Spiritual Progress (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Christian Counsel, Spiritual Letters, Method of Prayer, On the Way to God & Spiritual MaximsBy Francois Fenelon, Madame Guyon, Pere La Combe
Length8h 48m
About this audiobook
Spiritual Progress brings together a concentrated body of devotional prose concerned with the soul's gradual purification, surrender, and deepening union with God. Its writings range from aphoristic counsel and meditative instruction to intimate spiritual direction, reflecting the disciplined inwardness of seventeenth-century French Catholic mysticism. Themes of prayer, detachment, humility, divine love, and "holy indifference" recur throughout, giving the collection both theological coherence and literary variety. Particularly striking are its passages on silent prayer and the relinquishment of self-will, which retain a remarkable psychological and spiritual force. The volume's contributors—Francois Fenelon, Madame Guyon, and Pere La Combe—stand within the contested tradition often associated with Quietism, though their works also belong to a broader current of Catholic reform, contemplative devotion, and pastoral guidance. Their diverse voices combine episcopal refinement, visionary intensity, and confessional instruction, illuminating a shared concern with interior transformation over merely external piety. Together, they reveal how mystical theology shaped personal discipline, religious controversy, and literary expression in early modern Europe. Readers interested in Christian spirituality, devotional literature, or the history of mysticism will find this collection especially rewarding. It offers a rare opportunity to encounter multiple perspectives on the inner life within a single volume, fostering a dialogue between doctrine, experience, and practice. Spiritual Progress is valuable both as a guide to contemplative discipline and as a historically significant witness to the enduring literature of inward religious renewal.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 4.4 (175)
Includes Amazon, Goodreads, LibraryThing
GenreSpirituality and Religion, Literary Classics
Length8 hrs 48 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJun 21, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
2PREFACE.
3CHRISTIAN COUNSEL, THE INNER LIFE.
4I. OF THE LITTLE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD THERE IS IN THE WORLD
5II. OF THE NECESSITY OF KNOWING AND LOVING GOD.
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6III. ON PURE LOVE.
7IV. ON PRAYER AND THE PRINCIPAL EXERCISES OF PIETY.
8V. ON CONFORMITY TO THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST.
9VI. ON HUMILITY.
10VII. ON PRAYER
11VIII. ON MEDITATION.
12IX. ON MORTIFICATION.
13X. ON SELF-ABANDONMENT.
14XI. ON TEMPTATIONS.
15XII. ON WANDERING THOUGHTS AND DEJECTION.
16XIII. ON CONFIDENCE IN GOD.
17XIV. IN WHAT MANNER WE ARE TO WATCH OURSELVES.
18XV. ON THE INWARD TEACHING OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD.
19XVI. ON DAILY FAULTS AND THE TOLERATION OF OURSELVES.
20XVII. ON FIDELITY IN SMALL MATTERS.
21XVIII. ON TRANSITORY EMOTIONS, FIDELITY, AND SIMPLICITY.
22XIX. ON THE ADVANTAGES OF SILENCE AND RECOLLECTION.
23XX. PRIVATION AND ANNIHILATION, A TERROR EVEN TO THE SPIRITUALLY-MINDED.
24XXI. ON THE PROPER USE OF CROSSES.
25XXII. ON THE INTERIOR OPERATIONS OF GOD TO BRING MAN TO THE TRUE END OF HIS CREATION.
26XXIII. ON CHRISTIAN PERFECTION.
27XXIV. THE WAY OF NAKED FAITH AND PURE LOVE IS BETTER AND MORE CERTAIN THAN THAT OF ILLUMINATIONS AND SENSIBLE DELIGHTS.
28XXV. ON THE PRESENCE OF GOD.
29XXVI. ON CONFORMITY TO THE WILL OF GOD.
30XXVII. GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR ATTAINING INWARD PEACE.
31XXVIII. PURE LOVE ONLY CAN SUFFER ARIGHT AND LOVE ITS SUFFERINGS.
32XXIX. INTERESTED AND DISINTERESTED LOVE HAVE EACH ITS APPROPRIATE SEASON.
33XXX. ON TRUE LIBERTY.
34XXXI. ON THE EMPLOYMENT OF TIME.
35SPIRITUAL LETTERS.
36LETTER I. The advantage of humiliation.
37LETTER II. How to bear suffering so as to preserve our peace.
38LETTER III. The beauty of the cross.
39LETTER IV. The death of self.
40LETTER V. Peace lies in simplicity and obedience.
41LETTER VI. The true source of peace is in the surrender of the will.
42LETTER VII. True good is only reached by abandonment.
43LETTER VIII. Knowledge puffeth up; charity edifieth.
44LETTER IX. We are not to choose the manner in which our blessings shall be bestowed.
45LETTER X. The discovery and death of self.
46LETTER XI. The sight of our imperfections should not take away our peace.
47LETTER XII. Living by the cross and by faith.
48LETTER XIII. Despair at our imperfection is a greater obstacle than the imperfection itself.
49LETTER XIV. Pure faith sees God alone.
50LETTER XV. Our knowledge stands in the way of our becoming wise.
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