experiences' 
 
 eer 
 
 int. 
 
 OF MINNESOTA 
 
CORNELL 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Given in Memory of 
 George Harmon Coxe III '53 
 
Cornell University Library 
 BX6193.H64 A3 
 
 Exper ences of a pioneer minister of Min 
 
 olin 
 
 3 1924 029 459 553 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of tliis book is in 
 tlie Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029459553 
 
Yours ti'Lily, 
 
 VV, B, HILL, 
 
EXPERIENCES 
 
 Pioneer Minister 
 
 MINISTESOTJ^. 
 
 ELDER W. B. HILL. 
 
 SHNNBAPOLIS : 
 
 PRESS OP J. A. FOLSOM. 
 
 1B92. 
 
IKTEODUOTOEY. 
 
 The Author, ELDER W. B. HILL, has been, a minister 
 
 among the early settlers of Minnesota for many years, and 
 
 has passed through the varied experiences of frpntier hfe; 
 
 some of which his friends desire should he published in hooh 
 
 form, which desire he now fulfills, hoping the following pages 
 
 -will he both interesting and profitable to the readers, and 
 
 t 
 above all he desires that some may he led to love God, keep 
 
 His commandmenfts and be saved in His everlasting hingdom,. 
 
 W. B. HILL. 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister 
 
 OF MINNESOTA. 
 
 I was born January 25, 1843, in what is now Ontario, for- 
 mprly called Upper Canada, or Canada West. My forefathers 
 on both my father's and mother's side, were Quakers. My 
 father's name was Walter Hill and my mother's maiden name 
 was Phebe Brown. 
 
 About the first thing 1 can remember was going to Quaker 
 meeting. Their meetings were held every Sunday and Wed- 
 nesday, called by the Quakers first day and foi^th day. 
 Ofttimes they would sit in silence for an hour or two, until 
 some of the older brethren would shake hands, which wouTcrbe 
 the signal for all to rise, shake hands and go home. The men 
 would sit with their hats on during meeting. Another peculi- 
 arity of this peculiar people was, that the men and women 
 would by no means sit together during Divine service ; but the 
 fathers would take their sons, and the mothers their daughters, 
 and take seats in their respective parts of the church. I can 
 see them now, in my mind's eye, as they filed into the meeting 
 house — the brethren in their Quaker coats and hats, and the 
 sisters in their plain dresses and huge bonnets, a good and up- 
 right people, saying Thee and Thou, and addressing one an- 
 other, no matter how old or venerable, as Janies, or John, or 
 Martha, or Mary, as the case might be. 
 
 When I was eight years of age my parents moved to the 
 town of Bosanquet, a new country, bordering on lake Huron, 
 in the county of Lambton, of which Port Sarnia, situated on 
 the St. Clair river, opposite Port Huron, was the county seat. 
 I well rememljer winding through woods with scarcely .any 
 
6 EXPEEI£NCES OP A PlONEER MINISTER 
 
 'Toad, in a lumber wagon, to our new home. It was new sure 
 enough. The great trees stood all around and stretched away 
 as far as the eye could reach. 
 
 Indians often camped across the road opposite father's door, 
 and we children had little Indian boys and girls for playmates. 
 We soon learned to shoot with bow and arrow and enjoyed our- 
 selves exceedingly. Our intercourse with them was for the 
 most part pleasant and happy ; on one or two occasions it was 
 otherwise. . 
 
 About a mile from our house flowed what we called Sable 
 rivpr. It was a wild looking place, and we had to pass through 
 the dark woods and dpwn deep ravines to get there. 
 
 One day soon after arriving at oUr new home some of us 
 small lads thought we would go to the river and catch some 
 fish. We found some Indian boys fishing. 
 
 , By some means there soon arose a strife between us, which 
 we promptly undertook to settle by pelting one another with 
 stones. The IndiUn boys were soon worsted, when they ran 
 upon the bank and raised the warwhoop. They jumped up 
 and down and yelled terrifically. 
 
 We kniew that meant for the old ludianb to come, and we 
 were scared nearly to death. We thought our scalps were 
 about to be raised sure. It is needless to say that we ran 
 home as fast as our legs could carry us, and our parents had 
 no trouble about our going fishing for a long time. 
 
 The river, by the way, was a great place of resort for men 
 and boys. In the spring great numbers of fine fish were 
 caught there with dip nets. The fish ascending the river from 
 Lake Huron were stopped at this place by an old dam, and fell 
 an easy prey to the pioneers. They sometimes built great 
 fires and fished all night and had an abundance of sport. 
 
 On Sundays also the boys would resort to the river to run 
 foot races, play ball, wrestle, and swim, etc.' Even after a 
 Sunday School was established, the river had such attractions 
 that after Sunday School exercises were over, I have seen 
 nearly the whole Sunday School marching to the river to the 
 sound of music played by the leaders in Zion. Of course in 
 time it was thought to be a great sin thus to profane the ven- 
 erable day of the sun. 
 
 Although there was plenty of hard work for men and boys, 
 clearing away the mighty forest and cultivatirig the land, yet 
 
Experiences ov a Pioneek Minister. 7 
 
 there were many pleasures to be enjoyed. There were thou- 
 sands of wild pigeons, partridgfes and black squirrels to shoot, 
 besides deer and other game ; then there were the corn-husk- 
 ings, apple parings, lagging bees, and barn and house raisings, 
 which were all sources of immense enjoyment to the young 
 people. Also sugar making had its inexpressible charms. 
 What fun a lot of wild boys would have in the sugar bush at 
 night. - Perhaps purloining some of mother's good bread, some 
 -pork, eggs and a frying pan, then make a lot of wax by pour- 
 ing hot sugar over a pan of snow, and they would have a feast 
 which liungry boys only could properly appreciate. 
 
 After supper 'all kinds of frolicking was in order which some- 
 times, ended with a grand display of fireworks. The boys 
 would seize the flaming firebrands from around the kettles and 
 throw them into the tree tops. . As they would strike the top- 
 most branches of the trees thousands of sparks would fly in 
 every direction. Since then I have seen the elaborate pyro- 
 technics of the great city, but nothing that ever gave me a tithe 
 •of the delight our home-made fireworks did in the dark 
 woods. ' 
 
 Our educational interests were not entirely neglected. There 
 was a log school house situated at the four corners of the road, 
 about a mile from father's, in which school was held. It was 
 rather primitive, with logs split in two with legS in them for 
 benches. The harum-scarum children took much more inter- 
 est in playing puUaway and climbing trees than in their spell- 
 ing booksi One incident in school life' I, will relate. One day 
 as we were all busy with our studies we w.ere startled by the 
 appearance of a man in the -school-room without even a shirt 
 on him. He was a devotee of King Alcohol, and was suflfer- 
 ing from deliriuui tremens. The teacher was frightened out of 
 his wits, and the children ran for home as fast as they could 
 go, followed by the poor man crazed by drink. Thus we had 
 an object lesson on the evils of strong drink that could never 
 be forgotten. 
 
 Spefling schools were a great institution in my boyhood days. 
 Old and young would enter into the work with great spirit, 
 especially ' when several competing schools would come ta- 
 gether. They were carried on as follows : Two captains would 
 choose sides and a man with a slate would keep tally to see 
 which sidfe would gain most words from the other. If a word 
 
8 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 were missed on one side and spelled correctly by the other, that 
 side was credited with one tally. After spelling awhile they 
 would all stand up to spell down. Soon the poor spellers 
 would be weeded out and the contest wotild be narrowed down 
 to the best spellers on either side. As the spellers decreased 
 the interest increased until one. alone remained, and he was de- 
 clared the victor. Spelling schools did much good by creating 
 an interest in spelling. Many poor spellers improved very 
 much by their means. 
 
 Many amusing incidents occurred. I will mention just one: 
 One evening a green young gentleman from the lowlands of 
 Scotland was pronouncing words. Much to the astonishment 
 of the spellers he called out "bawbee." It was a new word 
 and a puzzler. It went round and round, biit "bawbee" would 
 be called out to the discomfiture of the best spellers. At last 
 a bright eyed maiden spelled ' 'b-a-b-y, baby. " The laugh 
 was tremendous and it was our friend's turn from Caledonia to 
 feel like,selling--himself for a dime or less. 
 
 Debating schools, as they were called, came to be very popular 
 among the backwoodsmen. I- shall never forget the first one 
 I ever attended. I waS about fifteen years old and was one of 
 the disputants. The question under discussion was: "Which 
 has the greater influence among men, intellect or money." 
 One young man of powerful frame stood behind a bench with 
 one leg over the back of it, while he argued for intellect. In 
 the course of his oration he cried out, ' 'What brought us to 
 this new country, money or intellect? I tell you it was intel- 
 lect." Then he bethought himself a little and added: "To be 
 sure, it was to better our condition financially." This latter 
 announcement was greeted with shouts of uproarious laughter. 
 He had unconsciously admitted that to gain property (money) 
 was the controllijjg influence that led them to leave the com- 
 forts and privileges of the older settlements to face the stern 
 privations of pioneer life. One old gentleman in the heat of 
 discussion shouted, "I deny the fact!" 
 
 Notwithstanding the inauspicious beginning the Dialectic 
 Society was a success. Old men who could scarcely connect 
 two ideas together, became quite good speakers, and young 
 men were stimulated to study historical and other works, in 
 order to obtain facts and arguments by which to sustain their 
 
Experiences or a Pioneer Minister. 9 
 
 side of the question, whereby their minds were expanded and 
 their fund of knowledge was greatly increased. 
 
 Of all the attractions the singing school was the chief. 
 There the girls and boys enjoyed themselves to the full. I 
 was unfortunate in regard to music. At spelling and debat- 
 ing I was considered quite a success ; but try as 1 would I 
 could never learn a tune, until I finally gave up in despair; 
 but still I could not forego the pleasure of attending singing 
 school, although I took no part in the exercises. One music 
 teacher was anxious I should join his school. I told him if 
 ^he would teach me to sing I would gladly do so. "Well," he 
 said, ' 'the next evening you sit on the front seat and sing, and 
 at recess I will tell you, what I can do for you." At the ap- 
 pointed time I was there, and sang the very best I could. At 
 recess he told me every one had a voice and every voice was 
 susceptible of improvement, but made no promises in my par- 
 ticular case. However I joined his school. When the exer- 
 cises began again he placed me in the back part of the house, 
 and cautioned me, in particular, not to sing too loud. It was 
 evident tjie less they heard of my singing the better. In fact 
 I have known the whole singiiig school to stop to listen to me. 
 
 One time I was standing by Eld. Dimmick, who was leading 
 the congregation in singing. A sudden inspiration came to me 
 aud I struck in to assist in singing the sweet songs of Zion. 
 Suddenly he stopped and then the whole congregation was also 
 silent as the grave, when Brother Dimmick turned to me and 
 said so all could hear, "Brother Hill, you put me off the tune. " 
 Since then I have been careful how I create discord among 
 brethren. 
 
 Temperance meetings were also a source of instruction and 
 enjoyment in our new country. Temperance lecturers, both 
 male and female, would pass through the country holding 
 temperance meetings in churches and school houses. One 
 elderly maiden lady, a Miss Daniels, combined both temper- 
 ance and phrenology in her lectures. The younger rustics 
 took gfeat pleasure in having their bumps examined. Soipe 
 came severely to grief, especially Brother Munson, a promi- 
 nent Methodist of m^nj peculiarities, of which the lecturer 
 was well informed, and one evening she set him out in a ridicu- 
 lous light before the audience. He felt so bad that he left the 
 meeting and went home a sadder if not a wiser man. I also 
 
10 EXPEEIENCES OF A PlONEER MINISTER. 
 
 fell a victim to her criticisms and delineation of character, 
 which I determined by some means to counteract. So I bor- 
 rowed my brother's best clothes, made some whiskers out of a 
 buffalo robe, took my seat among the older and more sedate 
 portion of the audience, and tried it over again the next 
 evening. This time she set me, out in glowing colors as a 
 model young man. She soon discovered what a dilemma she 
 was in, and had a fainting fit and was assisted to the door for 
 fresh air. Brother Munson and I had been at variance, but 
 after my episode with Miss Daniels the wound was healed and 
 we were friends once more. ' ' 
 
 The cause of variance was as follows: In our country on 
 the first day of April everybody tried to make April fools of 
 everybody else. It was a very foolish custom, yet old and 
 young, saint and sinner indulged in it more or less. 
 
 One spring I was making sugar for a Mr. McNab, about a 
 jmile and a half from Munson's. As I was going home one 
 Sunday morning, the first of April, I called at Mr. Hutchin- 
 son's, who lived across the way from Mr. Munson's. The young 
 folks were saying, "If- we could only fool Munson. He -says 
 nobody can fool him." To please them I promised to try. 
 So I called on him. He asked me how I was getting along. 
 I told him all right, but Mr. McNab was feeling pretty blue 
 this morning. "What's the matter with him?" "He has a 
 very sick cow, and don't know what to do for her." Now, 
 Brother Munson was something of a cow doctor, and he said 
 quickly, "Did he send for me?" "He said <if you had time, 
 and would be kind enough he would be glad to have you come 
 down.' " "As soon as I can water my horses I will go," said 
 he. He went, and much to his disgust he found that McNab's 
 cows were enjoying most excellent health, and his medical 
 skill was not at all needed at' that time. He felt so badly 
 about it that I went to him and apologized for my wrong doing. 
 He said he would not care so much, if when he went to town 
 Christian women would not poke their heads out of the door 
 an,d ask him how McNab's cow was. But after Miss Daniels 
 had been beguiled into telling opposite stories concerning my 
 bumps, his love flowed toward me in a perpetual stream. "Oh, 
 Willie, "'he said, "you showed her up to be a fraud." 
 
 Coon hunting was another delightful pastime for the ,boys. 
 The animals were quite plentiful, and we got something for 
 
EXPEEIENCES 01' A PlONEER MINISTER. 11 
 
 their hides, so they were hunted for both pleasure aud profit. 
 One night Brother Munson apGompanied the boys on a. hunt. 
 Soon we heard a coon fighting the dog. In a trice we were 
 there. Brother Munson says, ' 'Boys, I will choke the coon to 
 death -while the dog hunts for another." So we got the dog 
 away, and he seized the coon by the throat. Presently Brother 
 Munson was prancing around in a lively manner, crying out, 
 "Gall the dog, call the dog, for the coon is scratching my 
 hands." The coon resented parting with the Tbreath of life in 
 that way, and had curled up his hind feet and was tearing 
 Brother Munson's hands with all hia might, which was the 
 cause of his wild outcries and comical gymnastics: The boys 
 thought it was better than a circus. But Brother Munson 
 concluded coon-hiintirig was no fun for him, and went home. 
 Many other amusing incidents occurred while coon-hunting. 
 Which made it a fascinating sport for the hunters. 
 
 Our religious interests were cared for by earnest ministers of 
 the gospel who held meetings in churches, school houses and 
 private dwellings. At a very early age I was the subject of 
 religious impressions. Mother used to read the Bible to us 
 children and tried to teach us the fear of the Lord. Although 
 I became a wild boy, yet the influence of a godly mother never 
 left me. Mothers who teach their little ones the knowledge of 
 God do not know how powerful and far-reaching their influence 
 for good is. Let the dear mothers lead their children to 
 Christ while they are young, and when they grow olid they will 
 ,rise up and call them blessed. 
 ' At the age of thirteen my mother died, leaving six children, 
 Mary Ann, Charles, James Wm. B. , Elisha, John, and Sarah 
 Jane. My father married again,' and we had a good step- 
 mother. Although mother ^was dead, her words of admonition 
 followed me and I wanted- to meet her in heaven. Solnetimes 
 I would read my Bible and pray in secret, but I had no one to 
 show me the way of salvation and I failed to find the right way 
 until 1 was eighteen years of age, when I attended a protracted 
 meeting held by Robert Virtue in our school house. A goodly 
 number of my comrades began to lead a new life. I saw my 
 sinfulness and desired greatly to find the peace others were re- 
 joicing in, but found none. My burden became so great I 
 cojald not sleep by night nor work by day. In this state of 
 mind I went to an old Christian lady's house, by the name of 
 
12 Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 Austin, to learn how to obtain the desire of my soul. Her two 
 sons were rejoicing in the Savior's love. I told them how I 
 felt. They said: "You desire above all things to serve God? 
 You are willing to give up all for Christ?" I replied, "Yes, 
 I am." "Only believe He does accept you and you are ac- 
 cepted," they said, and I was enabled to let go of self, and to 
 lay hold of Christ by faith, and His blessed j)eace came into 
 my heart and I went home rejoicing in God. The Lord had 
 indeed put a new song into my mouth. As I entered the house 
 where I was staying, the people said "William has found 
 peace." They' could see the change in my countenance. 
 
 We enjoyed ourselves greatly the winter of 1860-61 in attend- 
 ing meetings, rejoicing continually in our new found hope. Life 
 seemed invested with something grander, nobler than we had ever 
 conceived of before. Those precious seasons I will never for- 
 get. Oh, why did we ever suffer our love to cool, or our light 
 to wax dim ! 
 
 My father ran a tannery and shoe shop as well as a farm. 
 When I was fifteen I entered the shop to learn the shoemaker's 
 trade; When I was sixteen I went from house to house among 
 the farmers making boots and shoes for the family, a custom 
 in vogue in those days. At one place where I was working 
 there were, a number of young men preparing to go to the 
 Michigan lumber woods. I got a great fever to go too; not to 
 the lumber woods, but to Port Huron, where 1 thought I could 
 perfect myself in my trade. I was confident father would 
 not be willing for me to go. so, foolish boy, I decided to go 
 without his knowledge. We were an impecunious lot. I had 
 scarcely any money, and I soon discovered the rest were nearly 
 as bad off. We got a free ride to Port Sarnia, because it was 
 the day of the opening of the Grand Trunk railroad to that point: 
 Everybody rode free that day. We 'did not find Michigan the 
 land of promise we expected. Times were hard and wprk. 
 scarce and hard to get. I finally got a job of shoemaking with 
 a drunken Irishman. Getting tired of this I went into the 
 country, but met with no better success. As a last resort I 
 went to Detroit, about sixty miles distant, but there was no 
 work. Everywhere there were more men than work. Night 
 found me in a large city with no supper, no money, and no 
 place to stay. 1 began to feel like the prodigal son. I was 
 directed to the Russell house to stay all night A fiight of 
 
Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 13 
 
 stone -steps led from the street to the first story, where the 
 office was situated. I went up, weary and tired, rather a for- 
 lorn looking specimen of humanity. The floor was carpeted, 
 the waiter boys were in broadcloth, and everything was grand. 
 I asked the clerk if I could stay over night. He said "no." Of 
 course they had no room for such as I. He directed me to the 
 Railroad Hotel. As 1 was descending the steps 1 saw a crowd 
 of roughs standing around. One cried out "Let us go to 
 Mi-chigan Avenue." Anothet'said "Let's wait until this green- 
 horn gets down stairs." I 'said to mj-self, he means me of 
 course. Shall I go down or go back? I decided to go on. 
 As I came down they surrounded me, tumbled me about and 
 thrust their hands into my pockets, but they were innocent of 
 filthy lucre. After awhile they let me go without doing me 
 any harm. 1 told the clerk of the Railroad Hotel I had no 
 money. He gaVe me a bed, but no supper. In the morning 
 the bell rang for breakfast and I was so hungry, but I was 
 minus the wherewith to pay for a meal, so I started out again 
 - to look for work, feeling such a goneness as I had never ex- 
 perienced before in all my life. I traveled incessantly until 
 noon, looking for work, but found none. I found au empty 
 stomach was a great reminder of my father's house, where there 
 was bread enough and to spare. At noon a brother shoemaker 
 gave me a good dinner to which I did ample justice. I became 
 discouraged about finding work, and, home, with its comforts 
 and the loved ones there, never looked so desirable to me ; but, 
 alas, it was a long way off to a boy without a cent in his pocket ; 
 but after dinner 1 said ' '1 will arise and go to my father, '.' and 
 started for home. About dark I tried to find a place of refuge 
 for the night. I soon found that this world has not much of a 
 welcome for a moneyless man, or boy either. Nobody wanted 
 to keep me, and to increase my difficulty, it began to snow 
 furiously. 1 made up my mind thatthe next house I entered 
 1 would say nothing about Staying all night,' at first, but sit 
 down and await developments. The next house proved to be 
 an Irishman's. I went in, sat down by the stove and chatted 
 with them for a good while, and finally broached the subject of 
 staying until morning. The old gentleman said that was im- 
 possible, as they had only one bed in the house, but the good 
 old lady came to my rescue, saying : ' 'Would you turn the 
 poor boy out into the storm?" They decided that I could have a 
 
1-1 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 qtiilt or two on a bundle of hay, by the stove, which would be 
 better than a snow bank. 
 
