Spiritual Progress
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Spiritual Progress Author(s): Fenelon, François (1651-1715) Publisher: Description: Spiritual Progress is a collection of five powerful works inten- ded for daily devotions and personal reflection. These five inspiring works are composed by three closely linked mystical thinkers of the 17th century--Francois Fenelon, Madame Guyon, and Pere La Combe. Fenelon, an archbishop, wrote the first two works, Christian Counsel and Spiritual Letters, which illustrate his keen sense of spiritual counsel. Madame Guyon, a close friend of Fenelon, wrote the next works, Method of Prayer and On the Way to God, which indicate the importance of constant prayer. Pere La Combe, the spiritual director of Madame Guyon, wrote the final work, Spiritual Maxims, which emphasizes the importance of desire and love for God. Each stirring work is divided into short chapters, making Spiritual Progress ideal for morning or evening devotions. It is thus a wonderful book full of guidance for one©s spiritual progress. Tim Perrine CCEL Staff Writer Subjects: Practical theology Practical religion. The Christian life Works of meditation and devotion i Contents Spiritual Progress 1 EDITOR’S PREFACE. 2 Christian Counsel 4 Title Page 4 I. OF THE LITTLE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD THERE IS IN THE WORLD 5 II. OF THE NECESSITY OF KNOWING AND LOVING GOD. 7 III. ON PURE LOVE. 13 IV. ON PRAYER AND THE PRINCIPAL EXERCISES OF PIETY. 14 V. ON CONFORMITY TO THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST. 20 VI. ON HUMILITY. 22 VII. ON PRAYER 23 VIII. ON MEDITATION. 26 IX. ON MORTIFICATION. 29 X. ON SELF-ABANDONMENT. 30 XI. ON TEMPTATIONS. 36 XII. ON WANDERING THOUGHTS AND DEJECTION. 38 XIII. ON CONFIDENCE IN GOD. 42 XIV. IN WHAT MANNER WE ARE TO WATCH OURSELVES. 43 XV. ON THE INWARD TEACHING OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD. 44 XVI. ON DAILY FAULTS AND THE TOLERATION OF OURSELVES. 47 XVII. ON FIDELITY IN SMALL MATTERS. 49 XVIII. ON TRANSITORY EMOTIONS, FIDELITY, AND SIMPLICITY. 51 XIX. ON THE ADVANTAGES OF SILENCE AND RECOLLECTION. 53 XX. PRIVATION AND ANNIHILATION, A TERROR EVEN TO THE 55 SPIRITUALLY-MINDED. XXI. ON THE PROPER USE OF CROSSES. 56 ii XXII. ON THE INTERIOR OPERATIONS OF GOD TO BRING MAN TO THE 59 TRUE END OF HIS CREATION. XXIII. ON CHRISTIAN PERFECTION. 66 XXIV. THE WAY OF NAKED FAITH AND PURE LOVE IS BETTER AND 70 MORE CERTAIN THAN THAT OF ILLUMINATIONS AND SENSIBLE DELIGHTS. XXV. ON THE PRESENCE OF GOD. 73 XXVI. ON CONFORMITY TO THE WILL OF GOD. 76 XXVII. GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR ATTAINING INWARD PEACE. 78 XXVIII. PURE LOVE ONLY CAN SUFFER ARIGHT AND LOVE ITS 79 SUFFERINGS. XXIX. INTERESTED AND DISINTERESTED LOVE HAVE EACH ITS 80 APPROPRIATE SEASON. XXX. ON TRUE LIBERTY. 82 XXXI. ON THE EMPLOYMENT OF TIME. 83 Spiritual Letters 85 Title Page 85 LETTER I. The advantage of humiliation. 86 LETTER II. How to bear suffering so as to preserve our peace. 87 LETTER III. The beauty of the cross. 88 LETTER IV. The death of self. 89 LETTER V. Peace lies in simplicity and obedience. 90 LETTER VI. The true source of peace is in the surrender of the will. 91 LETTER VII. True good is only reached by abandonment. 92 LETTER VIII. Knowledge puffeth up; charity edifieth. 93 LETTER IX. We are not to choose the manner in which our blessings shall be 94 bestowed. LETTER X. The discovery and death of self. 95 LETTER XI. The sight of our imperfections should not take away our peace. 97 LETTER XII. Living by the cross and by faith. 98 LETTER XIII. Despair at our imperfection is a greater obstacle than the 99 imperfection itself. LETTER XIV. Pure faith sees God alone. 100 iii LETTER XV. Our knowledge stands in the way of our becoming wise. 101 LETTER XVI. Those who endeavor to injure us are to be loved and welcomed as 102 the hand of God. LETTER XVII. Quietness in God our true resource. 103 LETTER XVIII. True friendships are founded only in God. 104 LETTER XIX. The cross a source of our pleasure. 105 LETTER XX. The absence of feeling and the revelation of self no sufficient causes 106 of distress. LETTER XXI. The imperfection of others to be borne in love. 107 LETTER XXII. The fear of death not taken away by our own courage, but by the 108 grace of God. LETTER XXIII. Sensitiveness under reproof the surest sign we needed it. 109 LETTER XXIV. Imperfection only is intolerant of imperfection. 110 LETTER XXV. We should listen to God and not to self-love. 111 LETTER XXVI. Absolute trust the shortest road to God. 112 LETTER XXVII. The time of temptation and distress is no time to form resolves. 