Bourignon

Bourignon, ANTOINETTE, a celebrated religious visionary, born at Lille, 13th January 1616. Her intellect was very acute, and its powers were early developed; and soon she fancied she saw visions, conversed with God, received special revelations, and was called to restore the pure spirit of the gospel. At the age of twenty she fled from home in male disguise, fell into the hands of a soldier from whom she was rescued, and by the good offices of the Archbishop of Cambrai obtained admission into a convent, where she won over some of the nuns to her opinions. She afterwards had charge of a hospital at Lille, but from this position she was driven to Ghent (1662) in consequence of her extravagant fancies. She now travelled to gain proselytes, and for a time was head of a hospital in East Friesland. She died at Franeker, 30th October 1680. According to Madame Bourignon, religion consists in internal emotion, and not in either knowledge or practice. Her own character exhibited a strange combination of pride and avarice, with a sort of mystic piety. Among the chief expounders of Bourignonism, as this form of mysticism was called, was Peter Poiret, a Calvinistic minister. It spread to a remarkable extent, and about the beginning of the 18th century prevailed so much in Scotland that a solemn renunciation of it was demanded from every entrant on the ministry at his ordination. The works of Madame Bourignon were edited by Poiret (25 vols. Amsterdam, 1676-84; 2d ed. 1717). There are English translations of her Light of the World (1786), Treatise of Solid Virtue (1699), and Restoration of the Gospel Spirit (1707). They exhibit not a little fiery eloquence.