 In the morning the man went off to drink whisky with some 
 boon companions, and the poor wife told me her troubles, how 
 her husband would come home drunk, and break even the 
 stove to pieces. As I started on my journey the good woman 
 blessed me by the Virgin Mary and all the saints. The snow 
 was deep and traveling was slow and difficult. 
 
 Toward evening I met an Irishman in the road, who took 
 me for an Irishman's son, and invited me to partake of his 
 hospitalities over night, which J gladly did. He lamented 
 greatly that he was just out of whisky, and consequently could 
 not entertain me so handsomely as he otherwise could, but as 
 I had never learned to drink Satatfs firewater, I got along very 
 well without the extra entertainment. Thus, day after day, I 
 plodded along toward home. When I got nearly home I learned 
 that I was the last of the returning wanderers. The other 
 boys had already returned to the paternal roof, which was^a 
 comfort to me, but oh, how ashamed I was to go home to 
 father's. The nearer I got home the slower I went, until, one 
 evening after dark, I entered the old familiar kitchen. All the 
 folks were glad to see me, glad that I had reached home alive'. 
 I had learned the lesson, that there is no place like home for 
 a boy, and that there are no friends like father and mother. Dear 
 young friends, if you ever leave the blessed scenes of home, do 
 so 'With the consent of your parents, with their counsel to 
 guide you, and their blessing to follow you. 
 
 The autumn of 1861 found me at the village of Port Elgin, 
 situated on Lake Huron in the county of Bruce. On my way 
 there 1 stayed all night in the town of G-oderich. As I was 
 sitting in the bar room a number of men were engaged in 
 drinking beer. All at once an old gentleman arose and thus 
 addressed the crowd, "You have been drinking and treating 
 one another all the evening, and here I sat all the time, and you 
 never acted as if you thought I had a mouth on me." And 
 he looked as if his mouth watered for a taste of the foaming 
 liquid. As I saw the poor old man in his dilapitated clothing 
 humbling himself for a glass of liquor, I thought, what ruin 
 rum has wrought, and I said down deep in my heart, no rum 
 for me. In a couple of evenings after, I met with another 
 wreck of humanity at Southampton. He entered- the room 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 15 
 
 where I was sitting. IJis face was bloated all out of shape, 
 his eyes were deep in his head, such a bloated specimen of 
 rum ruin I had never beheld, yet there was an air of intelli. 
 gence and gentlemanly breeding about him. He sat down by my 
 side and entered into conversation. I found he was an 
 intelligent and a well informed man. He gave me a brief ac- 
 count of his fall under the power of the demon drink. His 
 money, reputation, friends, all gone. All hope for this life 
 and the next gone, and he a poor stranded wreck on the shores 
 of time, In the morning he stepped up to the bar and drank 
 a glass of liquor. As he set the glass down, he said, "An- 
 other nail in.my coflBn," and went out. I thought, another 
 light house to warn us away frdm the rocks of intemperance. 
 Touch not, taste not, handle not, is the safe plan. 
 
 At Port Elgin I found Christian people and formed many 
 happy acquaintances. I joined the Good Templars and began 
 to speak on the subject of' temperance occasionally. My first 
 effort was on this wise. We received an invitation to attend a 
 temperance meeting to be held in a school house a few miles 
 in the country, so a load of Good Templars from Port Elgin 
 went out. We found the house crowded, and an enthusiastic 
 meeting in progress. Several speakers addressed the meeting. 
 At the close of the remarks by one of the speakers, the chair- 
 man arose and said, ' 'One William Hill will now address the 
 meeting." 1 was an entire stranger to all in the house except- 
 ing those who had come with me, and when my name was 
 called I was more than astonished. I did not have an idea to 
 express, but I ascended the platform, with my brain in a whirl. 
 I began by saying excitedly, ' 'My name is William Hill, and 
 I must be the person called for." As soon as I began to 
 speak the people began to laugh, which gave me confidence to 
 proceed. Among other things I said I was glad to see the 
 interest the ladies were taking in the temperance movement, 
 as the gentlemen will always be interested in what the ladies 
 are. I illustrated the point by the Irishman who wished to 
 buy a pair of spurs, but unfortunately could only get one. 
 While riding home he thus soliloquized: "The people will 
 think I am a queer^man entirely — two feet and only one spur 
 to one foot. But there is one pleasing consolation, I can make 
 one side of the horse gallop, and 'pon my word the other side 
 will have to keep up. " So if the ladies' side of the hpuse 
 
16 Experiences op a Pioneer Mii^ister. 
 
 moves in the temperance cause the. other side will have to 
 keep up. What I said was very commonplace, yet it made 
 the people laugh, and I was considered a success as a temper- 
 ance speaker by the backwoodsmen. 
 
 In the fall of 1863, I went with a number of other young 
 men to Northern Michigan. We heard there was lots of work 
 there and good wages. We were to take the steamer at 
 Southampton. While waiting for the boat an old acquaint- 
 ance urgently requested me to take supper with him. I said I 
 was afraid the boat would come and go and leave me behind. 
 He urged there was ho possible danger as we would be sure to 
 hear the whistle. I yielded to his solicitations and went. We 
 kept a sharp lookout for the boat, but could neither see nor hear 
 anything. At last I went to the wharf only to find thejboat 
 and my comrades had gone. I felt sorry enough, but vain;, 
 regrets Were.of no avail. They would not bring the boat back. 
 I determined never to be left behind again as long as I lived, 
 and often in after years has the 'recollection of that disap-- 
 pointment hurried me to the boat or train. How many of us^ 
 will discover that we are too late to be saved! Having put off 
 salvation a little too long, and will in the deepest anguish of 
 heart. say, "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we 
 are not saved. " "Behold now is the accepted time, behold 
 now is the day of salvation." As it happened the boys were 
 delayed at Goderich. I overtook them there, and we went on 
 16 Port Sarnia together, where we remained one day waiting 
 for the steamer to take us to Hancock, our point of destination 
 on Lake, Superior. We were a wild lot from the woods, and 
 we raced and ran hither and thither^ until the good propeller 
 Meteor arrived at the dock. It was dark when we boarded 
 the ship. The long cabin was lighted up gorgeously. I was 
 amazed at the splendid lamps, reflectors, and mirrors. I 
 thought, "Will heaven be more beautiful than this?" Our 
 backwoods eyes had never beheld such magnificence before. 
 We had about five hundred passengers on board, among whom 
 was a young Englishman, who was exceedingly well dressed. 
 He carried himself very haughtily and kept himself aloof from 
 the rest of us. All went well with him uutil we reached the 
 Bruce mines, where the boat stopped for a couple of hours. 
 An old friend met him here, took him ashore and they cele- 
 brated their happy meeting with a social glass or two. When 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 17 
 
 he came aboard again it was evident he had imbibed too freely 
 of the exhilarating beverage. That evening after we had all 
 gone to bed, and I thought were nearly all asleep, he began to 
 say in a loud voice, ' ' 1 am as well dressed as any man on this 
 boat. I wear as good clothes as anybody, etc." It was not a 
 minute before there were voices jeering and making fun of him. 
 
 A MORE CREST-FALLEN 
 
 young Englishman was never seen than that young man was 
 the next morning. He was meek as a lamb the rest of the 
 journey. Another whiskey-made fool. My young friend, 
 don't let whiskey bemuddle your brain like that and put you 
 to shame before friends and strangers and before the great 
 God and the holy angels in the day of judgment. We passed 
 the great Manitoulin Island, up the Sault Ste. Marie river, 
 through the St. Marie canal into Lake Superior and so on to 
 our destination. The other boys met friends and acquaint- 
 ances at Hancock, but there were none such to greet me. I was 
 a stranger among strangers ; but I soon made friends. I con- 
 nected myself with the M. E.' Church and the Good Templars. 
 I found- them who loved temperance and religion, and we had 
 good times together. I was the only professor of religion in 
 our company. Some would drink, and all would play at cards, 
 and I was sorely tempted to do both, but 1 found Jesus could 
 keep me in the midst of temptation, and He did keep me from 
 many a snare of the enemy. , Jesus is the best friend man 
 ever knew. He is a friend that helps us in every time of 
 need. Many hundreds of men worked in the mines, and 
 many of them were wicked and murder was frequent. In- 
 nocent persons were often maltreated just for amusement. 
 Two men who boarded with us were down town one evening, 
 when they were set upon by a mob. of men, and kicked and 
 bruised shamefully. They came home bleeding from wounds 
 all over them, thankful to escape with their lives. A whole- 
 sale fight was nothing unusual. One evening three- of us 
 went down town and stopped awhile at a blacksmith shop 
 where Hugh Sang, one of our boys,, was working. While 
 there a crowd of drunken fellows came with a lot of strong 
 drink and stopped to drink it right before the shop door. As' 
 they continued drinking they became noisy until their whoops 
 and yells were fearful. It did not seem such horrid sounds 
 
18 EXPEKIENCES OF A- PlONEER MINISTER. 
 
 could come from human throats. They finally made an at- 
 tack on the shop. The stones came like hail. The windows 
 were smashed to atoms in an instant, and we thought the 
 door would go next. To say we were frightened is putting 
 it mildly. We thought our time had come, but we prepared 
 with sledge hammers and pieces of iron to defend ourselves to 
 the last. Happily the mob spent its fury on the shop and de- 
 parted leaving its scared occupants unharmed. 
 
 The first Fourth of July I ever spent in the United States 
 was at Hancock, 1864. 
 
 WE CELEBRATED THE DAY BY A GREAT TEMPERANCE 
 
 demonstration. First we marched and counter-marched with 
 bands of music and banners flying, after which a great meeting 
 was held in a large unfinished building. The gentleman they 
 expected to act as chairman of the meeting did not arrive. 
 Bro. Fairbrass, a leading Good Templar, came to me and said, 
 "Bro. Hill, you must act as chairman of the meeting." 1 had 
 never acted in such a capacity in my life, and objected ; but it 
 was useless. I was quickly elected and installed as chairman 
 of the meeting. As I sat on the platform with speakers to 
 the right and left, a band of musicians on another platform 
 above my head and the largest sea of upturned faces before 
 me I had ever seen, I felt very uncomfortable, but did the 
 best I knew how. In introducing one of the speakers I strove 
 to hit those who were on the fence on the temperance issue as 
 follows: "This gentleman is alwaj's found with' his colors fly- 
 ing. He is always in the thickest of the flght for right and 
 truth. He is not like some who stand aloof until the battle 
 is fought and the victory won, and then they come around and 
 say, 'See what a great work we have done;' like the husband in 
 the bear story. He and, his wife Betty lived in a claim shanty 
 on the frontier. One day to their great surprise a bear 
 walked into the shanty. The husband sprang up onto a joist 
 out of danger; but Betty not being nimble enough for that 
 took the fire poker and began to belabor the intruder over the 
 head with that. Every time she would strike the bear the 
 husband would say, 'You're doing well, hit him agin Betty. ' 
 After the bear was killed he ran away to the neighbors and 
 said, 'Come see the bear that Betty and I killed. ' " Of course 
 there was nothing to the ■ story as everybody knew, but it 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 19 
 
 tickled the fplks exceedingly altid so gave me courage and. 
 took away my nervousness to some extent. After meeting I 
 ■was encouraged to endeavor to ■ do better next time by the 
 kindly congratulations of fripnds who rejoiced in my success. 
 A kind word of encouragement often inspires a young begin- 
 ner to make the most of himself. I was taken sick and deter- 
 mined to go home and see my folks. I had written, but of 
 late I had received no answer from them. I went down on 
 the steamboat to Port Sarnia and took the train for Widder 
 Station, about four miles from father's. Although just re- 
 covering from sickness I felt elated and happy in the hope of 
 soon seeing the loved ones at home. On my way from the 
 station I called at Sylvanus Comell's, an old acquaintance 
 with whose children I used to go to school. Not one of them 
 recognized • me. I finally told them who I was and that I 
 was going to see my folks. They informed- me that I had not 
 a relative in the country, as they had all moved to Minnesota. 
 I never felt so lonely in all my life before. It seemed as if I 
 were entirely alone in the world. I called on the old neigh- 
 bors as I -Went along, who were glad to see me. I found the 
 old homestead occupied by strangers. As I went into the house _ 
 what a flood of recollections flashed through my mind! 1 wan- 
 dered over every familiar spot, but the dear oijes who had hal- 
 . lowed them were gone. I remained in the old neighborhood 
 from. July until in the following April. I found the religious- 
 interests of the people very low. Bro. Willie Hutchinson and 
 myself determined to start a prayer meeting in the old school 
 house. So we announced the meeting and invited all to at- 
 tends At the time appointed four persons were presen at^ 
 Mr. Ward, Willie Hutchinson, Samuel Willcox and myself. It 
 was evident Satan was on hand to oppose_that meeting. Bro. 
 Ward was the oldest, so he was chosen to lead. He did very 
 well until in prayer his words were cut off and he could say 
 nothing at all. He hawked and choked and sputtered, but a. 
 word could he not utter and seemed to be in great distress-j 
 but . there bame over the rest of us an almost uncontrollable 
 spirit of laughter. I would not have laughed under the cir- 
 cumstances foT- anything. My frame shook as I stuffed f he 
 corner of my blouse in my mouth to prevent such a sacrile- 
 gious thing as laughing during prayer. Such a prayer meet- 
 ing I never attended before nor since. Notwithstanding the 
 
20 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 inauspicious beginning, the prayer meeting increased in num- 
 bers and interest until the greatest revival broke out that was 
 ever known in that neighborhood. Old professors were 
 warmed up into new life, and many young people started on 
 their way to heaven. I spent a very happy winter ^ and' re- 
 ceived an impulse in the heavenly way that I never lost. 
 
 In the Spring of 1865 with Justus White I started for 
 Michigan. We hoped to run logs on Bell River. We staid 
 over night at Memphis. We were awakened by hearing the 
 firing of guns and the shouts of people. On looking out of the 
 window we s"aw , a huge fire and people were running toward 
 it, some putting on their coats as they' ran. It was soon as- 
 certained that news had come Richmond had fallen, which 
 was the cause of the bonfire and great commotion among the 
 people. How rejoiced they were at the downfall of the 
 rebel stronghold. What a rejoicing there will be when sin 
 and Satan are overthrown, and peace and righteousness will 
 reign supreme in the universe of God. Rev. 5 : 13. 
 
 I had never run logs and Justus told me that log runners 
 were a hard lot, and that we must not let them know we were 
 professprs of religion or we could not stay with them. I re- 
 plied, I did not intend to make my religion offensively promi- 
 nent, neither did I intend to hide my light under a bushel. 
 The first night we were with the log runners we staid at an 
 ■old farmer's. He had just built a new house and his old 
 house was given up to us. In the evening while eating warm 
 maple sugar the log runners amused themselves by telling 
 stories, some of which were far from being pure and elevating 
 in their character. After a while they called on me for a 
 song. I said, ' 'I cannot sing, but if you will all keep quiet I 
 will read you something from a book I have in my hand. " 
 They quickly agreed, and I read the 22nd chapter of Revela- 
 tions wherein the destiny of the righteous and the wicked is 
 brought to view. Strange to say everything was as quiet as a 
 meeting until the last word was read. It seemed as if the 
 spirit of God impressed the hearts of these hardened men. It 
 was probably the first time they had ever heard such reading. 
 When we went to bed, I felt it duty to do as aforetinje, "kneel 
 down and commend myself to God, " and quietly did so. No 
 one molested me; but the die was cast. They all knew where 
 I stood, and many were the talks I had with them on religion, 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 21 
 
 as we would be together on the river as sometimes two or 
 three of us would be stationed at certain points to keep the 
 logs running where there was danger of a jam. I f61t happy 
 in saying a word for my Master. 
 
 " JUSTUS TOOK A DIFFERENT COURSE 
 
 and I am sorry to say was soon led away from his steadfastness. 
 The only safe way is to be decidedly for God, no matter where we 
 are or what company we are in. If Satan finds a wavering 
 soul he will strive all the more earnestly to lure him away 
 from the paths of righteousness. Trust in God and do right 
 and he will shield us from all the power of the enemy. 
 
 After I had worked at log running awhile I went to a place 
 called Mill Point, _ near Lake Michigan, where my brother 
 Charles lived. Sawing lumber was the chief business, and 
 my brother worked in one of the mills. I got work in a mill, 
 but'did not like it and went up Grand river to work on a farm. 
 In August, 1865, I started for Minnesota where father lived. 
 I landed at Minneiska, a small village situated at the mouth 
 of Whitewater valley, on the Mississippi river. It ^ was 
 about 4 p. m. when I landed. I wished to make Greenwood 
 Prairie to 'work in harvest. I soon discovered that the only 
 conveyance was to go on foot, so I started, carrying a large 
 carpet bag full of clothes and a heavy beaver cloth overcoat. 
 The road up the vaUey was overflowed with water. Wild 
 ducks were swimming in the road, and mud and water were 
 over boot-top. The great bluffs towered hundreds of feet 
 high on either side of the valley, and no house in sight. As 
 the sun neared the horizon the mosquitoes came at me in 
 clouds, and they were so hungry ; I said to myself, ' 'This is 
 the brave land of Minnesota." 
 
 After traveling six miles I came to a house. It was a log 
 cabin, with the ends of the logs sticking out in every direction, 
 some shorter and some longer. As I came to the door I 
 found a man and a boy with a gun. I shall never forget the 
 scene. The man had an old felt hat on his head, partly cover- 
 ing a mass of reddish hair, ffls beard and mustache looked 
 fierce enough to belong to a southern bushwhacker, while a 
 great hole graced the knee of his pants. The youngster was 
 about fifteen years of ag& and did not look at all as fierce as 
 his father. I meekly asked the privilege of a night's lodging. 
 
22 Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 The gentleman replied: "Ask the women folks; I am not the 
 boss here," and away he and the boy went to shoot a maraud- 
 ing owl, and left me to paddle my own canoe with the ladies 
 as best I could. I timidly entered the house and was sur- 
 prised to note a great contrast. The wife and daughter were 
 neatly dressed and everything inside the house was in nice 
 order. The old lady thought I could stay, so I got an old 
 pail full of water and soon I had washed away the last re- 
 mains of mud and mire and was ready for -bed. 
 
 As the old gentleman and son returned from an unsuccess- 
 ful owl hunt, the gentleman wanted to know where 1 was 
 going and what 1 was going to do. When he learned I was 
 seeking work, he offered me three dollars per day to work for 
 him, and we soon made a bargain. It did not take long to 
 discover that he was a very noisy individual. In the morning 
 he came rushing up stairs yelling at the top of his voice, Ed! 
 Ed ! As he came to the top of the stairs he saw me at my 
 morning devotions. He stopped as though he had been shot; 
 he seemed entirely dumbfounded and amazed that anj'body 
 should be found praj'ing on his premises. 
 
