Posthumous portrait of Antoinette Bourignon, engraved by Battersby & Son for the ‘Light of the World’ 1786 abridged edition, edited by Joseph Whittingham Salmon for the Society for Promotion of the Heavenly Doctrines of the New Jerusalem (a.k.a. The Swedenborgian Society) in London, printed by R. Hindmarsh. The portrait’s artwork was originally made by Pierre Poiret.

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Today’s sharing from the Blue House of Via-HYGEIA is part 3 of our planned series devoted to Antoinette Bourignon de la Porte to honor her memory and bring back an echo of her singular voice with here an excerpt of the First Conference in volume I & from volume III, the whole Eighth Conference coming from the 1696 ‘Light of the World‘ published in London, perhaps the most influential of the published accounts about her. From page 1 to 4 & from page 44 to 51. Part 4 will be ‘About Free-will & Surrendering‘.

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From the First Conference

in volume I

As we advanced in our journey, still travelling towards the sunrising, being already more than a half way, we perceived at a distance, one walking before us; not knowing at first who it was, because of the distance, we remarked only that it was a person alone, who desired no company, but retired aside as soon as anybody approached and hid herself, until we mending our pace had come nearer; and when we beheld this person, we perceived she was a maiden, who appeared young enough; and though she was simply appareled, she had nothing notwithstanding a grave and majestic mien (A Via-Hygeia note: ‘mien‘ refers to a person’s appearance or manner, especially as it reflects their character or mood). We saw in her face the mark and the joy of a serene and contented soul. Her gate was always of an equal pace, neither slow nor hasty: her looks gave joy and fear: she did not refuse to speak to us in our language, though it was not natural for her; and having asked her whither she was going?

She said, IN PILGRIMAGE for penitence for her own sins, and those of others.

And having asked her from whence she came?

She said, From AFAR: for she had travelled many years, and was harassed by the way, and discoloured by the Sun.

We asked her what she designed by so long and troublesome voyages, dangerous for a maiden alone; remonstrating to her that there were many other means to do penitence in her own country without danger of hunger, thirst, unhappy encounters, and many inconveniencies, which may fall out in travelling alone; and that at least she ought to take some company.

To which she answered, That she was obliged to travel alone, for she had found nobody that would accompany her; and that many had in deed gone along with her for some time, but upon the first temptation, hunger, or incommodity, they had stayed behind, not knowing how to endure penitence, because they had too much love for themselves (2 Tim. 4, 10), and too little affection to seek God; esteeming their ease more, than the contentment there is in the loving and following of Him: for this cause they had left her.

And as for Dangers, God preserved her (Ps. 34,20); she having past through many dangers without being hurt; that her confidence was in Him alone, who has All Power in Heaven & in Earth; that He never forsakes them who put their confidence in Him (Ps. 25, 3); that she reckoned it a happiness to suffer hunger, thirst, and other troublesome things (2 Cor. 12,10); since Christ had chosen such sufferings to give us an example (Heb. 12,2 & 2 Pet. 2, 21), and to the end we might follow Him; and that she had no other intention in the undertaking but to abandon the world, to deny her self (Math. 16, 24), and to imitate Jesus-Christ; which she could not so well do in her own country (Ps. 45, 11) since the care of temporal wealth (I John 2, 15-16), the love of friends, and the pleasures there are being honored and esteemed, are all things which withdraw from God, and hinder the resigning of ourselves to Him; that penitence chosen after our mode are full of self-love (Col. 2, 22-23); but that those which God permits to befall us are pure (I Pet. 1,6-7); that the length of the way was not troublesome to her, for she had no desire of ever staying in one fixed place, because there she found too many distractions but the importunity of the conversation of men, who would have disturbed her inward repose (Ps. 120, 5-7); and that she desired very much to live unknown (Ps. 55, 7-8).

We admired her all of her answers, for it seemed not to proceed from a human sense, since Nature takes no part in so pious a resolution, and one must live supernaturally to despise ease, friends and honours, and to love suffering and fatigue, and flee the conversation of men: seeing they are all sociable creatures, delighting themselves among their equal, and rejoicing to converse with their like.

It gave us a sentiment of confusion, saying one to another, what confusion shall we have in the Day of Judgment, when simple girls do such things to please God, and we, amidst all our learning and studies, are so far removed from this sentiment!  Truly this child will condemn us.

