“I am sorry to see that you are not at the end of your troubles, as you expected.
“Bishop Smith orders you back to Dubuque with words which are far from being friendly.”
But, strange to say, such bad news, which would have saddened and discouraged me, in other circumstances, left me perfectly calm and cheerful on that day. In my dear Gospel, which had been my daily bread, the last eight days, I had found the helmet for my head, the breastplate and the shield to protect me, and the unconquerable sword with which to fight.
From every page, I heard my Saviour’s voice: “Fear not, I am with thee.”
When, on my way back to Dubuque, I stopped at Chicago, to know from my faithful friend, Mr. Dunn, the cause of the new storm. He said:
“You remember how grand vicar Mailloux was displeased with the conditional submission you had given to the bishop. As soon as we had left him, he sent the young priest who is with him, to the Jesuits of Chicago, to tell them that the authority of the church and of the bishop would be forever lost, if Chiniquy were allowed to submit on such a condition. He wanted them to notice that it was not to the authority of the bishops and the church you had submitted; but only to the authority of the Bible. The Jesuits were of the same mind. They immediately sent to Dubuque, and said to the bishop: ‘Do you not see that Chiniquy is a disguised Protestant; that he has deceived you by presenting you such an act of submission. Does not your lordship see that Chiniquy has not submitted himself to your authority, but to the authority of his Bible alone? Do you not fear that the whole body of the bishops and the Pope himself will condemn you for having fallen into the trap prepared by that disguised Protestant?’
“Our administrator, though a good man when left to himself, is weak, and like soft wax, can be manipulated in every way.
“The Jesuits who want to rule the priests and the church with an iron rod, and who are aiming to change the Pope and the bishops into the most heartless tyrants, have advised the administrator to force you to give an unconditional act of submission. It is not the Word of God which must rule us now, it is the old Jupiter, who is coming back to rule us under the name of a modern divinity, called ‘the authority of the bishops.’ The administrator and the Jesuits themselves, have telegraphed your submission to several bishops, who have unanimously answered that it must be rejected, and another given, without condition, requested from you. You were evidently too correct, when you told me the other day, that your act of submission was too good for the bishops and the Pope. What will you do?”
I replied: “I do not know what I will do, but be sure of this, my dear Mr. Dunn, I will do what our great and merciful God will tell me.”
“Very well, very well,” he answered, “May God help you!”[[H]].