 I WAS set to binding 
 
 after' a cradler. The sun poured its rays down between the 
 bluffs with great power. I never felt the heat so great in my 
 life, besides, I became so very, very hungry. Noon was a 
 long, long time coming. At last the welcome call was heard 
 and away we went to dinner. I had but fairly got started 
 at my dinner when all the rest were done, and so it was every 
 time ; I could eat far more than I ever could before. They 
 said that was the way with every one when « they first came to 
 Minnesota. Ho, you dainty people, whose appetite is a lost 
 treasure, come to 'the invigorating, health-giving climate of 
 Minnesota and your appetite will soon take on proportions 
 that will surprise you. 
 
 The gentleman's name for whom I worked was John Gage. 
 The log cabin has since given way to a fine brick residence, 
 and Mr. Gage has represented his county in 'the Minnesota 
 legislature, Although he was of rough exterior yet he was a 
 good neighbor. 
 
 I remained with him until November, when I bought a horse, 
 harness and light wagon of him and started for the western 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 23 
 
 part of the state to 4nd my folks. I found traveling 
 over the vast prairies was not all pastime. I was always di- 
 rected to take the main-traveled track. Sometimes far from 
 any house the road would diverge, and which was the main- 
 traveled track no man on earth could tell. Such a case is 
 very perplexing, especially if it is nearly dark. Many of the 
 sloughs were not bridged; while passing through one the 
 horse and buggy went down. Only one way out of the diflB- 
 culty — wade into the cold water and mire, unhitch the horse, 
 take the buggy to pieces and carry it out onto dry land. 
 
 On my journey 1 stopped over night with a man to whom I 
 spoke about religion in the evening, and in the morning the 
 conversation turned again upon religion ; he said to me : ' 'Are 
 you a preacher?" I said, "No." — "Well you will besome time." 
 
 Ten years afterward I spoke on baptism at the Hutchinson 
 camp meeting. After the sermon a gentleman said to me, 
 ' 'Bro. Hill, if you ever come our way you must call and see 
 us. " ' 'Where do you live?" ' 'I live in a popple grove between 
 Austin and Albert Lea." I recognized the place and the man 
 instantly. I asked him if he remembered a young man stopping 
 over night with him about ten years ago, who talked with him 
 about religion, and he asked him if he were a preacher and 
 the young* man answered no, and then you said, well, you will 
 be one sometime? He said yes. vWell, I was that young 
 man. He had become a Christian and I a minister since that 
 evening. 
 
 I finally reached the neighborhood of Blue Earth City, and 
 saw ahead of me a high load of old boards drawn by a yoke 
 of oxen. 1 started to drive by when a boy sprang from the 
 load onto my wagon with great demonstrations of "joy. It 
 was my brother John. He said father was carpentering in 
 town; he showed me the house wnere he was at work. I 
 found him at the bench planing. He did not know me until 
 I told him who I was. It was a joyful meeting after such a 
 long separation. The next day I drove out to my father's 
 homestead, six miles southwest of Blue Earth City. ' I found 
 the family living in a dugout; a good many people lived in 
 them in those days. Everybody was poor, and con- 
 sequently on a level. The settlers were friendly, sociable, and 
 willing to help one another. All seemed hopeful and cheer- 
 ful, and although they lived in small houses and wore cheap 
 
24 Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 clothing, they were fully as happy as in- after years when they 
 ■were the possessors of plenty. 
 
 A MINNESOTA BLIZZARD. 
 
 My first introduction to one was Dec. 12, 1865. I had 
 heard and read of blizzards, but it takes a personal experience 
 to realize what a blizzard means. The conditions of a good 
 blizzard are a lot of light snow and a furious wind. The snow 
 becomes as fine as the finest flour and penetrates the slightest 
 crevice. In an old fashioned blizzard the snow is so blinding 
 one cannot see anything, and can scarcely hear anything either ; 
 it is useless to shout, hoping to be heard, as your voice would 
 be drowned in the awful storm. A light in a window would 
 avail nothing, for it could not be seen. People have been lost 
 and frozen to death only a few rods from their own door; 
 blinded and bewildered by the storm they wandered jound and 
 round until exhausted nature gave way, and the poor victim 
 sank down in the snow to rise no more. But those dreadful 
 storms are in the past; the prairies are now dotted with farm 
 houses, villages, towns and groves, and every house, haystack and 
 every tree helps to break the force of the wind, until now such' 
 storms are no longer common to Minnesota. One must needs 
 go to the Bakotas to enjoy a first-class blizzard. I would not 
 have the reader think that ^Minnesota is a region of storms, for 
 it is indeed a land of glorious sunshine. Even in winter, 
 though it is cold, yet the skies are bright and the air bracing. 
 Minnesota is indeed a goodly land, with broad prairies, great 
 forests, fertile soil, and scattered over its surface are thou- 
 sands of the most charming lakes imaginable. But I will not 
 try to describe the land of my adoption, for the best I can do 
 would be far short of the reality. 
 
 The winter of '65-'66 I chopped cordwood on the Min- 
 nesota river, near St. Peter; the following summer I went to 
 Yellow Medicine, where the Indians broke out in their massa- 
 cre of the whites in 1862. There were still fine brick build- 
 ings and great cisterns which the government had built for the 
 Indians. It is a beautiful location, in a fine country, but no 
 Indian is there. His beautiful heritage has passed into the 
 hands of the white man. 
 
 I returned to the eastern part of the state to work in, har- 
 vest. On my way from Yellow Medicine I was sent ahead on 
 
' Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 25 
 
 twseback one evening to select a camping ground for the 
 night. As I- was trotting along smartly 1 ran over a little 
 striped animal ; I was going so fast that 1 escaped any shock 
 to my olfactory nerves. Not so with the teams following 
 more slowly behind. They said when they came to where I 
 had selected a place for camp; "Didn't you run over a skunk 
 back there a ways?" "Yes." "Whew! we thought so as we 
 came along. " The night was very sultry and the mosquiloes 
 were in swarms ; three of us slept in a covered wagon, and it 
 seemed as if the hungry mosquitoes were determinfld to leave 
 nothing of us by morning. One of our company was an Eng- 
 lishman; he had an iron teakettle with him, and he would fill 
 it with grass and set fire to it, and make a smudge which, for 
 the time, would stupefy the skeeters, and nearly suffocate us. 
 He kept replenishing his kettle and rebuilding his fires until 
 a terrific thunder storm came up. The lightning blazed 
 athwart the black sky in a fearful manner, while the thunder 
 shook the heavens, and the rain fell in torrents. The cool 
 drops of rain fell through our thin canvas onto my fevered 
 brow so gratefully, and I fell asleep; but I shall never forget 
 the night spent on the prairie with the Englishman and his 
 teakettle. 
 
 In ,the spring of 1867 I returned to father's, and helped 
 during the summer. It rained and rained until sloughs, lakes 
 and streams were full to overflowing. It was almost impossi- 
 ble to go anywhere with a wagon. Flour rose to nine dollars 
 a hundred, and could hardly be obta,ined for that. Father had 
 a huge coffee mill to which he attached a windmill, and the 
 ' settlers would bring sacks of corn on their shoulders to get 
 ground in the coffee mill, and thus keep the wolf from the 
 door. It was so wet that summer, that the prairie was swim- 
 mipg with water. One day as ^Mr. Stiles and myself were 
 driving over the prairie with a breaking team, consisting of 
 five yoke of oxen, we came to a rushing stream where usually 
 no stream was to be found. The oxen went in ; but as we got 
 into the middle of the stream the wagon came apart and the 
 pattle went away with the front wheels and left us in the rush- 
 ing waters with the rest of the wagon. Mr. Stiles cried out, 
 "Oh, I don't want to get wet for I am troubled with the rheu- 
 matism, " and there he was on top of the box as far out of the 
 water as he could get. I went into the water and got the 
 
26 Experiences op a Pioneee Minister. 
 
 wagon and Mr. Stiles to shore as best I could. Then 1 had to 
 race after the oxen, for they were going it over the prairie 
 with the front wheels of the wagon, like all possessed. Such 
 were some of the experiences of the early pioneers in this 
 new country. 
 
 CHANGE OF RELIGIOUS VIEWS. 
 
 I found a class of people in father's neighborhood who ob- 
 served the seventh day as the Sabbath. They were very zeal- 
 ous in spreading abroad a knowledge of their peculiar views. 
 They supplied me with tracts, pamphlets and books, teaching 
 what they called Present Truth. That is, the truth that is 
 especially adapted for the times in which we live. Although 
 I had no idea of keeping the seventh day Sabbath, yet I 
 found their arguments very hard to meet. I could find noth- 
 ing in the New Testament to show that the Sabbath was 
 changed from the seventh to the first day of the week." I 
 found that the New Testament mentions the first day of the 
 week just eight times and not once is it called the Sabbath or 
 Lord's day, neither is any sacred title applied to it whatever. 
 Search as I would, ' I could not find that either Christ or His 
 apostles observed it as a sacred day in a single instance. This 
 seemed to me unaccountable, if the first day of the week had 
 really become the Sabbath and it was a sin against God not to 
 observe it as such. Although I could by no means explain 
 the silence of the- New Testament in regard to the change of 
 the Sabbath, I tried to console myself with the thought that a 
 great many wise and good men keep Sunday and if we only 
 keep one day in seven it will do well enough. This was not 
 very satisfactory, but it helped to ease my conscience while 
 violating one of God's commandments. 
 
 DURING THE SUMMER 
 
 I worked awhile for a man by the name of Shumacher. He 
 was a zealous Catholic and labored hard to convert me to the 
 Ca:tholic faith. We used to sit up very late talking upon 
 points of doctrine. One evening he asked me, "How could 
 the apostles remit sins unless they knew what sins to remit, 
 and how could they know unless the sins were confessed to 
 them?" "You claim the priest has jusut as much power as the 
 apostles?" ' 'Yes. " ' 'That the priest could know nothing of the 
 sins committed unless they were first confessed to him?" ' 'Yes. " 
 
Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 27 
 
 "Was it necessary for Ananias and Sapphira to confess tlieir 
 sin before Peter knew tliat they had lied?" "No." "Butyou say 
 the poor priest could know nothing of it unless it be first con- 
 fessed to him, which shows his claim to have as much power 
 as the apostles to be a fraud and deception of the first magni- 
 tude. " We even got to speaking on persecutions of the Catho- 
 lic Church, which he would not own until the proof was un- 
 answerable, when he said; "If you had a flock of sheep and 
 the wolves should come to destroy them, what would you do?" 
 "I would kill the wolves, of course, if 1 could; and so you 
 Catholics are the tender sheep and we Protestants are the 
 fierce, howling wolves; so we must be killed, of course." 
 
 Reader, that is the doctrine of Rome, and she carries it out 
 wherever she has the power to do so. Mr. Shumacher sup- 
 plemented his personal efforts by furnishing me with Catholic 
 controversial works to read. In Milner's End of Religious 
 Controversy I found the Catholic Church claimed to have 
 changed the Sabbath into Sunday without any scriptural au- 
 thority for so doing. In fact, the change of the Sabbath is set 
 .forth as ~one of the strongest evidences that the Catholic 
 Church is the true church ; for indeed she must be the great 
 power of God in the earth if she were able to change the di- 
 vine law of Jehovah. Having already discovered there was 
 not a particle of evidence in the Bible of a change of the Sab- 
 bath, I confess this claim of the Catholic Church struck me 
 very forcibly. , The more I meditated and studied upon it, the 
 more plainly I could see that the claim was well founded, and 
 that the Catholic Church was the power brought to view in 
 Dan. vii. , 25, that should think to change the times and laws of 
 the Most High. I did not wish to believe it, but proof was 
 too plain. He shall speak great words against the Most High, 
 and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall 
 think to change times and laws, and they shall be given into 
 His hand until a time, times and the dividing of time. It is 
 true that the Papacy has spoken great words against the Most 
 High, even to arrogating to himself infallibility, which be- 
 longs to (ilod alone. It is true the Catholic Church has 
 slaughtered millions of the saints of the Most High, (literally 
 worn them out), until she is drunken with the blood of the 
 martyrs of Jesus. Rev. xvii., 5-6. Has she thought to 
 change the times and laws of the Most High? She says: Yes, 
 
28 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 I have changed the Sabbath into Sunday without any script- 
 ural authority for so doing.. 
 
 Thus, every specification of the prophecy is met by the 
 Church of Kome, hence she must be the power spoken of. 
 What should I do in this case, was the question that troubled 
 me. Are these seventh day folks right, and has the time 
 really come when the true Sabbath should be restored? Is it 
 possible that God is calling on me by His word and spirit to 
 forsake the teachings of my youth and all my religious assora- 
 ations and take my stand for His ancient downtrodden Sab- 
 bath? ^ Reader, if you have ever sincerely faced that question 
 you will not say : The Sabbath question is of little import- 
 ance. It stirs the soul , to its depths. To whomsoever ye 
 yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom 
 ye obey. Rom. vi., 16. God says: Remember the Sabbath 
 day to keep it holy. The Church of Rome commands: Keep 
 holy the Sunday. Which shall I obey? If I obey God, I 
 shall be God's servant; if I obey the Papacy, I shall be the 
 servant of the Papacy. Although every worldly consideration 
 was on the side of Sunday, yet I am thankful <xod-gave me 
 grace to decide, that as for me, I will serve the Lord and keep 
 His commandments. It is nearly a quarter of a century since 
 that decision was made and I have never ceased to rejoice in 
 it. Never once have I had a doubt that the seventh day is the 
 Sabbath of the Lord, our God. I was superintendent of the 
 Union Sunday school held in our school house. Xo sooner 
 than it was known that I had begun the observance of the 
 Sabbath than a great uproar was raised in our little commun- 
 is. I went to the Sunday school one bright moming^and 
 found the house surrounded with people. There were so 
 many they could not all find room inside. Mj' class leader, 
 Bro. Yetter, was there, but that morning he did not seem to 
 notice me. After the exercises of the school were over he 
 said there was a little business to be attended to. They had 
 heard that Mr. Hill had turned Advent. If so, he was not 
 wanted for superintendent any longer. He is here, he can 
 speak for himself. I plead guilty to the charge of keeping 
 the seventh day Sabbath, because I had found it plainly com- 
 manded in the word of God. I had sought long and carefully 
 for a Thus saith the Lord for Sunday keeping, and could not 
 find it. If any one present could point out to me any divine 
 
EXPEKIENCES OF A PlONEER MINISTER. 29 
 
 requirement for Sunday observance, I would cheerfully turn 
 back again and observe Sunday with them. They were not 
 able to do so, but denlanded that I should resign my office. 
 I replied ; ' 'Show me it is duty for me to do so and I will do it. " 
 "No, we are not here to do that, only resign or we will turn you 
 oat." I said; "None of you will say that I have not taught the 
 children right things, things that you yourselves approve of. 
 It seems to me your aption is" like condemning and executing 
 a man, not because he has done anything wrong, but for fear 
 he might do some wicked thing in the future." But they cast 
 me out of the synagogue. - Those on the outside thrust their 
 • hands through the raised windows to give their voices against 
 one. Thus 1 began to experience a few drops of the wrath of 
 the dragon. Bev. xii. , 17. 
 
 One man was there who, when "requested to attend Sunday 
 school, said he -could- not because his pants were not good 
 enough to appear in such a place, but upon that particular oc- 
 casion he was there, pants and all, and they were not the best 
 ©f pants either. I had lived in the best of friendship with all 
 this people as neighbor and friend. Then why treat me so un- 
 kindly? They were only acting out human nature. They had 
 it in their power to vent their feelings of anger upon -one of 
 their number who dared to accept of unpopular truth, and 
 they did it. They were blinded and knew not what they did. 
 Luke xxiii., 34. 
 
 THE NEXT FALL 
 
 I went with Samuel Smith and Newton Chute to bring their 
 team back from theit trapping ground on the Des Moines river. 
 It was in November, and on my return 1 lost my way and a 
 furious snow storm came on in the afternoon. As darkness 
 ■began to close upon me it was evident that I must spend a 
 night alone with my oxen on the prairie. The situation was 
 anything but agreeable. 1 found a ravine where it was some- 
 what sheltered from the wind. I tied the cattle to one side of the 
 , wagon, took the box off,, set it up on one edge, with the bot- 
 tom toward the wind, with the upper edge resting upon the 
 hubs of the wagon wheels. Under this slight protection I 
 crawled, with one quilt to wrap up in. I commended my- 
 self to Him who cares for the sparrows and has numbered the 
 -hairs of our heads. I renewed my covenant to be His, and to 
 devote my life to His service. As I lay under there I could 
 
30 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 feel the snow sift through onto my face. I soon fell asleep 
 and did not awake until daylight. I was surprised how 
 quickly the night I dreaded so much had passed away. At 
 noon the next day, I came to a settlement on Twin Lakes, and 
 had no farther trouble getting home. 
 
 I only staid at home for a few days when I started out 
 again to seek-a winter's job. I went to Mr. G-ault's, near St. 
 Peter, hoping to chop cord wood for him. He said there was 
 no wood chopping to be had. Mrs. Gault said, '-teaclL our 
 school this winter." I had never taught school, but I thought 
 I might as well try. I asked the Lord to help me, and He did. 
 I taught ther school for four months, at thirty dollars per 
 month, with the priTilege of teaching the same school the 
 next winter if 1 wished to. I returned home in the spring, 
 and staid until harvest, when I again went to the eastern part 
 of the state. 
 
 I worked for Joel Brown and his nephew, Joseph Brown, 
 near Mantorville, Dodge County. Deckster Brown, Joseph's 
 father, came to help him finish his harvest. He formed a 
 favorable opinion of all the hands he saw at noon when 
 he arrived, but me. He told me afterward that he thought 
 from my appearance that I did not amount to much ; , but he 
 changed his mind in a little -while, and after Joseph got 
 through with me, he hired me at thirty dollars per month to 
 work on a farm during the short days in. the fall, although he. 
 kept Sunday and I kept the Seventh day. I worked hard, and 
 one day as' I plo'vfr^ed my back ached, my face flushed, and 1 
 felt hardly able to follow the plow. At noon I told Mr. 
 Brown how I felt. He said : ' 'You are coming down with the 
 typhoid fever." People were having it, and some were dying 
 ■with it in the neighborhood. I knew I never could stand 
 drug treatment and come out alive; so Mr. Brown took me to 
 Wasioja, where Elder Ingraham lived. He was not at home 
 when we arrived. I laid down on the bed, and it seemed to 
 me as if I would burn up with fever. When Bro. Ingraham 
 came home, he put me into a tub of hot water, putting a quilt 
 over me to keep the steam in. The sweat poured down my 
 body in streams. The next day the fever came up again, but 
 not so strong, and the next evening I was put through the 
 same process. Although I was very weak the fever was com- 
 pletely broken, and in a few days I was at work again. 
 
Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 31 
 
 THE next winter 
 
 found me in the Whitewater valley again, teaching school in 
 the Gage district. 1 had great talks with my old friends in 
 regard to my change of .views. Mr. Geo. Mathewson and 
 wife accepted the Present Truth; they were my ftrst converts 
 to the faith. In the spring I was married to Miss Emma 
 Town, one of my pupils. 
 
 We had some difficulties in getting the knot tied. We 
 started with horse and cutter one bright morning for Winona, 
 26 miles distant, intending to be married that selfsame day. 
 Our horse was a runaway, kicking colt. As we were round- 
 ing a bluff, the cutter upset and sent us both out onto the 
 frozen ground and the horse began to run and kick with all his 
 might. I held on to the lines, however, until he stopped at 
 the bottom- of the bluff, but the shafts and cutter box were a 
 wreck. We fixed up the shafts,^ piled the pieces of the box 
 onto the cutter, and went into the city, our wedding rig sadly 
 demoralized. We took the cutter toa shop for repairs, and in 
 a little while busy hands made it as good as ever; but our 
 troubles did not. end here. We found that witnesses were 
 necessary, in our case, to get a marriage license, and witnesses, 
 we, in our simplicity, had not provided. So we returned to 
 the parental roof, somewhat sadder and wiser than when we 
 departed. However, patience and 'perseverance overcome all 
 difficulties and the nuptial knot was duly tied on March 22d, 
 1869, by Elder Alfred Chute, twenty-three years ago. We 
 have stood by each other in shade and sunshine, sorrow and 
 joy all these years and we expect to until the Kedeemer comes 
 to Zion, or until the grim reaper shall gather us into his nar- 
 row house, where we will wait until our change come, (Job 
 xiv. , 13-15,) and we hope to enjoy a long eternity together in 
 the kingdom of God. 
 