We resolved to accompany her, and to examine her, above the spirit and capacity of the female sex; for her discourse were firm, constant, and full of judgement, and of divine wisdom, though nor ways artificial nor polite, but simple and true. And in everything admirable. We asked her, if it was therefore necessary that every one should leave their country to be saved?

To which she answered, NO; for God is to be found everywhere, and in any places (Act. 17,27-28): that those who are not wedded to anything have no need of doing it; but as for her, the removing from her native country served her as a powerful means to Love God alone; since before her withdrawing from it, her affection was set upon her city, her house, her parents, her friends, as all appertaining to her; but that having done violence to her nature to abandon them, she had acquired a great liberty of spirit to fly unto God. But for other persons, who feel no affection to those things which belong to them, they may indeed work out their salvation in every place (John, 4, 21-23), saying that every one ought to examine themselves in this matter, as in all others, and to remove or avoid all things which hinder them from resigning themselves wholly to God, without doing so of which there is no salvation.

And having asked her, if to be saved, one must suffer hunger and thirst, and all other things troublesome to the body?

She said, that Man ought not to seek nor affect these things (Mat. 4 , 7), but when it pleases God to send by any accident, he ought to suffer them willingly, and to rejoice that He makes us worthy to follow Him, and to imitate His sufferings. (end of our quote, the text continues on different subjects).

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‘Where are  the Christians?

Let us go to the country where the Christians live!‘

said by Antoinette Bourignon as a young child.

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And, the Eighth Conference

in volume III

I said to her, that I was now convinced of all; that I must confess before all the world, that she possess the Holy Spirit; for a humane Spirit could never give so clear an understanding of all the marvels of God.

She said, Sir, you are not deceived in believing that I possess the Holy Spirit, because He lives in me and teaches me all that I have told you; for I have never learned anything from any man, neither would I learn of them, because they are in darkness, and do not know the Truth in anything. They believe they are very Learned, and they are nothing but ignorants (Rom. I, 22), being turned away from the Truth by so many novelties which they have made them believe. They will needs maintain the Roman Church to be holy, and own her Councils as acted by the Holy Spirit, while neither the one nor the other is true. For the Church (Rev. 17, 5) is the Babylon of confusion, and the Councils are the means by which the Devil has withdrawn Christians from the Law of God, they having Ordained so many outward thing that the inward may be forgotten; and that through many Natural things, People may think no more of the Spiritual.

Their Commands, their Sacraments, their Indulgences, are all diversions from Salvation, to obtain which there is nothing needful for all persons, even those who are without God’s Grace, and straying from the way of Salvation (I Cor. 7,9), but the observing the Commands of God, and the Doctrine of the Gospel; for God will never give any other Commands and Jesus-Christ will never give any other Counsels, than those he has given us by his Doctrine of the Gospel: He says, that He is not come for the Righteous (Matth 9,13), but for sinners. This being so, all sinners, who desire to be converted, must take up this Gospel-Life, by which they shall certainly attain to Salvation, since Jesus-Christ is the Way to it: But the Devil to divert men, has introduced by these Councils so many diverse things, that this Doctrine is destroyed. To discover this Truth, Sir, you need but observe men’s behaviour: This will give you certain evidences of it; for you will see that all trust on the Councils, the sacraments, and the ordinances of the Church; and no body observes the Counsels of the Gospel, which are so banished out of the minds of men now, that they reckon them foolishness.

I intreated her to tell me if she was sent from God to declare the Truth to men?

She said, Yes, Sir, I AM SENT FROM GOD TO BRING LIGHT TO THE WORLD, AND TO BEAR WITNESS OF THE TRUTH, as he does all his works in Righteousness, Goodness, and Truth, and never surprise’s anybody. He has SENT me to tell, That the Last Times are come; That the World is Judged, and the sentence is irrevocable; that the Plagues are begun, and: will not cease until all evil be rooted out; and that Jesus-Christ will come shortly on the Earth to finish this, and then he will continue to Reign with men of good will, who shall enjoy Eternal Peace.

I AM SENT with a Commission to declare all these things to men, to the end that, per adventure, some of them may be converted and repent, that they may reign with Jesus-Christ in his Glory: but wickedness is come to so great a height, that the Truth can’t be declared to men, at least they will not anymore be deceived: They love nothing but flattery and lies (2 Tim. 3, 3-4), and reject the Truth, because it agrees not with their way of living; for he who will continue in his sins and errors, will say, that we trouble him, by declaring the Truth to him; and he who will not amend, will say, that we raise scruples to him, by telling him the Truth, that reproves him. Thus, all the world perishes, without being desirous to be helped.

