Feeling too young and inexpert in the ways of God to give a correct appreciation of the Lord’s doings among us, I generally answered those kind enquirers by writing them: “Please come and see with your own eyes the marvellous things our merciful God is doing in the midst of us, and you will help us to bless him.”
In less than six months, more than one hundred venerable ministers of Christ, and prominent Christian laymen of different denominations, visited us. Among those who first honored us with their presence was the Rt. Rev. Bishop Helmuth, of London, Canada; then, the learned Dean of Quebec, so well known and venerated by all over Great Britain and Canada. He visited us twice, and was one of the most blessed instruments of the mercies of God towards us.
I am happy to say that those eminent Christians, without any exception, after having spent from one to twenty days in studying for themselves this new religious movement, declared that it was the most remarkable and solid evangelical reformation among Roman Catholics, they had ever seen. The Christians of the cities of Chicago, Baltimore, Washington, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, etc., having expressed the desire to hear from me of the doings of the Lord among us, I addressed them in their principal churches, and was received with such marks of kindness and interest, for which I shall never be able sufficiently to thank God.
I have previously said that we had, at first, adopted the beautiful name of Christian Catholics, but we soon perceived that unless we joined one of the Christian denominations of the day, we were in danger of forming a new sect.
After many serious and prayerful considerations, it seemed that the wisest thing we could do was to connect ourselves with that branch of the vine which was the nearest, if not identical with that of the French Protestants, which gave so many martyrs to the Church of Christ. Accordingly, it was our privilege to be admitted in the Presbyterian Church of the United States. The Presbytery of Chicago had the courtesy to adjourn their meeting from that city to our humble town, on the 15th of April, 1860, when I presented them with the names of nearly 2,000 converts, who, with myself, were received into full communion with the Church of Christ.
This solemn action was soon followed by the establishment of missions and congregations in the cities and towns of Chicago, Aurora, Kankakee, Middleport, Watseka, Momence, Sterling, Manteno, etc., where the light of the Gospel had been received by large numbers of our French Canadian emigrants, whom I had previously visited.
The census of the converts taken then gave us about 6,500 precious souls already wrenched from the iron grasp of Popery. It was a result much beyond my most sanguine hopes, and it would be difficult to express the joy it gave me. But my joy was not without a mixture of anxiety. It was impossible for me, if left alone, to distribute the bread of life to such multitudes, scattered over a territory of several hundred miles. I determined, with the help of God, to raise a college, where the children of our converts would be prepared to preach the Gospel.
Thirty-two of our young men, having offered themselves, I added, at once, to my other labors, the daily task of teaching them the preparatory course of study for their future evangelical work.
That year (1860) had been chosen by Scotland to celebrate the tercentenary anniversary of her Reformation. The committee of management, composed of Dr. Guthrie, Professor Cunningham and Dr. Begg, invited me to attend their general meetings in Edinburgh. On the 16th of August, it was my privilege to be presented by those venerable men to one of the grandest and noblest assemblies which the Church of Christ has ever seen. After the close of that great council, which I addressed twice, I was invited, during the next six months, to lecture in Great Britain, France and Switzerland, and to raise the funds necessary for our college. It is during that tour that I had the privilege of addressing, at St. Etienne, the Synod of the Free Protestant Church of France, lately established through the indomitable energy and ardent piety of the Rev. Felix Monod.
Those six months’ efforts were crowned with the most complete success, and more than $15,000 were handed me for our college, by the disciples of Christ.