 In the spring of 1870 we removed to IV^artin 
 county and opened up a new farm on the broad prairie. 
 I went first and prepared the home nest. While on my jour- 
 ney, I stopped one night at a farm house near Rochester. 'The 
 good people were considerably exercised because I travelled on 
 Sunday. I explained that I observed the seventh day. ' ' Oh, " 
 said the lady, "you are one of those Advents ; you don't believe 
 you will ever die. " "I expect to die and gp into the grave as all 
 my forefathers did. " "Do you? Well, it is quite probable you 
 
32 BXPEEIENCES OP A PlONEER MINISTER. 
 
 will. " ' 'I may die too, aad that much sooner than I expect, but 
 some of Grod's people will never die," and I opened my Bible 
 and read 1 Cor. xv., 51: "Behold 1 show you a mystery: We 
 shall not all sleep (die), but we shall all be changed. In a 
 moment, in- the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump." "So 
 you see sister, the Bible expressly says we shall not all die; 
 ySu believe that, don't you?" Again we are told w^l Thess. 
 iv. , 1 6-17, • 'For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven 
 with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the 
 tramp of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first." Then 
 we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with 
 them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall 
 we ever be with the Lord, ' 'Here it is expressly taught that 
 some will be alive and remain until the Lord comes, and I be- 
 lieve it, don't you?" Her father-in-law interposed and said, 
 "I don't see but that is all right, surely it is scripture and we 
 ought not to be found fighting the scripture. " She seemed quite 
 reconciled after this and only made one more sharp criticism 
 upon her hninble guest. My mind was dwelling upon the 
 young wife I had left behind and I took a loving look at her 
 image I carried with me. She observed it also and asked, ' 'Is 
 that your wife's picture?" "Yes, madam. " "Well, I'm sur- 
 , prised, truly. " "Why so?" "That such a good looking woman 
 would marry such a homely man. ','- In the morning I was be- 
 set to trade horses. I had one little horse and one large one. 
 They had a good sized horse, with smooth, glossy hair, which 
 they would trade for my small one. They talked so honest 
 and fair that in my verdancy I traded. My new horse started 
 off in good shape, but soon fagged out, and I had to tie my 
 other large horsp back to the sleigh and make him draw almost 
 the whole load. At noon the new horse would not eat and I 
 discovered I had fallen into the hands of the Philistines. I 
 kept on trading until I had paid about $24 in boot money and 
 had only, a bridle and pair of martingales left. I thought it 
 was time for me to quit trading horses. I learned to my sor- 
 row that those who will trade horses will cheat and deceive. 
 Moral: Let no honest man indulge in horse trading. 
 
 In the winter of 1870-71 I taught school at Tenhassen, 
 Martin county. A number of teachers attended school, some 
 of whom had been through the arithmetic several times and I 
 had never been half through it. I studied at nights and kept 
 
EXPEEIENCES OF A PlONEER MINISTER 33 
 
 ahead of the class until we had gone through again. I found 
 by careful study I could unravel the most difficult examples 
 we had to deal with. A great love existed between teacher 
 and pupils. I enjoyed the school so much. We had great 
 spelling schools. The interest ran high and they came from 
 far and near to outdo us, but never one was found to equal us 
 in that line. 
 
 The pupils edited a paper which was read every two weeks. 
 In one number it was stated that our school contained two 
 natural curiosities: A lump of snow (a Miss Snow) that never 
 melts and a Hill in perpetual motion. The last day of school 
 the house was filled with visitors, and at the closing exercises 
 many eyes overflowed with tears. The next summer I had a 
 nice crop growing and taught school in the Chute district, 
 eight miles distant. My pony would take me there in a few 
 minutes. In June we were visited by a disastrous hailstorm, 
 when grain, com, potatoes, garden stuff, in fact everything 
 was beaten to the earth. The stones fell with such force they 
 dented the side of the house, which was made of seasoned 
 hardwood boards. I loved teaching and decided to devote my 
 whole attention to it. The next winter I taught school near 
 Delevan, ¥aribault county. 
 
 The school was large, with many large young men and 
 women attending; a wild lot. It was the first winter 
 term ever held in the district. I had to draw a taut rein in 
 order to control the school at all. I was firm, but kind. 
 They soon saw that I sincerely desired their good, and was 
 never weary in assisting them to the utmost of my ability, And 
 they, for the most part, appreciated my efforts. 
 
 One day as the director was visiting the school, I heard 
 something go click, click, click, click, and then all would be 
 quiet for a while ; then it would go again. I said nothing, 
 but kept a sharp lookout; at laat 1 discovered the offender. A 
 youngster was striking a spur and pocket knife together, 
 which caused the noise. I told him to come forth and climb 
 up onto a desk and stand there for a while. He stood up be- 
 tween the desks, seized hold of one with each hand, and de- 
 clared he would never submit to such punishment as that; but 
 he was persuaded to think better of it, and stood on the' desk 
 ' with a great stick of wood on his shoulder. It was an object 
 
34 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 lesson to the school, as well as a reminder to him, that the 
 way of the transgressor is hard; Prov. 13: 15. 
 
 THE DIRECTOR 
 
 was as sober as a judge, and said nothing, bat I could see he 
 was immensely pleased to see the youngster brought to time. 
 I taught several terms in that district; but some were dissatis- 
 fied with the price. They could get an experienced lady 
 teacher from Wisconsin for twenty -five dollars per month. As 
 1 had my hands full building a new house at Blue Earth City, 
 in the ^ring of 1873, I made no application for any school. 
 The new teacher came, and began teaching one Monday morn- 
 ing, and the next Monday morning she was on her way back 
 to Wisconsin; with no wish to prolong her stay in the wild and 
 woolly west. The pupils discovered they knew more than the 
 teacher and she could do nothing with them. They were glad 
 to get the old teacher back again. The girls and boys were 
 collected on a knoll, and their faces were all smiles and dim- 
 ples as I neared the old school house, and they gave their old 
 teacher a royal welcome. 
 
 BEGAN THE LIFE OF A MINISTER. 
 
 The summer of '73, I attended our camp meeting, which was 
 held at Medford. One evening after preaching service breth- 
 ren Kobert Schram and Henry Youngs took me, one by each 
 arm, and said: "Brother HiU, come with us." They led me 
 to the preacher's stand, and Elder Canright said: "Bro. Hill, 
 if we give you a license to improve your gift, will you use it?" 
 It was a momentous question. Upon my answer hinged the 
 course of my future life. Although I loved teaching dearly, 
 and was loath to give it up, yet I believed that the coming of 
 the Lord was at the door, and the world was to be warned to 
 flee from the wrath to come. Time, I believed to be too short, 
 the harvest great, and the laborers few. I had firm faith in 
 the promise of God, to be with the laborers even unto the end 
 . of the world, and that whosoever would forsake houses, or 
 brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, 
 or l^inds, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundred fold, 
 and shall inherit everlasting life. Matt. 19: 29. With such 
 views and feelings, 1 could only say, "By the assisting grace 
 of God I will, " and although 1 have had poverty, privation, 
 
EXPEKIENCES OF A PlONEER MiNISTEE. 35 
 
 even to the want of sufficient clothing to protect me from win- 
 ter's chilling blasts, and have met with opposition and contu- 
 mely on every side, and am now prematurely old, if I could 
 ,be placed right there again as I was on that eventful evening, 
 knowing all as L do now, I would raise my hand to heaven and 
 say, "By Thy grace I will. " 
 
 I went home from camp meeting, and prepared to go forth 
 as a herald of the cross. I had my new house to plaster, and 
 very much" to do. On the 7th of October, 1873, with Bro. 
 Ferdinand Morse, I started for Elm Creek, Martin County. 
 We found that in consequence of the grasshopper raid the 
 men had gone or were going east to work, to get something to 
 live on during the winter, and it was impossible for the women 
 to attend evening meetings without their husbands, so the idea 
 of laboring in that vicinity had to be abandoned. At this 
 juncture Bro. Morse was taken with a sore throat, and re- 
 tur;ied home, and I was left, with valise in hand, on the 
 broad prairie, with no experience whatever in preaching. I 
 got a ride with a farmer to Vernon Center, where I found an 
 old schoolmate, Alex. Westover, and remained with him over 
 night, and renewed old acquaintance. The next morning I 
 went to Bro. Fleming's; I was having severe temptations. 
 
 A COLD WINTER 
 
 was fast approaching. Schools would soon be all taken, and 
 if I did not succeed in preaching, I would be without employ- 
 ment of any kind, and even if I did. succeed I could hope but 
 for very little remuneration, and why not go home as Bro. ' 
 Morse, and take a school and let some one better qualified do 
 the preaching? « I had never been so long absent from my 
 wife and two little boys before, and I must say the drawings 
 toward home were powerful. But I thought again; I have 
 not yet done all I can do to find an opening, and I felt some- 
 thing strong within me impelling me forward in the work to 
 which 1 had set my hand. I told Bro. Fleming my confiict I 
 was haying and he cheered me on my way. The laborers are 
 few and the harvest is great. He said : ' 'I will lake you to Bro. 
 Rew's, and we will see what can be done." Bro. Eew thought I 
 should go to Bro. Quinn's and see Bro. Dimmick, one of our 
 ministers who was there. When we got there Bro. Dimmick 
 had just taken the train for Iowa. It was decided that I had 
 
36 Experiences op a Pioneer Minister 
 
 better go to Hutchinson, McLeod Co. , where there was quite 
 • a large companj- of our people. Having but little money, I 
 shouldered my valise and started for Ottawa, eighteen miles 
 distant, where. I had some acquaintances, among whom I 
 visited until after Sunday. As Mr. Lewis and I were going 
 to the depot, he suddenly asked: "Are you not going out on 
 amission?" I replied: "That's about the way of it." "Well, 
 can you take a subject and carry it through?" "1 don't 
 .know — lean tell better after 1 try." I took the train for 
 .Blakely, and started from there for Hutchinson, on foot, 
 between thirty and forty miles distant. I ariwed at Glencoe 
 about 3 p. m. , bought some crackers, ate a lunch, and started 
 : again for Hutchinson, sixteen miles away. I had not gone 
 far when a man overtook me with a team, and gave me a ride. 
 I asked: "Where are you going?" He said: "Hutchinson." 
 "Do you know any Seventh Day people there?" "Yes, sir, I 
 am one myself ; my name is Dye. Are you one of our minis- 
 ters?" "lam sent out to improve my gift, but how I will 
 succeed time will tell." "You ought to have been at Hutchin- 
 son yesterday and you would have seen Elders Haskell and 
 Grant." "1 wish 1 had; I would rather see Elder Grant 
 (President of our Conference) than any man alive." "Well, 
 you can see him, he is stopping with Bro. Armstrong, and he 
 lives not a great way from here." He pointed in the direc- 
 -tion of his house, and I sprang, from the wagon and started. 
 I found a stream of water flowed between me and his house, 
 which t was compelled to ford. It was now dark. As. I ap- 
 proached the house I saw Bro. Grant's bald head through the 
 window. When I entered he was as much astonished to see 
 me as though I had come down from the clouds. He said: "I 
 thought you were in Martin County with Bro. Morse, holding 
 meetings." I explained to him how matters stood, and he 
 was puzzled to know what to do with me. I was evidently an 
 elephant on his hands. We talked over matters until late at 
 night, but came to no conclusion what to do. I got up early 
 in the morning and kindled a fire. Bro. Armstrong did not 
 seem to approve of my taking so much liberty. I excused 
 myself by saying Elders Haskell and Grant were intending 
 to take the early morning train, and I was afraid they would 
 be belated. He replied I need not worry, he would see to 
 that. I thought things were moving slowly, but said noth. 
 
Experiences of a I'ioneee Minister. 37 
 
 ing more. At last we got into the wagon, and started for 
 town. Alas ! as we were going in the train was going out, and 
 the brethren were doomed to stay another day with Bro. Arm- 
 strong. Bro. G-rant conclnded I should go to Grove Lake, in 
 Pope County, a distance of about eighty or a hundred miles. 
 So 1 started for Hutchinson again. • Brother Grant accompa- 
 nied me a short distance, uhtil we came to a thicket by the way- 
 side, into which we entered and committed our way to Him 
 who had promised to be with us alway, even unto the end of the 
 world. 
 
 At East Hutchinson I met with Allen Knott, a man who 
 usfed to work for my uncle in Canada. I had slept with him 
 many a night when Twas a boy. We were both surprised to 
 meet in the wilds of Minnesota. The next day 1 got as far as 
 the village of Hutchinson and was much refreshed to meet 
 with those of like precious faith. The following day I 
 shouldered my valise and started for Litchfield, Meeker county, 
 arriving there a little before dark. I found a Bro. Swanson, 
 presented him my letter of recommendation and he said I 
 might leave my valise with him and he would bring it to Ole 
 Halvorson's on the morrow, but that I should go to Ole's, five 
 or six miles, that evening. I thought that was a cold way to 
 treat a poor, tired brother, but I started on again. When I 
 got to Halvorson's I found Bro. Lee holding meetings there 
 amop^ the Swedes. With these kind brethren I stayed over 
 Sabbath and Sunday and assisted Bro. Lee what I could. 
 After meeting Sunday, Bro. Lee spoke to the people in Swedish 
 and I noticed both he and the people were very much affected, 
 and they were contributing money for something, I knew not 
 what. After all was over Bro. Lee came and put his arm 
 around me and said : ' ' Bro. Hill, you need not go on foot any 
 more, for the brethren have contributed $12 to help you on 
 your way " I felt very grateful to him and the good brothers 
 I and sisters of Litchfield for their help in time of need. 
 
 When I arrived at Grove Lake I found a few who were be- 
 lievers in the Present Truth. They were very glad a minister 
 had come to help them. I told them not to rejoice too 
 quickly, as I had never preached and might make a failure of 
 it. They said they had been praying for a Jong time foj a 
 minister to come and they did not believe the Lord had made 
 a mistake and sent the wrong man. I appointed a prayer 
 
38 . Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 meeting the first evening of my arrival, and a young man, 
 William Emmerson by name, made a start for the kingdom of 
 heaven. 
 
 He was a young man of good abilities and many good quali- 
 ties. I hoped he would make a laborer in the cause, t)ut for 
 some reason he became discouraged. He has ia good, faithful 
 wife and we hope he will yet recover himself from the snare 
 of the enemy. Bro. Grant had told me to hold only prayer 
 meetings until he could send Bro. Dimmick,to help me, but 
 the people would not listen to that, but announced preaching 
 for me in the B.aymond school house. 
 
 , THAT EVENTFUL EVENING 
 
 soon rolled around and I found myself face to face with my 
 first audfence. It was quite large and full of interest to know 
 what this Adventist preacher would say. The M. E. minister 
 was one of my auditors. As they sang the last hymn I 
 thought, now I must say something soon. I could feel my 
 temples throb. I lifted my heart to the Lord for help and He 
 helped me. I took for my text: "For God so loved the 
 world that he gave his only begotten Son; that whosoever be- 
 lieveth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." 
 Johniii., 16. I had quite good freedom in presenting the 
 love of God to the children of men as manifested in the gift of 
 His Son. I held up the Giver, the Gift and the glorious re- 
 sults of salvation as best I could. There was at least one 
 good point in the discourse. It was short. Bro. David Em- 
 merson was a little late getting started and never got there at 
 all, having met the people returning from meeting. However 
 feeble the discourse may have been, it was the subject of 
 great comment; everywhere it was the topic of conversation. 
 The old Universalist said^he liked it because there was much 
 love in it; the M. E. minister said Old Dick Kichard- 
 son, with two weeks preparation, could preach a better 
 sermon than that. Others thought that there was more script- 
 ure presented in the sermon than they had ever heard before. 
 Others remarked: "Anybody could read texts of scripture, es- 
 pecially if they marked the places by turning down the leaves 
 of the Bible. " The whole neighborhood was in a ferment of 
 excitement which only prepared the way for a ^rger attend- 
 ance at the next meetii;g. I preached on the Second Coming 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 39 
 
 of Christ, the second and seventh chapters of Dan. , and an- 
 nounced to speak on the Sanctuary question, Dan. 8, 14, but 
 how to begin it Or end it I did not know. I fasted and went 
 out into the grove and laid the matter before the Lord, and 
 felt assured that God would' help me in His own good way. 
 As i visited Bro. David Emmerson's that afternoon I learned 
 that Bro. Dimmick had arrived. He was a person of some ex- 
 peyience, and I felt that God had sent him at the right tirne. 
 I never heard him preach with such power as he did that even- 
 ing. While at Grove Lake we met with many incidents of in- 
 terest. One evening, as BrO. Dimmick was .preaching on 
 Spiritualism, a lady sat in the congregation mocking his mo- 
 tions, which were not the most graceful that could be imag- 
 ined. For some reason this lady could not stop her motions 
 •when she wished to. She seemed for the time to be a perpet- 
 ual motion. Her mother, who sat by her side,' bieciame alarmed 
 and started with her for the door. The house was crowded, and it 
 '' was difficult to get through the crowd. The old lady cried out : 
 "Let us out of here before we are all dead." An old gentle- 
 man, standing by the door, cried: "Let the old lady out; she 
 has been disturbing the meeting all the evening." The oppo- 
 sition arose to a great height. Two men, Warren and Vielie, 
 undertook to oppose our work publicly. Warren followed hard 
 after Bro. Dimmic'k with his glittering sword of controversy, 
 . while I was exposed to the fire of Vielie's batteries. Mr. War- 
 ren soon withdrew, but Mr. Vielie declared he would continue his 
 opposition until June, and this was in December. Perhaps- a 
 brief outline of our reply to his points will be of interest to the 
 reader: 
 
 Our brother thinks he has the truth because he preaches the 
 Gospel as the great men understand it. In searching for truth 
 we ought not to inquire what do great men say, but what does 
 the Great God say. Great men say Sunday is the Sabbath. 
 The Great God says the Seventh Day is the Sabbath. Whom 
 shall we believe and whom shall we obey? 
 
 Paul says : ' 'For you see your calling, brethren ; not many 
 noble are called; but God has chosen the foolish things of the 
 world to confound the wise, and God has chosen the weak 
 things of the world to confound the mighty." Our brother 
 claim's a place among the mighty. 
 
 You see, brother, according to Paul, you have located your- 
 
40 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 self in the wrong place. We invite you over onto the Lord's 
 side. 
 
 Our bro;^r thinks he must be right because so many, such 
 a great multitude, believe as he does, and so few believe as we 
 do. He exclaims: "We are more than a hundred to one." 
 Our brother goes with the great multitude. According to that 
 where would he have been in Noah's day? He would have 
 been with the great multitude who were drowned, and not with 
 the few that were saved in the ark. He would have said: "Too 
 few, altogether too few for me to go with them." Where would 
 you have been in the days of Elijah, when he was opposed by 
 the King and Queen and the nobility of Israel? When 400 
 prophets of Baal and 450 prophets of the groves stood up 
 against him? Would you, on that memorable occasion, have 
 stood by the lone prophet of ,God to encourage him in the fear- 
 ful battle against the hosts of wickedness, or would you have 
 joined the opposing multitudes, saying: "The great majority 
 must be right. ' ' Would you have stood by the side of the suffering 
 Son of Grod in His day, or would you have joined the chief priests 
 and multitudes in the cry : "Away with himi Crucify Him! He 
 is hot fit to live?" Brother, we should stand for Christ and His 
 truth if all the world should oppose. The Adventists are 
 wrong when they say the great river Euphrates symbolizes the 
 Turkish empire, through which it flows ; but it does symbolize 
 ■ the church of Grod. We think Bro. Vielie is mistaken. Be- 
 cause ' 'the sixth angel pours out his vial of "wrath on the great 
 river Euphrates, and it is dried up." — Eev. 16.12. If Bro. 
 Vielie, is right, the vial of wrath is poured out upon the church 
 and it is dried up or comes to an end. 
 
