h annoyance and suffering she felt she was
providentially called to leave a town where she had many disciples,
whose lives she had been the means of brightening and elevating. In the
spring of 1682 she crossed the Lake of Geneva to Thonon, where she
pursued the same missionary career, and was the means of raising up a
little church of believers in the midst of dense bigotry and
superstition. She never "preached" in public, but in private she
conversed and prayed with individual seekers after salvation, and at
times had conferences with several together in a small room. By these
means, and by her excellent letters, she effected an amazing amount of
good in all that region. For a time, a short and happy time, all went
rightly; but she knew only too well that persecution must ensue. It
could not but come to this good woman, who devoutly fulfilled what she
esteemed to be the lawful commands of her Church, but who took as her
highest authority and director the open Bible, explained not by priest
or friar, but by the Holy Ghost working upon her own acute intellect and
devout heart. It is worthy of notice that under her guidance several
small societies or communities were formed by poor girls who had become
decided Christians. These young people helped each other in secular
matters, and held little meetings for reading and prayer and loving
fellowship. Their associations were soon broken up by the priestly
party, as, indeed, was to be expected; the girls were deprived of
ordinary church privileges, and some of them were driven out of Thonon
altogether. Another indication of the rising tide of persecution was
that the dominant party ordered all books relating to the inner life to
be brought to them, and publicly burnt in the market-place the few which
were given up.

At length, through the influence of her enemies, Madame Guyon received
from the bishop notice that she must go out of his diocese, and Father
la Combe was similarly warned to depart. All espostulation was in vain,
and leaving Savoy, in which her labours had been so much blessed, she
set out on a wearisome journey into Piedmont, crossing the perilous Mont
Cenis on a mule, and came to Turin.

In spite of many annoyances, she had spent two happy years at Thonon in
work for her Divine Master; and she would have been more than human if
she had not felt, though in a spirit of sweet resignation, the wrench
which these frequent changes of habitation inflicted. No wonder t