I AM CERTAINLY SENT FROM GOD, to declare the Truth of everything: but nobody will hear it but in so far as it is agreeable to them, and does not reprove them. Should I study Sir, to please Men or God? A Messenger ought not to receive either Good or ill, when he is but the Minister of good or ill news, without having caused them. I have loved the Roman Church, for I was born and baptized under her; and have punctually followed her Ordinances, and the decisions of her Councils when I knew them: but since God has made me see, that she is unfaithful to him, and has forsaken him to join her-self to the Devil, ought I not to declare these truths to my Christian Brethren, who are ignorant of them, that they may not perish in their ignorance? They would be much to blame to render me evil for good, and to persecute me for procuring their salvation; for I have no advantage by declaring these truths to them, except the obedience I owe to God, and the charity I have for their Souls; for otherwise I should beware of speaking things that are so disagreeable to them.

I asked her, what person on Earth could be so wicked, as to persecute her for declaring simply the truth that comes from God without any passion?

She said, Sir, all good men will perceive abundantly by my words that I am not moved by any vicious passions; but by a pure desire of declaring the truth; because I neither seek nor pretend to anything from anybody: the friendship or hatred of men is all one to me, there is nothing but the pleasing or displeasing of God that touches me. Notwithstanding the Devil having so great a number of his adherents who are in authority, he will excite them to rise up against me, because of the truth which discovers his wickedness. He has for a long time ruled in the Church under a colour of holiness, by which means he has gained the most pious to be his followers without their perceiving it: but as soon as the Truth shall be shewn them, they will easily discover his deceits, and will abhor them. This will enrage him against me, and he will pursue me with all his force (Rev. 12, 13-14). But I do not fear that he shall be able to touch me; for God is my defense. I will not fear all those enemies, how powerful soever they may be.

The Lord whom I serve is above all things. I have never done Evil to anybody, but all sort of good to all, according to my power. Nevertheless, I shall not fail to be pursued and persecuted by all those who are the Devil’s adherents; because by my means his head will be bruised (GEN. 3, 15 with Rev. 12 & 17), and he will gain none any longer but by force; for his falsehoods and deceits will be discovered and brought to Light for those who desire to see and know them : God indeed never forces anybody, but he sends his Light into the world, that everyone that pleases may receive it.

I AM CREATED FOR THIS, and cannot be silent, when it shall be time to speak, I will speak, both in public and private, when it shall please God, but still the truth, without straying from it. I doubt not but at first they will suspect me to be a heretic, because the Roman Church condemns, as such, all those who do not yield to her sentiments; and for my part, I look on all those as heretics, who are contrary to the doctrine of the Gospel, among which those Romanists are the first: But this is a maxim which the Devil ordinarily observes, to lay the blame on others of all the evils which he does himself: by this means they will find the way to declare me a heretic, because they have denied the doctrine of Jesus-Christ (Luke 18, 8 and Tit. I, 16).

I said to her, that the Roman Church would be a strong adversary, for she has great power and authority, and will yield to nothing that is not agreeable to her doctrine.

She said, Sir, the power of that Romish Church shall be very shortly taken away by the Lord of Hosts, who will destroy her in such a manner that of all those magnificences there shall not be one stone left upon another. All her members shall be disjointed, dislocated, and without power. She must bear rule yet for a little time, and exercise her villainies outwardly, as she has done for this long time inwardly; her murders and imprisonments are at the door, to the end her evil may have its full accomplishment, both inward & outward. Till then God will let her go on, because his justice never inflicts a perfect punishment till the evil be perfect and complete in all respects (Math. 23, 32); for evil always begets a punishment (Jer. 2, 19) according to the greatness of the evil the punishment is measured out. I have no apprehension of her power; because He who has given it, will take it from her. She will not do so much evil in killing bodies, as she does now in killing souls; for it will be the happiness of those who shall die for the real truth if they receive it (Rev. 14, 13).

For hitherto it has not been yet discovered, nothing of the Holy Scripture has been explained in its perfect sense, everyone has drawn come from it according to his Light, not according to what is in its effect; thus they might well die for holding some opinions which was not the real truth, but the opinion of some author, for which they might die indeed without being for this the martyrs of Jesus-Christ. For to be such, a man must die for the Defense of the Law of God, and the Doctrine of the Gospel, or otherwise he cannot be a Martyr before God, how ever, men call many others by this name; this shews that there is obscurity and darkness through all; even in the most holy things: everyone walks in the dark, nor discerning the pure Truth: even many who have the best maxims, would judge indeed that I were a heretic, in speaking against the decrees of the Councils of Rome, out of a pious belief that they have been all held by the cooperation of the Holy Spirit; which is a false supposition: ‘For the Holy Spirit never changes’. With what he inspired the Apostles, he inspires also at present those who hear him. They are always the same things.