 IP BRO. VIELIE 
 
 is a part of the church and the wrath of God falls upon the 
 church, then the wrath of God will fall upon Bro. Vielie. 
 Again, if the wrath of God falls upon the church, and it is in 
 consequence dried up, and Bro. Vielie is a part of the church, 
 he wiP be dried up with the rest of it and there will be no Bro. 
 Vielie anymore. 
 
 Bro. Vielie says we are right when we say the fourth beast 
 of Dan. vii. represents Rome, but entirely wrong as to the fire 
 that consumes him. The fire that consumes him, he affirms, 
 is. the gospel. Let us see : In Rev. xix. , 20, we find the beast 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 41 
 
 was cast into a IrfBe burning with fire and brimstone. Is it 
 possible we are to understand that the beast was cast into the 
 lake of the gospel? Our brother proclaims to ns a queer gos- 
 pel, truly. If the fire is gospel, the brimstone is gospel too. 
 Thus we have a fire arid brimstone gospel. Yet he says he 
 preaches the gospel as the great men understand it. This 
 may be so, brother ; but you are the first man we ever heard 
 preach a gospel composed of fire and brimstone. Once more : 
 He says the Adventists have all learned the sameD story. If 
 you hear an Adventist preach in Maine, and another preach in 
 Minnesota, the one in Minnesota will preach just like the,, one 
 in Maine, and if you hear a third preach in California, he will 
 preach just like the other two. Yes, we plead guilty to the 
 charge. We have all learned our story from the good old 
 Bible, and we have all learned it alike. We are told to come 
 out of Babylon (confusion). Rev. xviii., 4. . We are taught 
 that we should come into the unity of the faith ; which we do. 
 Eph. iv., 13. ' ' 
 
 The Savior prayed that His people might be one, John xvii. , 
 11, and Paul exhorts us as follows in 1 Cor. i. , 10; "Now I 
 beseech you brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divis- 
 ions among j'ou; but that ye be perfectly joined together in 
 the same mind and in the same judgment." Yes, my brother, 
 I am glad that amid all the jarring, warring, conflicting theo- 
 ries and doctrines of men there is a people who see the light 
 of truth so clearly they all, from Maine to California, in fact 
 . throughout the world, speak the same thing and are united in 
 the faith, and I rejoice greatly that I belong to that people. 
 ■Won't you come, brother, out of the labyrinths of the dark- 
 ness and confusion of Babylon and stand with us upon the 
 glorious platform of truth, against which all the waves of op- 
 position beat in vain? 
 
 That was the last of Bro. Vielie's public opposition. Even, 
 our enemies were forced to smile at bis outlandish interpreta- 
 tions of scripture. As a result of our meetings about forty 
 embraced the truth, and the next spring a church edifice was 
 built, the second Seventh Day Adventist church building in 
 Minnesota. It was gratifying to see the love that reigned in 
 the company of believers. They rejoiced greatly in the light 
 and blessing they had received. I had now been absent three 
 
42 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 months and hearing ttiat nly little boy was sick, I started for 
 home. I traveled by railroad from Melrose to Mankato. The 
 rest of the way to Blue Earth City, about 45 miles, I went on 
 foot, catching a ride when I could. As I was riding into 
 Blue Earth City with a gentleman I saw my wife standing by 
 the way side, looking intently toward us. She said when she 
 heard the wagon rattle, before it came in sight, she felt im- 
 pressed that I was in it. It was a happy meeting. As we 
 neared the house my eldest little boy, about four yea,rs old, 
 came running to meet us as fast as his little Jegs could carry 
 him, crying, "My father, my father! " It seemed as if his 
 heart would fly out of his mouth. I know something got very 
 •large in my throat. In a few days I was holding meetings in 
 the village of' Delevan. There was quite a good interest dis- 
 played, but although the believers were encouraged and a 
 good impression was made on outsiders, none took a stand for 
 the commandments of Grod. One gentleman suddenly quit 
 attending the meetings. When asked why he did so, he said: 
 " If I continue to go to thcmeetings I must become an Ad- 
 - ventist, " which he did not wish to do, so he stayed, away. 
 Many others have done the same thing, which shows they love 
 darkness rather than light. 
 
 While holding meetings at Delevan one evening, a Bro. Call 
 and myself attended a protracted effort at Bass Lake, con- 
 ducted by the Methodists, I believe. . Iif the social meeting 
 we both took part. Bro. Call's remarks were very highly ap- 
 preciated. As I was standing on the platform after meeting, 
 waiting for Bro. Call to come out of the church, one of the 
 new converts asked me if I were the Adventist minister who 
 was holding meetings in Delevan. I replied in the affirmative, 
 whereupon he shook his fist in my face and called me an imp 
 of the devil and ordered me to leave and not come again. I 
 spd to him : ' ' This is a strange way to do. Even if I am a 
 bad man, you ought to be glad to have me attend meeting, 
 so long as I behave myself properly, for by so doing I may 
 receive good anjl so become good." He became still more ex- 
 cited and said ; ' ' You are an imp of the devil and are not 
 wanted here." At this juncture an elderly man took him by 
 the arm and led him away. As this man passed us in a sleigh 
 he struck at me with his whip but did not quite reach me. 
 Thus early in my ministry I was beginning to receive a few 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 43 
 
 drops of the wrath of the dragon. Rev. xii., 17. In the 
 spring of 1874 I removed' to G-rove Lake, Pope county, Minn. 
 The brethren assisted me to build a little house near the 
 church. 
 
 THAT SUMMER 
 
 ' I taught school and worked in harvest, holding meetings Sab^ 
 baths and Sundays at Grove Lake g,nd West Union. The ddn- 
 ference allowed me $4 per week for what time 1 was actually 
 in the field. Four dollars at that time were about equal to $2 
 now, because everything was so much dearer then than now. 
 I was glad and happy and made up the deficiency by teach- 
 ing school and working in harvest, thankful for the 
 privilege of working for God, having respect unto the recom- 
 pense of reward to be given the faithful toilers when Jesus 
 comes. One Sunday David Emmerson urged me to go with 
 Mm to the Raymond school house and hear a discourse on the 
 immortality of the soul. He said the minister had invited our 
 people to come, and would give opportunity for remarks. The 
 minister informed us that the souls of our departed friends axe 
 in heaven, and although they were not permitted to return to 
 ns, yet they were reaching over the battlements of heaven, 
 .beckoning us to come to them. Liberty was given to make 
 remarks, which opportunity I improved by reading passages of 
 scripture treating upon the state of the dead. When I read 
 where Peter on the day of Pentecost said, "David- is not 
 ascended into the heavens," Acts ii, 43, one man said he 
 did not believe it, if the Bible did say so, and there was a regular 
 stampede for the door. At this crisis our old Universalist 
 friend cried out, "The wicked flee when no man pursues, but 
 the righteous are bold as a lion." The effect was magical. 
 For a moment every one stood in his tracks irresolute 
 whether to take to his heels or return to his seat. They finally 
 went out, leaving Bro. Emmerson and myself, with two or 
 three others sole occupants of the house. I went home think- 
 ing I had not accomplished much good, and have never tried to 
 do good in that way again. 
 
 A REMARKABLE CASE 
 
 of recognition. As I was working for Jared Emmerson, he re- 
 marked one day, "I don't care a groat. " His brother said: 
 •'What is a groat?" Mr. Emmerson replied: "A groat is a 
 
44 EXPEKIENCES OF A PlONEEE MINISTER. 
 
 fourpence; 1 used to go to school to a man by the name of 
 Groat, and the children used to say: 'Who cares for a Groat? 
 A groat is nothing but a fourpence.' " I said: "I used to go. 
 to a teacher by that name, and the children used to say the . 
 same to him." "Well, this man's name was Ebenezer Groat." 
 "The teacher I went to was called Ebenezer Groat." "This 
 man taught at No. 4 Hill, Canada." "That is just where I 
 *ent to school to, him," and so it turned out we were old school 
 mates, and had been acquainted again for months without the 
 least thought that we had ever seen each other before. In 
 September Bro. Grant came to Grove Lake for me to go to 
 Kingston, Meeker county, to hold tent meetings. I only had 
 a day or two in which to get ready. My little wife worked 
 day and night almost to put my clothes in order. Bro. Grant 
 took me in his buggy to Litchfield, where I took the train for 
 Dassel. Prom there I walked to Kingston, a distance of nine 
 miles. There was not a friend to greet me in the town; I 
 went to the hotel and it cost me one dollar the first night. Bro. 
 Phelps, who was to labor with me, did not come, and I deter- 
 mined to hold meetings in the schoolhouse instead of the tent. 
 I published nay meetings far and wide, but only a few attended. 
 Religion^ was at a very low ebb in that town. I often went 
 into the grove and prayed God to help] me and He did. The 
 interest increased, and seven adults decided to walk in the light, 
 among v^hom was Sister Hall, wife of the leading merchant in 
 the place. I was invited to their house and was very kindly 
 entertained, much more sumptuously than I had been accus- 
 tomed to among the frontier people. 
 
 After doing what I could to lead the people in Kingston to 
 embrace the truth, I immediately began meetings in East 
 Kingston, a few miles in the timber. We had a peculiar expe- 
 rience there. 
 
 One night I preached on the "Mark of the Beast," Rev. 14, 
 9-12. The power of God was present, and a deep solemnity 
 rested upon all, and nearly every one in the house arose to sig- 
 nify their determination to keep the commandments of God. 
 Some who had no intention of doing so were compelled to by 
 the power that was in the meeting. They were amazed the 
 next morning at what they had done, and soon turned away 
 from the truth. How will such stand before the God of triith 
 in the great day? A goodly number continued with us which, 
 
. Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 45 
 
 -with the company at Kingston, made about thirty believers. I 
 
 - held Sabbath school and meeting at Kingston in the forenoon, 
 and the same in the timber in the afternoon. Sister Hall 
 would come down stairs arrayed in her fine clothing,, get into a 
 
 ■ lumber wagon and ride over corduroy bridges, and the roughest 
 roads imaginable to help us in East Kingston. Those were 
 
 • days of zeal for the cause of God. The time came that I must 
 go home. As I bade Sister Hall farewell, she asked me: "Is 
 it wrong to dance?" I said I thought it was not the best thing 
 for Christians to engage in. She then asked me, ' 'Is it right 
 to play at cards?" I had heard that her former pastor thought- 
 Christians might indulge in such amusements. It occurred to 
 
 •me: "If I say it is wrong, she will think we are altogether too 
 strict and be discouraged. " But I must tell the truth, let the 
 consequences be what they may, and I did so, and with a prayer 
 
 ■ in my heart for her I started for home, about sixty miles dis- 
 tant. 
 
 1 got to Manannah the best I could. From there a stage ran 
 : to Paynesville, which consisted of a buggy and one horse, with 
 a young lady for a driver. We got along all right until within 
 a few miles of Paynesville when, as we were going down hill, 
 -the buggy came apart and pitched us headforemost on the 
 ground. We got up, turned the buggy out of the road, loaded 
 the horse with buffalo robes, mail sack and whatever would stay 
 on his back; and the rest, 'such as valises and parcels, we 
 loaded ourselves with, and started fortown. A comical looking 
 trio — the horse, maiden and myself. Still the weary miles 
 
 ■ stretched away that must be traveled before home, sweet home 
 is reached. The monotony of travel was enlivened . by the 
 fierce onslaught of three great dogs, one of which seized me by 
 my new pants, tearing a great rent in the same. I threw a 
 •stick at the brute but missed him. Then I thought to give the 
 
 ' owner a piece of my mind as to the propriety of keeping such 
 
 a pack of hounds to attack travelers on the highway, but he 
 cut my remarks short by saying, ' 'Me no understand English!" 
 I then indignantly pointed to the dogs and the rent in my new 
 
 - pants, and then went on my way, having gained all the satis- 
 
 • faction possible under the circumstances. I reached home 
 after dark on Nov. 4. I found my Wife assembled with the people 
 ■at the church engaged in holding prayer meeting. They were all 
 glad to see me, and I was glad to be able to report the good 
 
46 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 blessing of God with me in leading precious souls out of dark- 
 ness into light. I was home but a short time when I received 
 a letter from Sister Hall, requesting me to return to Kingston. 
 She said she never was so happy in all her life. Her heart re- 
 joiced day and night. She thought if I would hold some more 
 meetings in Kingston her husband would go with us. I laid 
 the matter before the brethren, and they all said I should re- 
 turn, which I did. I remained about six weeks. Brethren 
 Ells and Dimmick joined me in the work. At my farewell 
 meeting, Bro. Hall took his stand publicly to obey God. I 
 was so happy that night I could not sleep. It seemed as if I 
 had a foretaste of heaven. "He that goeth forth and weepeth 
 bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again with rejoic- 
 ing, bringing Ms sheaves with him. " What a happy day when 
 all God's faithful workmen meet in heaven I Reader, • will you 
 be one of them? The weather was bitter cold and I must over 
 the prairies for home -again. I suffered severely with the cold 
 and arrived at home sick. In January, 1876, I began teach- 
 ing school at Grove Lake again, and had the pleasure of home 
 joys the rest of the winter. 
 
 Bro. A. Greenman was acquainted with a Mr. Shaw who lived 
 about thirty miles away, in the Big Woods, near Round Prairie. 
 After he embraced the truth, he and his wife went to see Mr. 
 Shaw and his family. They found him an ardent Methodist. 
 Messrs. Shaw and Greenman were both excitable, and possessed 
 all the fervor of new converts to their respective faiths. With- 
 out doubt, at times their visit waxed warm, as they each tried 
 to lead the other from fhe error of his ways. As Bro. Green- 
 man left, he gave his friend some tracts treating upon the Sab- 
 bath question. It was not long before Bro. Greenman received 
 a letter from Mr. Shaw, requesting that a minister come and 
 hold meetings in his neighborhood. The next Sabbath, Bro. 
 Greenman was all aglow with interest. He showed his letter 
 to the brethren, and nothing would do but for me to give up 
 my school and go. I did so, and one Sunday in April we drove 
 to Mr. Shaw's. As we neared his place I inquired the way of 
 a Mr. Brailey. He very kindly directed us. As we passed on 
 he said to his wife : ' 'I know that is Shaw's preacher he is look- 
 ing for, and I don't believe he is much of a preacher either." 
 We found Bro. Shaw keeping the Sabbath, and very enthusiastic. 
 He said after he became convinced, by reading the tracts, that 
 
Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 47 
 
 the 7th day is the Sabbath, he filled his pockets with 
 them and went- from house to house, leaving tracts at 
 every place, talking his new found faith all the while, and 
 soon the whole neighborhood was in a commotion on the 
 Sabbath question. The ministers soon found it out, and two 
 went to visit him one day. As they passed Mr. Bellingham's 
 house, he asked them where they were going. ' ' Oh, we are 
 going to get this Advent doctrine out of Shaw's head." Bro. 
 Shaw, by the aid of a little tract entitled, "An Examination 
 of Seven Reasons for Sunday Keeping," was enabled so com- 
 pletely to answer every argument in favor of Sunday sacred- 
 ness that they acknowledged they were not posted on the sub- 
 ject. In the evening, as they passed Mr. Bellingham's on 
 their return, he asked them: "Did you get that Advent doc- 
 trine out of Shaw's head?" They answered: "No. When a 
 man gets this Advent doctrine into his head it is very hard to 
 get it out again," Amen! Truth is mighty and will prevail. 
 I began meetings immediately. The interest was good from 
 the beginning. It was breaking up in the spring and the 
 roa.ds were wretched and the evenings dark. In places the 
 people had to cross ponds of water on fallen logs, yet men, 
 women and children came. They brought bundles m birch 
 bark, which they lighted at the schoolhouse door, and started 
 for home-. It was a beautiful sight to see the torches flaming 
 in the darkness. Bro, Lyman Decker assisted me in opening 
 meetings and visiting among the people. 
 
 We sought the Lord earnestly and prayed often and much, 
 and visited constantly. If we found a man splitting rails or 
 doing any other kind of work, we took right hold and helped 
 him, and visited and worked both at thfe same time. The 
 Lord especially blessed and in about ten days 20 precious 
 souls had decided to forsake the traditions of men for the 
 commandments Of God. The class leader, Bro. Pease, arose 
 in the meeting one evening, the tears streaming down his 
 cheeks, and said: "Brethren, I am compelled to keep the 
 Sabbath against my will. The Lord says, ' Go out and com- 
 pel them to come in. '" Lukexiv. , 23. There is a mighty 
 compelling power in the truth of God. There were a few of 
 the class who did not come with us. We all attended their 
 class meeting one SundSiy. It was a remarkable meeting, 
 truly. Our brethren came rejoicing in their new found light 
 
48 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 and liberty. Our Methodist friends came full of arguments 
 for Sunday keeping. They ilLran in the same line of no law; 
 hence no seventh day Sabbatj^. As one man was eloquently ex- 
 plaining his views, suddenly J^iece of rope fell at his feet. 
 Why it should be thrown a* mm I did not know until it was 
 explained to me that a short time previously he had whipped 
 his wife with a i-ope, hence the piece of rope was very suggest- 
 ive to him. Undoubtedly he was the proper man to teach the 
 abolition of the Divine precepts. The carnal mind is enmity 
 against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither in- 
 deed, can be: Kom. vii:7. Bearhead was a little hamlet a few 
 miles distant, and Burnhamvrlle was another a little farther on. . 
 I lost no time in entering these places. 
 
 One evening as we were assembling for meeting at the Bear- 
 head schoolhouse, a tall backwoodsman entered and said, "I 
 heard there was a preaoheggfcere that knows the Bible all by 
 heart; I would like to^ se^^im. " With holding - meetings at 
 Greenwood,. Bephead and Burnhamville, my time was fully 
 occupied. 1 preached repentance toward God and faith towar^ 
 our Lord, Jesus Christ, with all my might. I emphasized the 
 . fourtk commandment, because that is the one Christians igno- 
 rantly transgress. One lady, Mrs. Balmer, of Burnhamville, 
 said to me one day, ' 'No one can keep the ten commandments ; 
 it is impossible." I asked her, "Sister Balmer, how many 
 of these commandments can we bfeak, and go to heaven? Can 
 we break the first one, ' Thou shalt have no other gods before 
 me,' and go to heaven?" "No." "Can we bow doWn to 
 graven images and go to heaven? " "No." " Can we take God's 
 name in vain, and|>flnd an entrance through the gates into the 
 City?" "No." "We will skip the fourth at present and try 
 the fifth, ' Honor thy father and thy mother, ' can we dishonor 
 father and mother and please the Lord?" "No." And so 
 we went over, "Thou shalt not kill;" "Thou shalt not commit 
 adultery ;" " Thou shalt not steal ;" " Thou shalt not bear false 
 witness;" "Thou shalt not covet." She agreed that we must 
 keep all those or be lost. "What about the fourth com- 
 mand, sister? Do you think we can knowingly and willfully 
 profane God's holy Sabbath and be guiltless? What saith the 
 scripture? 'Whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet 
 offend in one point is guilty of all.' James ii, 10." As I 
 was holding meeting at Bearhead a professor of religion said 
 
Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 49 
 
 to me, ' ' Bro. Hill, I know what you preach is the truth. You 
 have proved plainly by the BilUi^at the seventh day is the 
 Sabbath; but 1 cannot keep it^jfr' Why not." "Weil, this 
 coming fall I have opportunity ^vrork on a threshing ma- 
 chine with my team, and if I keej^me Sabbath it will throw 
 me out.of a job. " He was poor timber to make a martyr out 
 of. How would such a man feel in the presence of the noble 
 men and women who counted not their lives dear unto them- 
 selves so that they might win Christ and heaven? ' Acts .xx, 
 24; xxi, 13. I fear such will never join in the overcomer's 
 triumphant song. Christ and His truth on one side and a job 
 .of threshing on the other, and he chose the job. That is 
 about the way Christ is valued in this world. Judas sold his 
 Master. for 30 pieces, and the Jews preferred a murderer to the 
 Son of G-od. So it is to-day. Thousands of popular profes- 
 sors, when it comes to choosing b^lween Christ and His un- 
 popular truth and the world, choose the'Sg^d every time. The 
 Sabbath is a great test by which to develo^ther^rue character 
 of all such. After laboring six weeks 1 once inore started for 
 home. Brethren Shaw and Carpenter took me in a wagon 
 some distance beyond Sauk Centre. 
 
