guyon has written multiple tracts and books. As of this writing, I am most familiar with the above-mentioned and Spiritual Torrents (Les Torrents Spirituels, published in 1682.)
In the life of faith, there are mountain-top experiences and there are also dark spiritual valleys, the crucible in which much of true growth occurs.
Spiritual Torrents deals with what some call the "dark night of the soul" an expression coined by St. John of the Cross.
This difficult and disorienting state can include a questioning of faith and the excruciatingly painful process of being stripped of a stubborn self-will towards goals that don't line up with God's best interest for us.
What is sin? It is separation from God, not merely about failing to adhere to a simplistic set of dos and don'ts.
God creates the self which can be turned toward God or toward the self. The self can operate as if God doesn’t exist or God isn’t necessary. Or the self can think, "I am as God or I am a god—the world should revolve around me."
In modern parlance, this self-centered focus is usually called "egoism" or "narcissism" (which Guyon terms “self-love".) Giving up this self is what is meant by “dying to self.” This is usually thrust upon us by circumstances and failure, not something we can force upon ourselves. “The dark night of the soul” happens to us, not created by us. Sometimes I wonder if what some people call "depression" is such a state, something to be passed through and not medicated away.
Madame Guyon understood this dying to self could not be done through aggressive means and religious exercises which involve more self-will, which creates more self-centeredness and self-righteousness. Religion and egoism are two sides of the same coin.
The suffering and self-denial Madame Guyon writes of, that comes with dying to self, does not mean extreme asceticism, self-flagellation, experiencing abuse at the hands of others, or becoming a doormat, which are forms of false humility and false martyrdom.
The suffering and self-denial she writes of is a brokenness, being brought low into true humility and helplessness, which is unpleasant, but if submitted to, results in being freed of a false self, false goals, false beliefs, false gods. And a true identity in Christ, as a beloved child of God, can be found, along with true discipline. The root of the word "discipline" is the same as that of "disciple." True transformation and true self-control are the fruit of abiding in Him. Ultimately through Christ, one is led to love, freedom, and joy—a true identity and a peace that isn't swayed or dependent on the vicissitudes of worldly pursuits and passions.
Madame Guyon's work has stood the test of time and is still relevant today, maybe even more so. Few would disagree that much of the craziness in the world is self-will run riot.
Many of her books are available through digital library systems and also on sale online. There are multiple English translations available. Some of her works are also available for free on Librivox (Author Madame Guyon.)
Keep in mind all translations have their faults and limitations, especially in translating 17th century French. Some people find even the modernized English translation to be a challenge. If you feel this way, you may want to check out another author I like who writes in English on essentially the same subject. Check out, Andrew Murray Books I Like (in free audio).
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| 1975 edition |
(Posted 1/8/26)