awakened, and I looked on myself as her de stroyer. I experienced what Hagar suffered when she put away her son Ishmael in the desart, that she might not be forced to see him perish. I thought, if I had ventured to expose myself, I ought at least to have spared my daughter; as the loss of her education, and even of her life, appeared to me inevitable, Every thing looked black in regard to her,

I THOUGHT that, with her natural disposition and fine qualities, she might have shined and attracted admiration, if educated in France, and been likely to have such offers for marriage, as she could never hope to meet with in this poor country; in which, if she should recover, she would never be likely to be fit for any thing. Here she could eat nothing of what was got for her. All her subsistence was only some spoonfuls of unpleasant and disagreeable broth, which I forced her to take against her will. I seemed like a second Abraham, holding the knife over her to destroy her. Our Lord would have me make a sacrifice to him, without any consolation, and plunged in sorrow, night was the time which gave vent to it. He made me see, on one side, the grief of her grand-mother, if she should hear of her death, which she would impute to my taking the child away from her; and the great reproach it would be accounted among all the family. The gifts of nature she was endowed with were now like pointed darts which pierced me. I believe that GOD so ordered it, to purify me from too human an attachment, which was still so ready to stick close to me. For after I returned from the Ursulines at Tonon, they changed

her

her manner of diet, and gave her what was suitable to her delicacy; whereby, in a short time she recovered finely.

As

CHA P. III.

S soon as it was known in France that I was gone, there was a general outcry. Those who attacked me with the most violence upon it, were the human spiritualists; Father de la Mothe wrote to me, that all persons of learning, of piety, the gown and the sword, united in censuring me. To alarm me still more, he informed me that my mother-in-law, with whom I had trusted my younger son and my children's substance, was fallen into a state of childhood.This however was very false.

I ANSWERED all these thundering letters as the spirit dictated. My answers were thought very just, and were well relished, whereby those violent exclamations were soon changed into applauses. Father La Mothe appeared to change his censures into esteem: but it did not hold long. Self-interest threw him back again; being disappointed in his hopes of a pension, which he expected I would have settled on him. Also Sister Garnier, whatever was her reason, changed and declared against me.

HERE I both eat and slept little. The food which was given us was rotten and full of worms, by reason of the great heat of the weather, and being kept too long; insomuch that what I should have formerly beheld with abhorrence now became my only nourishment; and yet every thing

was

was rendered easy to me. In GOD I found, with increase, every thing which I had lost for him. That spirit, which I once thought I had lost in a strange stupidity, was restored to me with inconceivable advantages. I was astonished myself. I found there was nothing which it was not fit for, or in which it did not succeed. Those who observed it said, "I had a prodigious ca"pacity." Though I well knew that I had but a poor one; but that in GoD my spirit had received a quality which it had never had before. I thought I experienced something of the state which the Apostles were in, after they had received the Holy Ghost. I knew, I comprehended, I understood, I was enabled to do every thing requisite. I had every sort of good thing, and no want of any thing. I remembered that fine passage of wisdom, All good things came to me with her. Wisdom of Sol. vii. 2. When JESUS CHRIST the eternal wisdom is formed in the soul, after the death of the first Adam, it finds in him all good things communicated to it.

SOME time after my arrival at Gex, the Bishop of Geneva came to see us. He was so clearly convinced, and so much affected, that he could not forbear expressing it. He opened his heart to me on what God had required from him. He confessed to me his own deviations and infidelity. Every time, when I spoke to him, he entered into what I said, and acknowledged it to be the truth; as indeed it was the spirit of truth which inspired me to speak to him, without which I should be only a mere simpleton. And yet as soon as persons who sought for pre-eminence, and could not suffer any good but what came from themselves, spoke to him, he was so weak as to let himself

be

be imposed on with impressions against the truth. This foible, with others, has hindered him from doing all the good, which otherwise he might have done in his diocese.

AFTER I had spoken to him, he said, “he had "it in his mind to give me Father La Combe " for director; for that he was a man illuminat"ed of GOD, who well understood the inward path, and had a singular gift of pacifying "souls." These were his own words. Greatly was I rejoiced, when the Bishop appointed him, seeing thereby his authority united with the grace which already seemed to have given him to me, by an union and effusion of supernatural life and love. The fatigues I had, and watchings with my daughter, threw me into a violent disorder, attended with exquisite pains. The physicians judged me in danger, and yet the Sisters of the house quite neglected me; Especially her who had the care of the economy, she was so penurious, that she did not give me what was necessary to sustain life. I had not a penny to help myself with, as I had reserved nothing to myself. And beside, they at that time received all the money which was remitted me from France, which was very considerable. Thus I practised poverty, and was in necessity even among those to whom I had given all. They wrote to Father La Combe, desiring him to come to me, as I was so extreme ill. On hearing of my condition, he was so touched with compassion, as to walk on foot all night, it being eight great leagues, but he travelled no otherwise in that, as in every thing else endeavouring to imitate our LORD JESUS CHRIST*

As

Singularly devoted to GOD, and faithful to the

G &

sight

As soon as he entered the house, my pains abated: And when he had prayed and blessed me, laying his hand on my head, I was perfectly cured, to the great astonishment of my physicians; who were not willing to acknowledge the miracle; being not well pleased, as they knew that we were come on a religious motive, and their sentiments and profession was so opposite to ours. These sisters themselves advised me to go to my daughter, to take milk for a fortnight. Father La Combe returned with me. A violent

storm arose on the lake, which made me very sick, and seemed likely to overset the boat. But the hand of providence remarkably appeared in our favour; so much that it was taken notice of by, the mariners and passengers, who looked upon Father La Combe as a saint. Thus we arrived at Tonon, where I found myself so perfectly recovered, that, instead of making and using the remedies I had proposed, I went into a retreat, and stayed there twelve days. Here I made vows of perpetual chastity, poverty and obedience, to wit, readily to obey whatever I should believe to be the will of GoD, also to obey the church, and to honour JESUS CHRIST in such a manner as he pleased.

At this time I found that I had the perfect chastity of love to GOD, mine being without any reserve, division, or view of interest ;-perfect poverty, by the total privation of every thing that

was

sight of duty, which, in the land of darkness, was given him, Father La Combe appears to have been a laborious good man in his station, not shunning the cross, or shrinking from persecutions; and at last, for his fidelity thrown into prison, where, as far as appears, he ended his days.