 Near the latter place we fell in with a train of emigrants 
 encamped in the edge of a grove. They werefrom Iowa. 
 Religion was the theme of conversation. One gentleman was 
 chief speaker of the party. He did not relish the law very 
 well and claimed there was no law from Adam to Moses. We 
 showed him, if that were so, then there was no sin from Adam 
 to Moses, for sin is th« transgression of the law, 1 John iii; 4, 
 and where no law is there is no transgression or sin. Rom. 
 iii, 15. He yieldetl that point and began askijig questions. 
 "If you believe the Bible why don't j'ou greet one another 
 with a holy kiss?" "We do.' "The Bible says you should 
 wash one another's feet. John xiil, 14-15. Do j'ou do 
 that." "Yes sir, wedo. " "Once more, the Bible tells you 
 to heal the sick. Mark xvi, 18. James v, 14-15. Do }'oii 
 do that?" "Yes sir, we pray for the sick and they recover. ' 
 Then he cried triumphantly, "I am sick, heal me," at which 
 the whole crowd set up a shout. We said, "Do not be in a 
 hurry to laugh and shout; wait a bit till we get through. Now 
 sir, the apostles did not heal everybody" in their day. Paul 
 wrote, ' Trophimus have I left- at Miletum sick.' 2 Tim. iv, 
 
50 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 20. Why didn't tie heal him. " "I do not know. Perhaps 
 he was not in the proper condition spiritually to be healed." 
 " I think that is the case with you. " "-Why so?" "Because 
 you swear." "How do you know?" "I heard you a few 
 minutes ago. A man who takes God's name in vain is not' a 
 fit subject for His healing power." He appeared quite. hiimble 
 after that, and wanted to know more of our people. We 
 -gladly gave him a lot of tracts which he promised to read, and 
 wewent on our way hoping his eyes might be opened tO see 
 the truth. After leaving Brethren Shaw and Carpenter I 
 walked home across the prairie a few miles. I found the wife 
 and little ones well, for which I was thankful to God. As I 
 looked over the past six weeks of labor I was happy. God 
 had been very good to me. He had enabled me to kindle a 
 light in dark places and cause a goodly number to rejoice in 
 hope of eternal life. Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget 
 not all His benefits. It was now nearly time for our yearly 
 camp meeting to be held at Eagle Lake, Blue Earth county, 
 about 150 miles awaj'. We started from Gmve Lake with 
 four covered wagons. We passed through Paynesville. Green- 
 leaf, Litchfield, Hutchinson, New Auburn, St. Peter and Ka- 
 sota on our way. As we jolirneyed our train increased con- 
 tinually, until we became a large company. As we neared 
 New Aul)urn we entered the grasshopper region. 
 
 The hoppers were by the countless millions. The country 
 before them was smiling with growing crops: behind them was 
 desolation. Some fields of grain were eaten as clean as 
 though aiothing had grown there at all. The people were out 
 with cotton sacks attached to hoops, trying to catch the pests. 
 Although they caught millions it did not seem to lessen the 
 myriads of hoppers to any perceptible extent. 
 
 THE I'ESTIVE HOPPER 
 
 has given this part of Minnesota a wide berth for many years. 
 \\\' had an excellent camp meeting. It was there I saw Bro. 
 anil Sister White for the first time ; the two most prominent 
 pioneers^ in the Third Angel's Message. Their laliors were 
 \ery liighly appreciated by us. I was ordained at that camp 
 meeting to the work of the gospel ministry by the laying on 
 of hands by Elders White and Smith. Brethren Dimmick 
 and Ells were ordained at the same time. We felt to renew 
 
Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 51 
 
 onr consecration to the work of God. Although the harvest 
 was great and the laborers few, the sound of the Messagewas 
 carried to all parts of the state, and believers and churches 
 were multiplied. The few workers shrank from no toil or 
 hardship in order to carry the glad tidings everywhere, that 
 the return of our absent Lord is at the door. 
 
 AFTER CAMP MEETING, 
 
 Bro. Ferdinand JVIorse and myself pitched our tent on Hound 
 Prairie, ftear Greenwood, where I had labored the previous 
 spring. ^ There was no village near, j'et the tent was often 
 filled to overflowing. The people had heard that Old Hill, 
 who had held meetings in Greenwood, had pitched his tent on 
 the Prairie, and they were curious to see and hear him. They 
 expected to see an old man, all wrinkled and gray. They 
 could scarcely believe the young man of 32, with hair as black 
 as a raven's wing, was the Old Hill they had heard so much 
 about. Thej' came expecting to see the tent walls hung with 
 pictures of ferocious beasts, and to hear the most outlandish 
 discourse on the day of doom and crash of worlds. They 
 were surprised to find everything different to what thej' ex- 
 pected to see and hear. After the first meeting Mr. Brower 
 was asked by the M. E. class leader what he thought of it. 
 He replied, --Mr. Krauss, I think it was the best sermon T 
 ever heard in my life." A good mans' people who had never 
 taken any interest iu religion before became very much inter- 
 ested iu our meetings, which some religionists no sooner found 
 out than they tried to destroy their new-born interest, ^ome 
 said tome: -'As long as we were wicked and swore and did 
 manv other sinful things these people took no special interest 
 in us. XiM-er one spoke to us about our soul's salvation ; but 
 as soon as we turn to the Lord and strive to do right they try 
 to discourage us all they can. Thej' would rather that we 
 were sinners without God. and without hope, than to be rejoic- 
 ing in the Present Truth."' 
 
 Two ministei-s called on Bro. Brower one day to turn him 
 away from the faith. They said to him: "No one can under- 
 stand the pi-ophecies. In fact, they are not to beundei-stood. " 
 "That is strange indeed, for if they cannot be undei-stood 
 they can be of no possible use to us. It is passing strange 
 that God should give us prophecies that are of no use to any- 
 Iwdy. But don't you think tiie prophecies of Daniel can be 
 
52 Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 understood?" "No, nobody can tell what those symbols 
 mean." "Don't you think we can tell what the ram and 
 rough^oat of Dan. viii mean? ' "No sir, we do not. " "Well, 
 let us read what the angel says they mean : ' The ram which 
 thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and 
 Persia and the rough goat is the king of" G-recia. ' Dan. viii, 
 20-21. Is not that plain enough? Indeed too plain to be 
 misunderstood?" It is needless to say th^ir visit was not 
 prolonged. Such encounters only strengthened the brethren 
 in the faith. 
 
 A Mr. Johnson was very much .opposed to our ^iews and 
 had unlimited confidence in the ability of his wife to over- 
 throw our doctrine. He said: "Just let those ministers come 
 and see my Anna, and she will show them where they are 
 wrong." Of course we went. We found Mrs. Johnson an 
 intelligent ladj', and succeeded eventually in explaining satis- 
 factorily her objections to our teaching, and she soon declared 
 in favor of the truth. Her husband was greatly chagrined at. 
 the unexpected turn affairs had taken, but he, too, soon sur- 
 rendered to the claims of God's word, and I had the pleasure 
 of baptizing them both in one of Minnesota's lovely lakes. 
 He lived a few years an exemplary Christian life, and died in 
 the blessed hope. Mrs. Johnson became a successful minis- 
 ter of the gospel, crowded houses listening to the eloquent 
 words that fell from her lips. An attempt was made by an 
 Eld. Fuller to overthrow our work, while I was thirty miles 
 away, working in hatvest to earn monej* to keep the wolf from 
 the door. We heard of his appointment and felt that we 
 must be there to look after the few sheep in the wilderness. 
 After sundown Saturday evening we went as far as Bro. Moul- 
 ton's. Sunday morning, before daylight, we were on our way 
 again. Our buggy broke down and we had a great job to rig 
 it up again. Notwithstanding all obstacles we arrived on 
 time. The eider said that Sunday is the true seventh day, 
 which he claimed to prove by counting the age of the world 
 to a daj', not making a mistake of a single daj'. He said he 
 had studied the subject for more than twenty years, and had 
 read books enough to make a pile that would reach from the 
 floor to the ceiling. 
 
 To demonstrate his ability to count the age of the world to 
 a day and not make a mistake, he called, upon anyone in the 
 
Experiences ov a Pioneer Minister. 53 
 
 audience to give him the year and day of the month on which 
 one of their children was born, and he would tell them the day 
 of the week. I gave him the year and day of the month 
 up'on which our Freddy was born. He ciphered awhile on the 
 blackboard and came out wrong. A- G-erman lady next gave 
 him the require^ figures. He ciphered away awhile again and 
 said, "Your child; madam, was born on Tuesday. " Much to 
 the amusement of the audience and the discomfiture of the 
 clerical accountant^she cried out, ' ' You hafe maidt von mish- 
 take, for he vas porn on Suntay, " We showed in reply that 
 if we followed him we would have to forsake the Bible as our 
 rule of faith and practice and take his word instead, as we 
 were utterly unable to perform such a wonderful arithmetical 
 problem as to count the age of t|ie world to a day and not 
 make a mistake. We would be forced to depend entirely up- 
 on the correctness of his count and, from the exhibition he had 
 given during the day of his ability to reckon, we were certain 
 he was far from being infallible, and if he was mistaken in a 
 single day the whole .thing was a miserable failure. Who 
 would like to risk his salvation upon such a slender thread? 
 Not we. By his count he finds God did not give the Israel- 
 ites His Sabbath, but a Jewish ceremonial Sabbath instead, 
 which contradicts the word of God. ' 'And madest known unto 
 them THY HOLY Sabbath. " Neh. ix, 14. Here we learn that 
 it was God's holy Sabbath that was made known to Israel, and 
 not a Jewish ceremonial Sabbath, as taught bj' Elder Fuller's 
 figures. He must rectify his count to bring him in harmony 
 with the word of God. Again God said to the Israelites, 
 '<The seventh day is the Sabbath." Ex. xx, 10. Hence it 
 was the seventh day Sabbath God gave Israel, and not a sixth 
 day Sabbath, as taught by Elder Fuller. Surely the Lord 
 must be right, and ho must be wrong in his count. Once 
 more : The Bible calls the resurrection day the first day of the 
 week. ' ' Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the 
 week." Mark xvi, 9. The first day of the week was the 
 third day upon which Christ arose from the dead. Luke xxiv, 
 1-21. "Oh, no;" says Elder Fuller, "I have studied the 
 question for more than 20 years ; I have read a pile of books 
 that would reach from the floor to the ceiling; I have counted 
 the age of the world to a day and have discovered that the 
 resurrection day is the seventh, and not the first day of the 
 
54 ExPiSR.lENCES OF A PlONEEE MiNISTEK. 
 
 ■week, as stated by the inspired apostles. " ' ' Every one can see- 
 if we accept Bro. Fuller, we must repudiate the apostles. If , 
 we accept the apostles, we must repudiate Bro. Fuller. We 
 propose to stand by the inspired word of God and not by Bro. 
 Fuller's count. Come, Bro. Fuller, over onto the Lord's side 
 of this question, and then no more twenty/ years' hard study, 
 to sustain a weak cause. No more laborious counting. No 
 more reading such a huge pile of books to ascertain which 
 day is the Sabbath. All he will have to 'do is to take God 
 at His word. Open the blessed Bible and read : ' The sev- 
 enth day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God,' Ex. xx, 10, 
 and the work is done. '' 
 
 Some not of the faith were displeased with the reply, but 
 ou;- brethren were not only strengthened in the truth, but their 
 eyes fairly shone with deligKt. Truth never loses bj' being 
 contrasted with error. 
 
 A MISSIONARY TRIP. 
 
 In December Bro. Decker took Bro. Nelson and myself to 
 Lake Joanna, to see if there was a good opening in that vicin- 
 ity for a course of lectures. One Sunday we drove in the 
 face of the northwest wind and it was stinging cold. I was 
 blue with cold when we drove up to a Scandinavian hrother'.s, 
 with whom we were to remain over night. A good fire soon 
 warmed us up. Our cold ride had sharpened our appetites, 
 and as the good housewife was preparing supper I boasted 
 what ample justice I would do to the coming repast. The 
 supper consisted- almost entirely of a Scandinavian dish made 
 of potatoes and flour, entirely new to me. I took a lot of it 
 on my plate and attacked it as onlj- a hungry man could. 
 Imagine my surprise and- disappointment ; I could not eat the 
 mess at all. Do what I would I could not possibly swallow 
 the mixture. I would not have cared if I had not informed 
 them of my hunger and what great things I was going to do 
 at the supper table. The cold that night was intense. The ■ 
 house was a frail aflfair of one room and was not well calcu- 
 lated to retain the heat or keep out the cold. As soon as the 
 fire burned low it was as cold as Greenland. There was an 
 old mother dog with a lot of little ones in the house. When , 
 the fire would go down the pupp-es would "Ti, yi ! Ti, yi ! " 
 and our host would arise, pull some straw out of his bed tick, 
 and rekindle the fire, and all would go well for awhile until 
 
KXPEEIENCES OF A PlONEEE MINISTER. 55 
 
 "Ti, yi ! Ti, yi!' would go the puppies again, and: tlie kind- 
 hearted host would again arise and repeat the process of kin- 
 dling the Are, which he did several times during the long, cold 
 night. At last morning dawned, but oh ! how cold. A feeble 
 attempt at breakfast, and away over the broad prairies, over 
 the glistening, crackling snow for home. Miles away stretched 
 the pi"airie, without a house to be seen. We had not been on 
 our way long before brethren Decker and Nelson cried out, 
 '■Bro. Hill, j'Our cheek is white." Just then we discovered a 
 smoke curling up from a little house a mile or so awaj". AVe 
 drove for it as fast as we could, in the meanwhile rubbing my 
 face with snow. A little after noon we reached Bro. Xel.son's. 
 It is needless to say we did ample justice to Sister Nelson's 
 good dinner, glad and thankful we had escaped any serious 
 mishap. • When I arrived at home I found my brother John, 
 who liad come to teach the Grove Lake school that winter. 
 He boarded at our house, which was a source of much pleas- 
 ure to us. In January, 187t). Bro. William Emmerson and 
 myself went to Cannon City, a little namlet near the city of 
 Faribault. John Godfrey had secured the promise of the 
 Disciple church in which to hold meetings, and invited us to 
 come. When we got there they refused to let us have it. ilr. 
 ttodfrey asked, --Did you not say these men might have the 
 use of the church ? " ■ ■ Yes ; but we reconsidered tlje matter 
 and decided not to .do so." "And never said a word tome 
 about it ; and 1 have sent for these men and they have come 
 a, long distance at large expense ! Is that right ? " ■• Right 
 or wrong, we will not let them have the church anyvraj". " We 
 then went to Uncle John Hoovet to see if we could get the 
 Congregational church. He said we could have it for four 
 eveni^sbnt could not promise itjonger. -'Wh}- npt longer? 
 If 1 were a Baptist or Methodist minister would j'ou not grant 
 it me a longer time?'' He replied, -Yes. I would," and 
 then asked, "Where do you think the spirit goes to at death?"' 
 I said, '' ' Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was and 
 the spirit to God who gave it,' Ecc. xii, 7. That is what I 
 believe. " " The thinking, intelligent part of man -goes to God 
 at death ?" "I do not think so ; for if the intelligent, think- 
 ing part of Juan, i. e. , of all men, goes to God at death, then 
 all men will be saved. They must all be happy. ■ For at His 
 right hand- (in His presence) is fulness of joy and pleasures 
 
56 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister, 
 
 forevermore. ' Ps. xvi, 11." "The spirit returns to God as it 
 was." "Did the spirit know anything when it came from 
 God ? " "I think not." "Then it will know no more when 
 it returns to God than it did when God gave it." Uncle John 
 then said he thought the spirit did know something- when it came 
 from God. ' ' Do you believe your spirit had a conscious 
 existence before you were born?" "Yes, 1 believe so." 
 ' ' Please tell me some of your pre-existent history. It would 
 be intensely interesting. '■ Of course Uncle John was unable 
 to bring it to his recollection. The truth is, "God takes in 
 death what He gave man in creation, which was the breath of 
 life," Gen. 2, 7, which Job calls "the spirit of God which is 
 in my nostrils," Job xxvii, 3. 
 
 But let the case be as it would, he would not promise the 
 church longer, so we began meetings, thankful for small 
 favors. One day a gentleman asked me if I would occupy 
 the Disciple church if I should find it heated and lighted 
 forme. I said, "Yes, gladly." That very evening I found 
 it all ready for occupancy, and held meetings in it as long 
 as we desired to. One evening as I sat in the store look- 
 ing over some scriptures before meeting, a Spiritualist took 
 "■ occasion to make great sport of the Bible and of them who 
 believed it. He pitted the poor fellows who were harassed by 
 the devil and said, ' ' He never troubles me. He lets me 
 alone." I said_ to him, "Sir, j'ou remind me of a story 1 
 once read." Immediately he and all the company were all at- 
 tention to hear the stoiy . ' ' There were two friends. One 
 was often tempted of the dpvil. The other laughed at him 
 and said, ' I am happier than you, for the devil never troubles 
 me. He lets me alone. ' One day ae they were hunting ducks 
 the one wbo was never troubled by Satan fired into a flock of 
 ducks, killing two and wounding a third. He paid no atten- 
 tion to the dead ones, but pursued the wounded one as fast as 
 he could. When he returned his friend asked him, ' Why did 
 you leave the dead ducks and pursue the wounded one? ' 'Oh, 
 I was sure of the dead ones, but was afraid the wounded one 
 would get away. ' ' Exactly so. The devil is afraid he will 
 lose me and so he is after me ; but being sure of you he lets you 
 alone. ' So you see, my friend, you are a dead duck. The devil 
 is certain, sure, of you anyway, so he lets you entirely alone." 
 Amid shouts of laughter, I decided it was time for me to go 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 57 
 
 to church. ^^Dear reader, so long as you are careless in your 
 sins, the devil will not trouble you much, but if you renounce 
 his seryice and begin to serve Grod, you will experience his op- 
 posing power. But it is a good sign; it only shows he is 
 afraid of losing you. Be of good courage, -and go forward, 
 remembering He that is for us is greater than all they that are 
 against us. We had a good interest in our meetings at Can- 
 non City, but an urgent call came from Pierce county, Wis. , 
 and we left the work too soon. We went to Pierce county, 
 Wis., in February. We began meetings in Person's school- 
 house and boarded with Brother O'Hara, who, with his wife, 
 were the only Seventh Day Adventists in that neighborhood. 
 We had crowded houses. We visited far and near, and held 
 mBetings in different places ; and our hearts were cheered by 
 seeing a goodly number renounce the works of darkness to 
 serve the Lord and keep His commandments. While holding 
 meetings at Olivet, some roughs drove us out of the school- 
 house, after which the people furnished us a private building. 
 The rowdies followed us ' there, drank whiskey during the 
 meeting, and carried on like demons. We got an old justice 
 of the peace to come one evening to,preserve order. In the 
 midst of the disturbance, he suddenly took the stomach ache 
 and went home, and left us to the tender mercies of the 
 crowd. While I was speaking, Eld. D. P. Curtis stood by 
 my side, watching with eagle eye, expecting every moment 
 that the rufHans would make a rush for us. When I was 
 about half through he said, ' ' Bro. Hill, you had better quit. 
 Those fellows will raise the very old Satan himself if you 
 don't. " <■' That's what they want me to do, and I won't stop 
 until 1 get through." After meeting they jumped, danced 
 and yelled like wild savages ; then they went out and stood 
 around the deor, continued their whooping and yelling, and 
 said, ' ' Let them ministers come out here ! " but we went out, 
 and passed through the crowd, believing the Lord would pro- 
 tect us, and he did. Not a hand was laid upon us. 
 
