Ath, They generally leave a certain unction, a divine sense or savour at one's waking. I received letters from sundry religious persons, 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 surprized 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.

THE ecclesiastic, or chaplain, of our house was much afraid lest I was under a delusion: But what at that time greatly confirmed me was that Father Claude Martin, whom I mentioned above, writ to me that, after, many prayers, GOD had given him to know that he required me at GENEVA, and to make a free sacrifice of every thing to him. I answered him, "that

perhaps GOD required of me nothing more than a sum of money to assist in a founda"tion which was going to be established there." He replied, that God had made him know that he wanted not my worldly substance but myself. At the very same time with this letter I received one from Father LA COMBE, who writ to me that God had given him a certainty, as he had done to several of his good and faithful servants and hand-maids, that he wanted me at GENEVA. The writers of these two letters lived above a hundred and fifty leagues from each other; and yet both writ the same thing. I could not but be somewhat surprized to receive at the same time two letters so exactly alike, from two persons living so far distant from each other.

As

As soon as I became fully convinced of its being the will of GOD, and saw nothing on earth capable of detaining me, my senses had some pain about leaving my children. And upon reflecting thereon a doubt seized my mind, Oh my God! Had I rested on myself, or on the creatures, I should have revolted; and, as we read in the scriptures, leaned on a broken reed, which would have pierced my hand. But relying on thee alone, what needed I to fear? I resolved then to go as a fool, regardless of the censures of such as understand not what it is to be a servant of GOD, and to receive and obey his orders. I firmly believed that he, by his Providence, would furnish the means necessary for the education of my children, and that in pure faith. I put every thing by degrees in order, GoD alone being my guide.

W

CHAP. XXX.

HILST Providence, on the one hand, appointed my forsaking all things, it seemed on the other to make my chains the stronger, and my separation the more blameable; for none could receive stronger marks of affection from an own mother than those which I received at this time from my mother-in-law ; even the least sickness which befell me made her very uneasy: She said, "she had veneration for my virtue." I believe what contributed not a little to this change was, that she had heard from one or other, that three persons had offered suit to me, and that I refused them, tho', their fortune and quality was quite superior to mine. She remembered how she had upbraided

me

me on this head, and I answered her not a word, whereby she might understand that it depended only on myself to marry to advantage. She began to fear lest such rigorous treatment, as hers had been toward me, might excite me to deliver myself, by such means, with honour from her tyranny, and was sensible what damage that might be to my children. So she was now very tender to me on every occasion.

I FELL extremely ill. I thought that God had accepted of my willingness to sacrifice all to him, and required that of my life. During this illness, my mother-in-law went not from my bed-side; her many tears proved the sincerity of her affection. I was very much affected at it, and thought I loved her as my true mother. How then should I leave her now, being so far advanced in age? The maid, who till then had been my plague, took an inconceivable friendship for me. She praised me every where, extolling my virtue to the highest; and served me with extraordinary respect. She begged pardon for all that she had made me suffer, and died of grief after my departure.

THERE was a priest of merit, an inward man, who had fallen in with a temptation of taking on him an employ which I was sensible God did not call him to; and therefore, fearing it might be a snare to him, I advised him against it. He promised me he would not, and yet accepted of it; he then avoided me, joined secretly in calumniating me, gradually fell away from grace, and died soon after.

THERE was a Nun in a monastery I often went to, who was entered into a state of purifi

cation which every one in the house looked on as distraction; and therefore they locked her up,' which had like to have destroyed her. All that went to see her called it phrenzy or melancholy. I knew her to be devout. I requested to see her. As soon as I approached, I felt an impression of her state, being that of purification. I desired of the Superior, that she should not be locked up, nor people admitted to see her, but that she would confide her to my care; for I hoped things would change. I discovered that her greatest pain was at being counted a fool. I advised her to bear the state of foolishness, JESUS CHRIST had been willing to bear it before HEROD. This sacrifice gave her a calmness at once. But as GOD was willing to purify her soul, he separated her from all those things, to which she had had before the greatest attachment. At last, after she had patiently undergone her sufferings, her superior writ to me "that I was in the right, and that she was now "come out of that state of dejection, in greater

purity than ever." GOD gave to me alone` at that time to know her state. This was the commencement of the Gift of discerning spirits, which I afterwards received more fully.

THE winter before I left home was one of the longest and hardest that had been for several years, viz. that of 1680. It was followed with extreme scarcity, which proved to me an occasion of exercising charity. My mother-in-law joined met heartily herein, and appeared to me so much changed, that I could not but be both surprized and overjoyed at it. We distributed at the house ninety-six dozen of loaves every week, but the private charities to the bashful poor were much greater. I kept poor boys and girls employed at work:

And

And God gave such blessings to my alms, thi did not find that my family lost any thing by it. Before the death of my husband, my mother-inlaw told him, that I should ruin him with my charities, tho' he himself was so charitable, that in a very dear year, while he was young, he distributed a considerable sum; but now she re peated this to him so often, that he commanded me to set down in writing all the money I laid out, both what I gave for the expence of the house, and all that I caused to be bought, that from thence he might better judge of what I gave to the poor. This new obligation, which I was brought under, appeared to me so much the harder, as for above eleven years we had been married I never before had the like required of me. What troubled me most was the fear of having nothing to give to such as wanted. However I submitted to it, yet without retrenching any part of my charities. I did not indeed set down any of my alms, and yet my account of expences was found to answer exactly. I was much surprized and astonished at it, and esteemed it one of the wonders of providence, for I saw plainly it was but given out of thy treasury, oh my God, that mademe more liberal of what I thought was the LORD's, and not mine. Oh if we but knew how far charity, instead of wasting or lessening the substance of the donor, blessed, increased and multiplied it profusely; how much is there in the world of useless dissipation, which if properly applied, might amply serve for the subsistence of the poor, and would abundantly be restored, and amply rewarded to the families of those who gave it.

In the time of my greatest pains, some years after my husband's death (for they begun three Dd years