113 LETTER XXVIII. Who has love, has all. 114 LETTER XXIX. Weakness preferable to strength, and practice better than 115 knowledge. LETTER XXX. Beware of the pride of reasoning; the true guide to knowledge is 117 love. LETTER XXXI. The gifts of God not to be rejected on account of the channel that 119 brings them. LETTER XXXII. Poverty and spoliation the way of Christ. 120 LETTER XXXIII. The will of God our only treasure. 121 LETTER XXXIV. Abandonment not a heroic sacrifice, but a simple sinking into 122 the will of God. LETTER XXXV. Daily dying takes the place of final death. 123 LETTER XXXVI. Suffering belongs to the living, not the dead. 124 LETTER XXXVII. The limits of our grace are those of our temptation. 125 LETTER XXXVIII. Resisting God, an effectual bar to grace. 126 LETTER XXXIX. God speaks more effectually in the soul, than to it. 127 LETTER XL. The circumcision of the heart. 128 iv Method of Prayer 129 Title Page 129 THE AUTHOR’S PREFACE. 130 CHAPTER I. 132 CHAPTER II. 134 CHAPTER III. 136 CHAPTER IV. 138 CHAPTER V. 139 CHAPTER VI. 140 CHAPTER VII. 142 CHAPTER VIII. 143 CHAPTER IX. 144 CHAPTER X. 145 CHAPTER XI. 147 CHAPTER XII. 149 CHAPTER XIII. 152 CHAPTER XIV. 153 CHAPTER XV. 154 CHAPTER XVI. 156 CHAPTER XVII. 157 CHAPTER XVIII. 158 CHAPTER XIX. 159 CHAPTER XX. 160 CHAPTER XXI. 162 CHAPTER XXII. 167 CHAPTER XXIII. 170 CHAPTER XXIV. 173 On The Way to God 178 Title Page 178 Part 1 179 Title Page 179 CHAPTER I. 180 v CHAPTER II. 181 CHAPTER III. 184 CHAPTER IV. 186 CHAPTER V. 189 CHAPTER VI. 192 Part 2 193 Title Page 193 CHAPTER I. 194 CHAPTER II. 196 CHAPTER III. 198 SPIRITUAL MAXIMS 200 Indexes 206 Index of Scripture References 207 Index of Pages of the Print Edition 209 vi This PDF file is from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library, www.ccel.org. The mission of the CCEL is to make classic Christian books available to the world. • This book is available in PDF, HTML, ePub, Kindle, and other formats. See http://www.ccel.org/ccel/fenelon/progress.html. • A free audio narration is available at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/fenelon/progress/mp3. • Discuss this book online at http://www.ccel.org/node/2835. The CCEL makes CDs of classic Christian literature available around the world through the Web and through CDs. We have distributed thousands of such CDs free in developing countries. If you are in a developing country and would like to receive a free CD, please send a request by email to [email protected]. The Christian Classics Ethereal Library is a self supporting non-profit organization at Calvin College. If you wish to give of your time or money to support the CCEL, please visit http://www.ccel.org/give. This PDF file is copyrighted by the Christian Classics Ethereal Library. It may be freely copied for non-commercial purposes as long as it is not modified. All other rights are re- served. Written permission is required for commercial use. vii Spiritual Progress Spiritual Progress Typed by: Kathy Sewell [email protected], March 25, 1997 This etext is in the public domain. SPIRITUAL PROGRESS: or INSTRUCTIONS IN THE DIVINE LIFE OF THE SOUL FROM THE FRENCH OF FENELON AND MADAME GUYON. INTENDED FOR SUCH AS ARE DESIROUS TO COUNT ALL THINGS BUT LOSS THAT THEY MAY WIN CHRIST. EDITED BY JAMES W. METCALF NEW YORK: PUBLISHED BY M. W. DODD, BRICK CHURCH CHAPEL, CITY HALL SQUARE 1853. “Howbeit, we speak wisdom among them that are perfect; yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory.” 1 Cor. ii. 6. 1 1 EDITOR'S PREFACE. EDITOR’S PREFACE. EDITOR’S PREFACE. The Providence of God among the Churches seems to call to the present time for further light upon the subject of a higher experience than that usually attained by the members of our Christian societies. Among the teachers who have been from time to time anointed for this work, Fenelon and Madame Guyon are justly held in high estimation. While some, perhaps, have had a more interior experience, few, if any, have so joined to the deepest de- votion, a power of spiritual analysis that eminently fitted them for the office of instructors. The extracts from Fenelon here given under the title of “Christian Counsel” have been translated from the “Avis Chretiens” contained in the fourth volume of the Paris edition of his works in 10 vols. 12 mo, 1810. The Spiritual Letters are from the same source. The translation of the “Method of Prayer” is that which commonly passes under the name of Thomas Digby Brooke. It has been carefully compared and corrected by the Editions of the “Opuscules” published at Cologne 1704, and Paris 1790.