 The next day we took out warrants for four of the ring- 
 leaders, one of whom ran away, two ^aid their fines, and one 
 went to jail, after which we had great peace in that neighbor- 
 hood. 1 was working very hard, preaching and visiting con- 
 tinually. I had not received a dollar from conference all win- 
 ter, and my boots got so bad I had wet feet continually, and 
 
58 EXPEEIENCES OP X PlONEER MINISTER. 
 
 I' took a very severe cold, and felt very miserable^ One day 
 I laid down on a bed in a room which served for bedroom, 
 parlor and kitchen. 1 soon fell asleep, during which several 
 ladies called on a visit. 1 awoke just in time to heaa- one of 
 them say, " He is like a singed cat ; he is better than he 
 looks." 
 
 I went one evening to hold meeting in a very new settle- 
 ment in the deep, dark woods. : 1 was told that a Spiritualist, 
 a Ms. Akers, would speak to the people after the sermon, as 
 he always did so. I spoke that evening on the seventh chap- 
 ter of Daniel. The Lord gave good freedom in speaking the 
 ■word. Although liberty was given for remarks,' no one re- 
 sponded. When the old gentleman was asked whj' he did not 
 speak as usual, he said, "He nailed me to my seat." There is 
 nothing like the clear light of prophecy to prove the Bible is 
 inspired of G-od, and to stop the mouths of • gainsaj-ers. At 
 the next camp meeting, which was held at Eagle Lake, Minn. , 
 we had the pleasure of presenting to the conference the names 
 of forty new converts to the faith. 
 
 Mrs. Hill and my three little boys joined me at Olivet. I 
 had not seen them for thirteen weeks. I was glad to meet 
 them after such a long separation. In April we went to Lew- 
 iston and made our home for awhile with Bro. Erb, who 
 received us very kindly. I began meetings in a school house 
 near the Dunkard church. The roads were very bad. The 
 frost was just coming out of the ground. We hitched two 
 span of horses onto the wagon, and yet we got mired on our 
 way from meeting. The interest was so great that the people 
 requested us to hold meetings in the day time, while the roads 
 were so bad. Two ministers, Mr. and Mrs. Ramer, attended 
 my meetings and opposed. After the sermon they wouW find 
 all the fault they could, and ask questions to confuse me, if 
 possible. They also visited the interested ones, and tried to 
 turn them away from the faith. They said, " Eld. Hill has a 
 good memory, and can repeat scripture, but he don't know 
 how to apply correctly. If we only had opportunity to preach, 
 we would soon overthrow this doctrine." The people told 
 them they should have the opportunitJ^'' So they were given- 
 the use of the Dunkard church. Mrs. Ramer spoke on the 
 Sabbath question the next Sunday. She was a good speaker, 
 and did as well for Sunday as any one I ever hearcl. She 
 
Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 59 
 
 made a strong impression on many minds. I replied in the 
 church in the evening. The large church was filled. " 1 never 
 had better freedom in maintaining the Lord's precious truth. 
 After the discourse, Eld. llamer said, "You did well for a 
 law .minister," implying I did not preach the gospel, which 
 nothing could be farther from the truth. The_v held that 
 Christ abolished His Father's law, and gave us a more spiritual 
 one, 'requiring far more o'f us than the old. I replied, "Let 
 us first reach the standard of the old, before we aspire to 
 something higher. For instance, take the command, 'Thou 
 shalt not covet, ' which means, thou shalt not be selfish, for it is 
 impossible so long as a particle of Selfishness remains in a man's 
 nature, for him to fully keep that precept. 1 am afraid even 
 our sister has not reached such a high standard yet. It is 
 quite probable that all selfishness is not yet eradicated from 
 hel- nature. -That command gives her large room to grovr in 
 grace before she reaches tlw limit of its requirement. '' 
 
 That evening the old gentleman was furious. He said, 
 "You must not say my wife is covetous, or I will show you, 
 law." I replied, " Bro. Ramer, are you not just a little bit 
 covetous yourself?'' He seemed bewildered for a moment, 
 and then said, "No; [ am not.'" ' "Well, Elder, all I hav^ 
 to say is, you have a better opinion of j'ourself than j'our 
 neighbors have of you." I had learned he was so selfish that 
 even his own family had trouble with him in money matters. 
 
 THEY HAB GREAT DIFFICULTY 
 
 in traducing the Law of God. David said, "I will run in 
 the way of thy commandments' when thou shalt enlarge mj' 
 heart." Ps. cxix, 32. You see it takes an enlarged heart to 
 keep the commandments of God, yet our friends tell us the' 
 law did not reach the heart at all. Again, David prays, "Give 
 me understanding and 1 shall keep thy law ; j'ea, I shall ob- 
 serve it with my whole heart." Ps. cxix, 34. We see from 
 this that it takes an understanding heart to keep God's law. 
 He says still farther, ' ' Yea, 1 shall observe it with my whole 
 heart." If our friends had lived in David's day they must 
 needs have corrected' him. They would have said to him, 
 '.' You need not praj^or understanding to keep God's law with 
 the whole heart ; ^fw it does not now reach the heart at all. 
 We must wait until the new dispensation before the law of 
 
&0 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 God will require heart service. " They would consider David 
 was altogether too previous. 
 
 David prayed again, ' ' Open thou mine eyes, that I may be- 
 hold wondrous things out of thy law. " Ps. cxix, 18. After 
 his eyes were opened he said, ' ' I have seen an end of all per- 
 fection ; but thy commandment is exceeding broad. " Ps., 
 cxix, 9G. What a contrast ! Our friends tell us that the law 
 was exceeding narrow ; so exceedingly narrow that it referred 
 to outward actions only. Perhaps the reason of this great 
 difference is that God opened David's eyes to behold wondrous 
 things out of His law, while our friends are in total blindness 
 in regard to it. David did not say that God's law will be per- 
 fect at some future time, but, "The law of the Lord is per- 
 fect, converting the soul." Ps., xix, 7. Our friends have 
 plainly and pointedly contradicted David by saying that the 
 law was defective, and was not perfect until made so by Christ^ 
 If we hold to David or the spirit of Christ that was in him, 
 1 Pet.-, i, 10-11, we must reject the teaching of Bro. and Sis- 
 ter Kamer. " To pariy the force of this they said, "The mar- 
 gin of Ps., xix, 7, reads ' doctrine, ' instead of 'law;' hence 
 it is the doctrine of the Lord that is perfect; and not the law." 
 "Very well, we will now inquire, what is good doctrine? 
 ' Hear ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to 
 know understanding, for I give you good doctrine. " What is 
 that good doctrine? 'Forsake ye not my law,' Prov. , iv, 1-2. 
 Yes, my friends, the good doctrine is, ' Forsake ye not my 
 law. ' That is the doctrine I am preaching to you, the best I 
 know how ; but if ' forsake not the law ' is good doctrine, 
 what kind of doctrine are our friends teaching when they be- 
 little the law, and not only teach the people to forsake it, but 
 to look upon it as a yoke of bondage too grievous to be borne? 
 We must all agree, if it is good doctrine to keep the law, it is 
 bad, very bad doctrine to teach people to forsake it. Come, 
 friends, over to the good doctrine of obedience to the law of 
 God. " 
 
 One evening, I tried to show that if we sin we have an ad- 
 vocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, 1 John, ii, 
 1 . We need an advocate with the Father, because we have 
 transgressed the Father's law ; but if Christ abolished the 
 Father's law and gave us one of His own, who then is our ad- 
 vocate ? Perhaps the Virgin or all the saints. To obviate 
 
Experiences of -a Pioneee Minister: 61 
 
 this difficulty, tliey explained the text, ' ' There is one God. and 
 one mediator between God and man ; the man Christ Jesus. '" 
 as follows: The divinity of Christ is the law giver, whUe the hu- 
 manity of Christ is our mediator. We showed that our mediator 
 is both the son of God and the son of man, both human and 
 divine ; His Divine nature connects him with God, and His hu man 
 nature connects Him wth man. Thus, in Christ we have a 
 perfect mediator between God and man; but our friends have 
 divided their mediator, making the Divinity of Christ a law- 
 giver, retaining only a human mediator. Thus do people run 
 into absurdities striving to avoid the law of God. As I was 
 presenting these points the Elder denied they ever said so: but 
 thej' were constrained to admit they had done so, whereupon 
 the old gentleman arose and said he was so worried that he could 
 not sleep nights. We told him, ' -Wounded birds would always 
 flutter. " They found that the commandments of God are not 
 so easily overthrown as they thought for. After two weeks of 
 opposition thej' publicly withdi'ew and left the field. In the 
 meantime Eld. Cole, of Minneapolis, was sent for to help their 
 sinking cause. He was a fine looking man aud had city ways. 
 and was well di-essed, while I had been since December on a 
 continual strain, roughing it in the woods,, without money, and 
 my clothes were shabby enough. He would discuss two 
 propositions: "Isthe Seventh Day Sabbath Binding on Christ- 
 ians?" "Are the Ten Commandments Abolished?' I affirmed 
 the first and he affirmed the second. 1 have no desire to weary 
 the reader with points pro and con, but one point, where he 
 gave himself completely away. I will mention. He said : ■ 'If 
 a man should come to me trembling under the law, I would 
 point him to Christ and show him how to get out from under 
 the law." 
 
 "But, Bro. Cole, you teU us the law is dead, abolished 
 and does not exist. Will you please inform us how it is pos- 
 sible for a man to tremble under a law that does not exist? 
 Can j'ou get under a house where there is no house? Can you 
 crawl out from under a haystack if there is no haystack at all? 
 How can a man get under, or out from under a law that has no 
 existence?" He could not tell, neither can any one else. "The 
 law points out our sins." Rom.vii,7. "The strength of sin is 
 thelaw. " I Cor. XV, 56. "Sin is the transgression of the law. "" 
 I John. "Where no law is there is no transgression, or sin." 
 
62 Experiences ok a Pioneer Mimstek 
 
 Rom. iii, 15. ' 'If there be no sin, a savior from sin is not needed. 
 Thus, to abolish the law is simplj' to abolish the whole plan 
 of redemption. But never fear; the law of God will stand. 
 
 ■ All His commandments are .•</(/■'-. -'They stand fast forever 
 and over, and are done in truth and uprightness. " C. xi,7-8. 
 ' 'And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for 
 one tittle of the law to fail. " Luke xvi, 17. After the camp- 
 meeting of 1876, in company with Bro. Ells, 1 pitched onr 
 tent at Farm Hill, Olmstead countj-. Mrs. Hill and the child- 
 ren remained with Bro. and Sister Peterson, at Lake Citj', who 
 were very kind to us — may the Lord bless them and preserve 
 them unto His heavenly kingdom. Our meetings were largely 
 attended. After the services the scene was often lively beyond 
 description. The whole tent would be filled with excited peo- 
 ple, some standing on benches and some on the ground, all 
 earnestly canvassing the doctrines taught in the tent. Many 
 evil disposed persons attended the meetings, and we had to 
 
 ' keep a sharp lookout to prevent them from cutting the ropes 
 and letting the tent fall upon the people. One night as I was 
 standing outside the tent by the side of an Irishman, watching, 
 a club, intended for me, came whirling end over end. through 
 the air, and struck the Irishman in the stomach, doubling him 
 up like a knife. He was a very angi-y Irishman; but as the 
 offender was not recognized in the darkness, his anger could 
 only vent itself f)n rowdies in general and none in particular. 
 
 the postmaster 
 
 and his wife accepted the truth at Farm Hill, and the last I 
 heard of them they were still faithful to the light they bad re- 
 ceived. The winter of ■76-'77 I labored at different places and 
 had the joy of seeing some precious souls give themselves to 
 (rod. to serve Him, one of whom has since died in the blessed 
 hope. The next spring we removed to Kingston, Meeker 
 county. Minn. Soon after reaching Kingston I went with horse 
 and buggy to Rock county. . tl.e southwestern county of the 
 state. The roads were in a deplorable condition. I passed 
 through Redwood Falls, Marshall and Luverne. The distance 
 was about two hundred miles. The country was veiy new and 
 the weather wet and cold. Near Marshall I found some breth- 
 ren and remained over Sabbath and Sunday with them, holding 
 meetinj; liotli days. 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister 63 
 
 • 
 
 Monday morning, I resumed mj' iournej'. I struck across 
 the prairie to the southwest. About ten o'clock 1 came to the 
 Big Cottonwood river. It was swollen from the recent rains 
 and melted snow. As there was no bridge, L was forced to 
 ford it. I got along all right until I came to go up the oppo- 
 site bank, which was very steep, when mj- valise, full of books 
 and clothing, fell out into the river. 'Nothing to do but wade 
 into the cold stream after it. I was wet and cold enough, but 
 there was no house in sight, so I trudged on in the cold wind 
 as best I could. Before I reached a stopping-place my clothes 
 were dry. It was a hard journey, through cold, wet and mud; 
 but my heart was light. I was on mj' w^y to help my fellow- 
 men into the path of life. Like Moses, I had respect to the 
 recompense of reward. I looked -forward to the time when he 
 that goeth forth and weepeth shall doubtless come again with 
 rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. 
 
 One evening, as I was nearing the end of my journey, I saw 
 
 a man standing on a high eminence. I could see he had on a 
 
 black coat and a very white shirt front. I thought,- ' ' That 
 
 must be Bro. Fulton. " He was watching for me, and down 
 
 - he came to meet me ; and right glad I was to see him. 
 
 There was a good interest to hear the word of (lod, and in 
 two weeks a company of eighteen signed the covenant to keep 
 the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, Kev. , xiv, 
 12. At Luverne was a noted Spiritualist wtio was a thorn in 
 the sides of the Christian people in the neighborhood. I was 
 told he would get up and speak in the 5Iethodist meetings, and 
 when the people would not stop to listen, he would cry after 
 them, " You cannot bear to hear the truth ! " He was the talk 
 of the country. ' I said to Bro. Fulton, "We had better give 
 the people of Luverne a little light on Spiritualism before we 
 go home. He said, " Don't you do it. That man is the al)lest 
 man I ever heard speak, and lie will be on hand to oppose." 
 I thought, however, that good would result, so we put a notice 
 in the paper that on next Tuesday evening there would lie a 
 lecture in the school house on ' ' ^lodern Spiritualism Exposed 
 and the Bible Vindicated. " We knew if the gentleman would 
 oppose, he would use the 28th chapter of first Samuel, so we 
 prepared especially on that scripture. On our way to Lu\-erne 
 we met a gentleman, who had come out to meet us and let us 
 know a Baptist minister was expected to help the Spiritualist. 
 
(54 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 We thought it a very strange combination, Spiritualism and 
 Baptism ; but we felt confident that the Lord's truth would 
 triumph over all opposition. As we entered the school house 
 we found it crowded. Extra seats had been brought in, and 
 they were all filled. As we entered, we were greeted with a 
 vigorous clapping of hands. For once, I felt 1 was on the 
 popular side of the question. Perhaps a veiy brief outline of 
 the discourse will be of interest to the reader: 
 
 "ladies and gentlemen: 
 Modern Spiritualism is a fact. It is here and everj^where. 
 Go where you will, you will find Spiritualism, It pervades 
 all classes and conditions of men. It flourishes in the hut of 
 the peasant and sits in the palaces of nobles and kings. It 
 revels in the haunts of ignorance, and rejoices in the halls of 
 learning. It has found its wa)' to the infidel club, and in 
 churches and pulpits it has firmly intrenched itself. It orig- 
 inated a few years ago in the Fox familj^, near Rochester, X, Y. 
 Now it numbers its adherents by millions in all parts of the 
 world. No movement in the annals of time has made such 
 strides as this. It comes with a fascinating power to the sons 
 of men. What can it be ? It claims that its wonders are 
 \\'iought l:)y the spirits of our dead friends. Is this true ? 
 The Bible says, 'Try the spirits,' 1 John, iv. 1. There is 
 only one infallible rule by which to tiy them, and that is the 
 word of God. By this rule we propose to try them to-night. 
 The Bible, speaking of a dead man. says, ■ His sons come to 
 honor, and he knoweth it not ; thej' are brought low. but he 
 perceiveth it not of them. Job, xiv, 21. Again. 'The dead 
 praise not the Jjord, neither any that go down into silence.' 
 Ps. , cxv, 17. According to this, the dead are silenl. When 
 a man's breath gooth forth his thoughts perish.' Ps., cxlvi, 
 4. ' The dead know not anything.' Ecc, ix, 5. >luch more 
 might be adduced to the same effect, but this is sufficient to 
 show that the Bible is diametrically opposed to Spiritualism ; 
 for i( teaches that a dead father does know all about his sous ; 
 that the dead are not silent, that their thoughts are not per- 
 ished, and that the dead know more than the living ; but we 
 see according to the Bible, the claim of Spiritualism that the 
 spirits of the dead connnunicate with the living, is utterly 
 false. The question recurs, 'If spirits communicate, what 
 spirits arc they '? ' 
 
EXPERIENX'ES 01' A I'lONEER MINISTER. »i') 
 
 THE BIBLE TEACHES 
 
 that angels are ministering spirits, Hebrews, i, 13-14:. We 
 have numerous instances of their ministering to the children 
 of God, such as the angel that delivered Daniel from the 
 lions ; the Hebrew children from the flames, and Peter from 
 prison. There are are also evil angels, 2 Pet., ii, 4: Kev. . xii. 
 9. They also minister to the children of men. They pos- 
 sessed men in the days of Christ. Luke, viii, 26-36. They 
 knew Christ, Mark, iii, 11-12 ; Luke, iv, 41. Men did not 
 know Christ, but the evil spirits did, which shows they had 
 more than human knowledge. How did they know Christ ? 
 Evidently they knew him in heaven before the}' were cast out. 
 The damsel' of Acts xvi knew more while possessed of a 
 spirit of divination than she did after he was cast out. Let 
 us read the text : ' And it came to pass as we went to prayer, 
 a certain damsel possessed of a spirit of divination met us. 
 who brought her masters much gain by soothsajing. The 
 same followed us and cried. These men are tlie senants of 
 the Most High God, and show unto us the way of life and 
 salvation. But Paul being grieved (he did not desire praise 
 from the devil), turned and said to the spirit. I command thee 
 in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her, and he came 
 out the same hour. And when her masters saw the hope of 
 their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas and drew 
 them to the market place unto the rulers. ' 
 
 WHY WERE THE MASTER.S SO AXORY ? 
 
 Because the hope of their gains was gone. Why ''. Because 
 the damsel could not divine anj- more. Why ? Because the 
 spirit of divination was gone. Therefore, it is evident that 
 it was the spirit that enabled her to divine, and gave her more 
 than human wisdom. Then wh}' not those same spirits do the 
 same thing to-day ? Thej- can, and they do. Many is the 
 damsel, and gentleman too, who are making money to-day by 
 the aid of spirits. We believe the phenomena of modem 
 Spiritualism are caused by evil angels or spirits. 
 