I said to her, that the Holy Spirit did sometimes inspire diverse means for the attainment of the same End.

She said, it is true; Sir, if the means which those Councils set before us-did all aim at the keeping of the Commands of God, and at His Doctrine of the Gospel, I should believe that they came from the Holy Spirit; but when they aim at a quite contrary sense, I may well judge that they come not from thence; because God never contradicts Himself: He has commanded that we love Him with all our Heart; and these Councils say, that to get the pardon of our sins, and obtain salvation, it suffices that we have a sorrow for sin out of the fear of Hell. Can these two contrary senses come from the same God? And there are so many other things which are variously opposed to the Doctrine of Jesus-Christ, (as I have told you formerly), such as the baptizing of little infants, and thousands of other things, which are directly contrary to the Doctrine of Jesus-Christ.

I know, indeed, that they deny this truth, saying that they have ordained nothing contrary to the Law of God: for with studied words & terms they cover all their faults; and I am, neither a Philosopher nor a preacher in divinity to answer their artificial arguments or studied Words; but I say in truth, that they do, in effect directly contrary to the Law of God, and of the Doctrine of the Gospel: Not that they say so; but they do it:  and deeds are more than words (Tit, 1, 16). I doubt not but they would surprise me by my words: for the Devil has nothing but subtilities wherewith to cover his malice: but they cannot surprise me in the matter of the Essential Truth, which abides always true. They might say it; indeed, the Councils do not say that we ought not to love God with all our Heart; but only that Attrition is sufficient for salvation. Is not that enough to teach indirectly that we are not obliged to love God? And is not this indirect doctrine much worse than the direct, which no good Men would follow?

I asked her if the Light which she received from the Holy Spirit was contrary to what the Councils had ordained?

She said, yes, Sir, the decrees. which the Councils have made (so far as I know them) are all directly contrary to what the Holy Spirit dictates to me, and you yourself may perceive it: though there were nothing but the forbidding to read the Gospels and the Holy Bible in the vulgar tongue: is not this contrary to the Doctrine of Jesus-Christ, who has given his Word rather to the vulgar & simple people, than to the learned (I Cor. I,27-28). And if it had not been His Will that they should read it after his Death, He would not have left them in writing. This is the nourishment of the Children of God (Math. 4, 4); and these Councils would make them die for hunger. Is not also the forbidding Priests to labour against the Commandments of God, who ordained Adam, (Gen. 3, 19) the most holy of all Men, to labour in penitence for his sin?

And the oath which they cause the Priests to take not to receive any other explications of the Holy Scriptures but those approved by the Church, is it not also against the Holy Spirit who offers every moment to give his New Light (Joel, 2, 28-29; John 16, 13; Phil, 3, 15; I Thes, 5, 19-20); which these Councils do not approve, because it would reprove them: for all that comes from the Holy Spirit reproves Evil. There are many other things which these Councils have ordained, that are contrary to the Light that God gives me which is wholly conformable to the Law of God and the doctrine of Jesus-Christ. I have no need to read any books to know if they are edited by the Holy Spirit, because the sentiment of my Soul gives me still evidence enough of them. When I understand only the substance of a thing, I perceive certainly, whether it came from the Holy Spirit or not.

You may easily see, Sir, by all that I have told you, that this Church and her Councils are not guided by the Holy Spirit; but by the spirit of error which deceives all the world under his false mask of the holy Church & holy Councils whereby the most innocent let themselves be rules by the Devil at his pleasure, while they believe that they follow the Truth, which IS God.

(A Via-Hygeia note: See below appendix about the time-table

of the main Councils of the Roman Catholic Church

throughout the ages. It omits, though, Vatican II from 1962 to 1965).

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Source

Coming Soon:

A Little Antoinette Bourignon Sampler: Part 4

‘About Free Will & Surrendering’.

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Appendix

related to the main

Roman Catholic Church Councils

held throughout time, mentioned by Antoinette Bourignon:

Catholic_Church_Stages_English

(Source; Edmond Fieschi, ‘Initiation à la Lumière d’Orient’,

ACV Editions, Lyon-in the year 2000).

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