He seemed to realize that he had made a fool of himself in uttering such a sentence, and stopped speaking, for a moment. Then, recalling his lost courage, he took a new and impressive manner of speaking. He told the people how their friends, their relatives, their very dear mothers and fathers, in Canada, were weeping over their apostacy. He spoke for a time, with great earnestness, of the desolation of all those who loved them, at the news of their defection from their holy mother church.
Then, resuming, he said:
“My dear friends: Please tell me what will be your guide in the ways of God, after you have left the holy church of your fathers, the church of your country; who will lead you in the ways of God?”
Those words, which had been uttered with great emphasis and earnestness, were followed by a most complete and solemn silence. Was that silence the result of a profound impression made on the crowd, or was it the silence which always precedes the storm? I could not say.
But I must confess that, though I had not lost confidence in God, I was not without anxiety. Though silent and ardent prayers were going to the mercy-seat, from my heart, I felt that that poor heart was troubled and anxious, as it had never been before. I could have easily answered the bishop and confounded him, in a few words; but I thought that it was much better to let the answer and rebuke come from the people.
The bishop, hoping that the long and strange silence was a proof that he had successfully touched the sensitive chords of the hearts, and that he was to win the day, exclaimed a second time with still more power and earnestness:
“My dear French Canadian friends: I ask you, in the name of Jesus Christ, your Saviour and mine, in the name of your desolated mothers, fathers and friends, who are weeping along the banks of your beautiful St. Lawrence River. I ask it in the name of your beloved Canada! Answer me! now that you refuse to obey the holy Church of Rome, who will guide you in the ways of salvation?”
Another solemn silence followed that impassionate and earnest appeal. But this silence was not to be long. When I had invited the people to come and hear the bishop, I requested them to bring their Bibles. Suddenly, we heard the voice of an old farmer, who, raising his Bible over his head, with his two hands, said:
“This Bible is all we want to guide us in the ways of God. We do not want anything but the pure Word of God to teach us what we must do to be saved. As for you, sir, you had better go away and never come here any more.”
And more than 5,000 voices said: “Amen!” to that simple and yet sublime answer. The whole crowd filled the air with cries: “The Bible! the Holy Bible, the Holy Word of God is our only guide in the ways of eternal life! Go away, sir, and never come again!”