NO DEPENDENCE ON INSTRUMENTS.

What shall I say regarding the state in which you find yourself, in

relation to me? I have no movement either to promote our re-union, or

hinder it. Let God direct. Are you leaning upon him, or upon the

creature? If on the creature, it is a bruised reed, which will fail

you. God sometimes makes use of instruments, whom he finds it

necessary afterwards to reject. If he designs to remove me from you,

can I have any wish to retain you? God forbid. He may design this

separation, to make you die to any confidence in the creature. He may

no longer design to use me for your benefit. I might have mingled my

own impurity, with his pure light flowing through me. If God permit me

to err, it is on account of my pride. I have never given you any

assurance of my infallibility. What am I but an erring creature?

Leave me, leave me, and unite yourself only to God, who will never

mislead you. Means are good, only in the order of God. They injure

us, if we rest in them. If God remove me from you, acquiesce in his

will, with a devotion worthy of a child of God. Be humble, and

courageous enough to own your fault, in leaning on an arm of flesh.

Men of the world may be obstinate, but the child of God should be

supple. Whatever separation there may be between us, believe me, you

will always be dear to me in our dear Lord. I hope, when you are lost

in him, you will find this little drop of water, (myself) in the same

great ocean of love.

Letters of Madam Guyon · 第 49 / 79 题