At that time, 1687 to 1688, all religious movements, however quiet, were condemned at Rome; and the teachings of Mme. Guyon were found to differ very little from those of the Spanish priest Molinas.  The first arrest, that of her friend Lacombe, was soon followed by that of Mme. Guyon herself, by royal order; she was released through the intercession of Mme. de Maintenon, who was fascinated by her to the extent of permitting her to teach her doctrines at Saint-Cyr, Upon the appearance of her Method of Prayer, an examination was instituted by Bossuet and Fenelon, who marked out a few passages as erroneous—­a procedure to which she submitted.  However, Bossuet himself wrote a treatise against her Method of Prayer, in which he cast reflections upon her character and conduct; to that work Fenelon refused to subscribe, which antagonistic proceeding brought on the great quarrel between those two absolute ecclesiasts.  In fact, Fenelon became imbued with the doctrines of Mme. Guyon.

She was imprisoned at various times; and when a letter was received from Lacombe, who had been imprisoned at Vincennes for a long time, exhorting her to repent of their criminal intimacy, Mme. Guyon’s cause was hopeless.  She was sent to the Bastille, her son was dismissed from the army, and many of her friends were banished.  In 1702 she was released from prison and banished to Diziers; she passed the remainder of her life in complete retirement at Blois.

Fenelon had written a treatise, Maxims of the Saints, which was said to favor Mme. Guyon’s doctrines, and which was sent to Rome for examination.  He defined her doctrine of divine love in the following maxim, which was condemned at Rome: 

“There is an habitual state of love of God, which is pure charity without any taint of the motive of self-interest.  Neither fear of punishment nor desire of reward has, any longer, part in this love; God is loved, not for the merit, but for the happiness to be found in loving Him.”

Such a doctrine made repentance unnecessary, destroyed all effort to withstand evil, and did not acknowledge the need of a Redeemer.  This the great Bossuet foresaw; consequently, he, as the supreme religious potentate of his inferior in rank, Fenelon, demanded the condemnation by the latter of the works of Mme. Guyon.  The refusal cost Fenelon exile for life.  To Mme. de Maintenon he wrote a letter which shows the sincerity of his devotion to a friend in disgrace, even though his own reputation was thereby endangered: 

“So it is to secure my own reputation that I am wanted to subscribe that a lady—­my friend—­would plainly deserve to be burned, with all her writings, for an execrable form of spirituality which is the only bond of our friendship.  I tell you, madame, I would burn my friend with my own hands, and I would burn myself joyfully, rather than let the Church be imperilled; but here is a poor, captive woman, overwhelmed with sorrows; there is none to defend her, none to excuse her; all are afraid to do so.  I maintain that this stroke of the pen, given from a cowardly policy and against my conscience, would render me forever infamous and unworthy of my ministry and my position.”