 1. They deceive. The\- say thej- are the spirits of our 
 dead friends, to gain our confidence, when they are not. 
 
 2. The Bible condemns all such communications with 
 spirits. 
 
 '^nd the soul that tumeth after such as have familiar spir- 
 
66 ExPilRIENCES OF A PlONEER MINISTER. 
 
 its and after wizards .... I will even set my face against that 
 soul, and I will cut him off from among his people.' Lev., 
 XX, (j. ' Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither 
 seek after wizards to be defiled by them ; I am the Lord. ' 
 Lev. , xix, 31 . ' Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live: ' Ex. , 
 xxii, 18. We see from this, that witchcraft is something very 
 hateful in the sight of heaven. But, you say, what has that 
 to do with modern Spiritualism ? I will show presently that 
 modern Spiritualism and ancient witchcraft are one and the 
 same thing. The Lord would not answer King Saul by dreams, 
 nor by urim, nor by prophets, 1 Sam. , xxviii, 6. In his dis- 
 tress he went unto a woman who had a familiar spirit at Endor. 
 And the woman asked him, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? 
 And he said unto her. Bring me up Samuel ; verses 7-11. 
 Now, Samuel was dead. This clearly demonstrates that when 
 a person anciently wished to communicate with the dead, he 
 went to a witch or a wizard. When a person wishes to com- 
 municate with the dead today, he goes to a spirit medium, 
 which shows that modern Spiritualism is nothing more nor less 
 than a revival of ancient witchcraft. Thus, when God said. 
 Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live, it was equivalent to say- 
 ing, thou shalt not suffer spirit mediums to live. The Bible 
 foretells the signs and wonders of Spiritualism. ■ Many false 
 Christs and false prophets shall arise and do great signs and 
 wonders, insomuch if it were possible thej- would dece've the 
 veiy elect. ' Matt. , xxiv, 24. ' The coming of Christ is after 
 the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying won- 
 ders.' 2 Thess., ii, 9. 'And deceiveth them that dwell on 
 the earth by means of those miracles which he had power to 
 do in the sight of the beast. ' Rev., xiii, 14. The miracles 
 are wrought by the agencj' of spirits, ' For thej' are the spir- 
 its of devils working miracles.' Rev., xvi, 14. So, when a 
 wonder-working power arises in these last days, claiming to 
 work its wonders l)y the agency of spirits, it is just what the 
 Bible has foretold would come. Paul says, in 1 Tim., iv, 1, 
 ' N<jw the spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times 
 some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spir- 
 its and d(jctrines of devils. ' Do any at the present time de- 
 part from the faith (teachings of the Bible) ? Yes. Do they 
 give heed to spirits ? Yes. Do they then fulfill the prophecy? 
 Yes. Do the spirits teach the doctrines of devils ? Yes. 
 
Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 67 
 
 They have taught free loveism, which is a doctrine of the devil. 
 They have taught that the divine use of the ten command- 
 ments is in their violation, and not in their obsei-vance, which 
 is a devilish doctrine truly. They have taught that sin is only 
 undeveloped good, that a lie is only undeveloped truth, and 
 many other things, equally abominable, all of which are doc- 
 trines of devils, and I have observed that those who give heed 
 to the spirits can tell more undeveloped truth, as they call it, 
 than any other class of people I ever met with. Our Spirit- 
 ualistic friends say, they are too intelligent and enlightened to 
 believe the Bible ; but they will believe the spirits. Judge 
 Edmunds was taken off in vision and shown some things in the 
 Spiritualistic heavens, among which were a rag carpet and an 
 old-fashioned saw-mill. He said he saw what appeared to be 
 a full-grown boy, who took a dog, split its tail and put a stick 
 in it, when the owner of the dog came along and kicked the 
 boy away up the road. Queer heaven, wasn't it ? For me, I 
 prefer the heaven that John saw. But look at it ; A spirit 
 boy seizes a spirit dog and splits its spirit tail [laughter], and 
 puts a spirit stick in it. [Laughter.] And the spirit owner 
 of the spirit dog comes along and with his spirit foot kicks 
 the spirit boj' awaj' up the spirit road. [Laughter and cheers. ] 
 This, my friends, is not from any of tlie small frj' or lesser 
 lights, but from a learned judge, a champion of Spiritualism, 
 who sets it forth as the teaching of the spirits concerning the 
 spirit land. Such is the mental food upon which our Spirit- 
 ualist friends wax too wise to believe the Bible. Choose ye 
 which you will have. As for me, I will choose the Ijlesscd 
 Bible. I will be guided by its hoi}' precepts. 1 will rejoice 
 in its blessed hope, and at last enjoy its everlasting reward.' 
 
 After the discourse, the Spiritualist arose and asked me if I 
 would teach the people that Sunday is the Christian S:il)batli. 
 He supposed that I would rail out against Sunday, and would 
 thus lose the sympathy of the people, and he by saying a good 
 word for it, would gain their favor. 1 handed him my Bible, 
 saying', ■• If j'ou will find where the scriptures call Sunday the 
 Christian Sabbath, I will teach the people so. " He acknowl- 
 edged he could not find it. He then asked me to read the 
 28th chapter of first Samuel. I replied I supposed he was the 
 possessor of a Bible, and could read the chapter at home, 
 which I hoped he would do, and receive great good from its 
 
<J8 EXPKRIKNCES OF A PlONEER MiNISTEB. 
 
 fuieful perusal. He then became very fierce, and pressed 
 very hard that I should at least read a portion of it, as he said 
 it proved Spiritualism to be true. • ' Well, my friend, I will 
 read it, if you will endorse what the woman said as the truth." 
 He replied, "I will, sir." I read, " 'I saw gods ascending- out 
 of the earth. ' The old lady said she saw gods ascending out 
 of the earth, and our friend here says he believes she told the 
 truth. " [Laughter. ] 
 
 He cried out, ''There might have been forty gods for 
 all yon know." f'They must have been Spiritualists' gods 
 then, for they themselves say the devil is their god and their 
 father. [Laughter.] I supposed the Spiritualists believed 
 that the spirits of the departed went to what they call the 
 beautiful summerland ; but, according to this ancient spirit 
 medium, they go into the dark, cold ground ; for what she 
 saw came up out of the earth, and our friend here believes she 
 tells the truth. Poor spirits ! What a drearj', dark abode 
 they must have." He cried out, "Read that chapter; but 
 don't you comment on it ! " " 0, my friend, that's what I am 
 here for ; so you must allow me to comment as much as I 
 please. Again, this gentleman's ancient exponent of spirit- 
 ualism says, ' An old man cometh up coverecl with a mantle. ' 
 Where did Samuel get that mantle ? Did he really get a 
 mantle down there in the ground, or had he a mantle in ap- 
 pearance only ? If the mantle was onl}' an appearance and 
 not real, why not the old man also be an apparition only, and 
 not the real Samuel'? A Spiritualistic humbug, if you please. 
 Once more, Samuel was buried at Ramah. and, according to 
 the witch, who, our friend here says, told the truth, he came 
 up out of the ground at Slndor, forty miles distant. How is 
 this? Did he have an underground passage — an under- 
 ground railroad, perhaps, forty miles in length ? [Uproarious 
 laughter. J Satan sometimes transforms himself into an angel 
 of light, 2 Cor. ,xi, 14. If Satan has power to transform 
 himself into :in angel of light, has he not power to trans- 
 form himself into the appearance of our dead friends '? Could 
 not the familiar spirit appear as Samuel ? Yes ; he could, 
 and he did. ' So Saul died . . . for asking counsel of one 
 that had a familiar spirit, to inquire of it.' 1 Chron. , x, 13. 
 Yes, Saul inquired of the familiar spirit, and the spirit an- 
 swered him, making believe he was Samuel all the while. In 
 
KXPERIENOKS OK A PlONEER Ml.NrSTKH, 09 
 
 our (lay, tliest' spirits are up to tiieir old tricks, dcccixiiig men 
 under the guise of the spirits of our dead friends." 
 
 T ne\'er lieforc addressed an audience so enthusiastic. The 
 M. E. minister was so demonstrative tliat, not l<nowing who 
 he was, 1 requested him to be more quiet. After meeting, a 
 gentleman said to me, '■! can stand another grasshopper raid 
 now." Th(^ next morning, as Hro. Fulton and myself were 
 driving through town, the .Methodist minister and his chiss- 
 leader hailed us. They said they were very thankful for the 
 good work done tiie previous evening. Two happier men I 
 never saw ; the minister especially. He stood first on one foot 
 and then on the other, and danced aljont in an (H-stasy of de- 
 liglit. J}ro. Fulton and I went on our way rejoicing, like the 
 Eunuch in days of old. We were thankful that the truth of 
 God is so plain and powerful. 
 
 When (lod's word says, ''The dead know not anything," 
 Ece. , ix, 5, it takes the foundation away from Spiritualism. 
 
 W(^ had a long, tedious iourney before us. It rained, 
 rained, rained. Sloughs were full and the streams swollen, 
 and the roads were well nigh impassable. Day after day we 
 plodded our weary way along, stopping at night in deserted 
 houses, or stable if the house was locked. On account of 
 the grasshopper scourge, many settlers had abandoned their 
 homes. 
 
 Sometimes we had to carry our baggage across streams on 
 our shoulders, because the water was too deep and swift to 
 risk it in the buggy. Our horse got so that as soon as she 
 entered a slough that had a soft bottom, she would lie down, 
 and w(^ would have to unhitch and pull the buggy out by hand. 
 On a Sunday we passed through New Ulm, which a tew years 
 afterward was visited by a disastrous cj'clone. It was the 
 scene also of a desperate defense during the Indian outbreak 
 in 1H(;2. It is beautifully situated on the Minnesota river. 
 
 \VK CROSSKU THE RIVER, 
 
 and climbed the high bluff on the opposite side. It was still 
 rainiiig, and the mud inexpressible. Toward evening, we 
 began seeking a lodging place. We were in a German neigh- 
 borhood, and for some reason thej' did not wish to keep us, 
 but would every time tell us to go to the next neighbor. I 
 said to Sammy, " It is no use ; we can not stay out in the rain 
 and mud all night, and the next house must keep us, whether 
 
70 EXPEKIENOES OF A PlONEER MINISTER. 
 
 or no." We fouad the man at the stable, and told him our 
 story, and requested lodging. He told us to go to the next 
 neighbor. 1 said, "He would send us to the next neighbor, and 
 we had been doing that long enough. It is raining, the roads 
 are very muddy, our horse and ourselves are very tired, and 
 it will be too bad to force us to remain all night in the storm. 
 We will not only be thankful to you for your kindness, but 
 will pay you liberally also. " Bro. Fulton tried also to soften 
 his heart ; but all to no purpose. "Go to the next neighbor," 
 was the onl}' thing. He sputtered a good deal, but we un- 
 hitched and prepared to stay. At last he consented to our 
 staying. Our tired horse found good lodging and good prov- 
 ender that night ; but we had to lie down in our wet clothing 
 on the floor, which was not overly clean, either. 
 
 When ye passed through New Auburn, where some of our 
 brethren lived, we hoped that none of them would see us, we 
 were in such a sad plight ; but we met some of them, and 
 they seemed glad to see us, if we had been wading mud and 
 water for a week. Most of the way, one or both of us walked. 
 We were footsore and wear}', and glad enough to get home. 
 We found our families well, for which cause we were devoutly 
 thankful to God for His preserving care, and especially thank- 
 ful that God had helped us to l)e a blessing to poor sinners 
 inquiring the way to heaven. 
 
 In a few days we were rested, and ready for another cam^- 
 paign. That year the camp meeting was held at Hutchinson, 
 after which Bro. Fulton and I were sent to Ellsworth. Wis. , 
 to hold tent meetings. ^\^e preferred to return to Rock county, 
 where we had left a good interest ; but the conference said 
 Ellsworth, and to Ellsworth we went. 
 
 On July 4, 1877, I started from Dassel, and reached St. 
 Paul that evening. I reached Prescott, ^Vis., where Bro. 
 Olive lived, about noon, July 5. Bro. Olive took the tent 
 with his team to Ellsworth that afternoon, a distance of 
 eighteen miles. The next day we pitched the tent, and held 
 meeting in the evening. T was invited 1iy a prominent Spirit- 
 ualist to make my homo with him. I thonght perhajis I could 
 do him some good, and so accepted his kind offer. In the 
 evening, as 1 was preparing for our first meeting, a gentle- 
 man, lady and little boy came to the door. It struck me in a 
 minute that the gentleman was a Spiritualist lecturer, and so 
 
Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 71 
 
 he proved to be. He sailed under the title of Dr. J. K. 
 Bailey, of New York. Here we were, Adventist minister and 
 Spiritualist lecturer, met in the same place, and both desirous 
 to occupy the time. He proposed to hold a joint discussion in 
 the tent, and charge an admission fee. He said, we need not 
 hurt each other, and that we could make a nice lot of money 
 out of it. We told him we were not there to make a lot of 
 money, ))ut to do good. Charging a fee to hear the truth was 
 altogether out of our line. Freely j'e have received, freely 
 give, is the plan of the (ireat Teacher. Well, then he would 
 hold meetings in the court house, and thus divide the interest. 
 We finally compromised the matter by giving him the tent for 
 three meetings. He held one meeting and preached Spirit- 
 ualism from our pulpit. A sister Green, of Maiden Rock, 
 came that evening, expecting to hear some wholesome Advent 
 preaching. She was amazed to hear a man in the Adventist 
 tent promulgating the vagaries of Spiritualism. 
 
 The next day he came to the tent with flaming posters, an- 
 nouncing lectures in the court house, bj' Dr. J. K. Bailey, of 
 New York. He was going to have an organ, a grand ciioir, 
 and carry things on a big scale. Spiritualism was quite pop- 
 ular in the town. Our organist was the daughter of a Spirit- 
 ualist, and she left us, with her organ, to plaj' at the cf)urt 
 house. The outlook was rather dark ; but he was making 
 such great preparations, he would not be ready for a couple of 
 days, so we announced as a subject for the next evening, 
 
 THE NATURE AND TENDENCY OF JCODERN SPIRITU.VLISM, 
 
 trusting that God would help us. The people came in crowds. 
 The tent would not nearly hold them. Our Spiritualist came 
 also. He sat by the tent pole and liobbed up and down so 
 vigorously while the nature and tendency of Spiritualism was 
 ppinted out, that it would not be surprising to see him 
 climbing it next. The evening he lectured in the tent, he dis- 
 tributed papers among the people, entitled, --The Voice of 
 Angels," a copy of which he gave me. In the course of my 
 remarks, I held up the paper and said, ' ' The gentleman will 
 not repudiate what is found in his own paper, which he so 
 assiduously scatters among the people.'' He cried out, "Ido 
 not endorse anj' man's teachings." "Ah, mj' friend, this is 
 not the voice of man, it is the voice of angels. See the angels 
 
72 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister 
 
 hovering around the medium, showing him what to write. 
 Xciw. my friend, j'ou won't go back on the angels, will j'on ? 
 AVhat do these angels say ? • All things justify themselves in 
 the end. ' Then, if a man steals, it is justifiable. If he lies, it 
 is justifiable. If he imbrues his hands in the blood of his neigh- 
 bor, these angel spirits teach that it is justifiaV)le. If he roVjs 
 the l)looming maiden of innocence and virtue, and causes the 
 hot tears of shame and sorrow to furrow her cheeks all the 
 days of her life, it is justifiable. For all things, say these 
 spirits, justify themselves in the end ; and this gentlemen is 
 around scattering such doctrine among the multitude, telling 
 them. It is the voice of angels.' Surely, Paul was right 
 when he said, -The spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter 
 times some shall depart from the faith (teaching of the Bible), 
 giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. ' 1 Tim., 
 iv, 1. These are the seducing spirits foretold, and such doc- 
 trines as they teach come from his Satanic majestj- straight. 
 This gentleman before us is engaged, with many othere, in 
 teaching these Satanic doctrines ; and he and %11 the millions 
 who with him are giving heed to the spirits, are fulfilling this 
 prophecy to-day before oui- eyes. When did Paul sav they 
 should give heed to seducing spirits ? In the latter times. 
 Then where are we to-daj' ? In the latter times foretold, and 
 we are in the midst of the strong delusions that should come 
 in the last days. 
 
 The impression upon the people was powerful ; so much .so. 
 that our Spiritualists meetings were a failure, and he left for 
 a more favorable field. 
 
 Some think that Spiritualism is about dead, but that is a 
 grave mistake. It has only wrapped itself in a moral, relig- 
 ious cloak, in onler the more effectually to deceive. A letter 
 published in the I'jni/ns.fir, T/iin/.ir says there are at least 
 <)(I,{I0(» Spiritualists in San Francisco, or people who lean in 
 that direction. The writer says, "In addition to our mediums' 
 meeliiigs, we have a very successful children's progressive 
 lyeeiini. conducted every Sunday forenoon. From 100 to 150 
 young children and middle-aged ladies and gentlemen partici- 
 pate iij its exercises. There are a great many private circles 
 held every night in the week in different portions of the city, 
 all of which are largely attended. The greatest work now 
 licing done is in the churches. Spiritism is shaking the sacred 
 
EXVERIEXCKS 01' A PlOXEKR MINISTER. 73 
 
 edifices to their very foiindations, " — Abridni'd from Tin- Sii/ns 
 of the Times, Dee. 21S. 1891, Oaldand, Cal.' 
 
 ^lanj" other cities are much the same, but the last fact stated, 
 tliat Spiritualism is doing its greatest work now among the 
 churches, is of the greatest significance. The false prophets 
 will yet do their signs and wonders in the name of Christ and 
 among liis professed people, Matt., xxiv, 5, 2:!-24. Take heed 
 lest any man deceive you by any means. We had a good in- 
 terest at Ellsworth, and also at Beldenville. Although the 
 enemy entered in and did us damage, yet some precious souls 
 rejoice in the truth they learned in those meetings unto this 
 day. ^lay the Lord keep them unto His heavenly kingdom. 
 
 Tn September. 1 once more started for home. As 1 stepped 
 off the train at Passel, I was surprised to see my little lioys, 
 with shining eyes, looking for papa. Jly little wife had taken 
 the horse and buggy, and driven the whole family nine miles 
 to Dassel, and while the boys were at the train, she stood in 
 the hotel door, with baby Ella in her arms, smiling a hearty 
 welcome to the returning wanderer. Of all the joy of this 
 world, there is no joy like home joy. When, lieaten and 
 bruised in life's battle, the husband and father comes home, 
 and the good wife smiles upon him, and the little ones, with 
 eyes beaming with joy, climb upon his knee anil put their little, 
 lo\ ing arms about his neck, the warm bright sunlieams of love 
 drive away his gloom. His troubles vanish, and peace and 
 joy fill his heart once more. 
 
 THE NEXT E.VI.I. -VNH WIXIER, 
 
 T labored mostly in Atwater and vicinity, in Kandiyohi county, 
 iNIinn., in connection with brethren Babcock and PuUen. We 
 met great opposition at the different points where we held 
 meetings. .Vt Harrison school house we had large audiences. 
 One evening two ministers came to oppose the work. The 
 house was crowded to excess. They both preached opposition 
 discourses, after which Elder Higgins, the 31. K. minister, said 
 he wished now to hear Bro. Hill. He had made light of us 
 •and our work. He said he loved Bros. Hill and BsHicock, but 
 he looked upon us as Jew brethren. He had us sail in imag- 
 ination around the world, one going east and the other west. 
 The one gaining a day and the other losing a day, thus being 
 two days apart when we arrived at our starting point; then, of 
 
74, Exi'ERlKNI'KS OF A PjdNEKK MINISTER. 
 
 course, went to quavreling over which day was the right Sab- 
 bath. Ill reply to this point I said, "We will suppose Bro. 
 Higgins and I are twins, and we sail round the world, one 
 going east and the other west. The one gains a daj' and the 
 other loses a day and when we get around we are two dajs apart 
 in our reckoning. We were twins when wc started, exactly 
 of the same age ; but now, according to Bro. Higgins. one is 
 two daj's older than the other. Bro. Higgins, please inform 
 us which is the older of the two." Much to the amusement of 
 the audience, he could not tell. It is evident that neither of us 
 in reality gained or lost a moment of time. I can not speak 
 for Bro. Higgins, but I do know that Seventh Day Adventists 
 can circumnavigate the globe and not get muddled up in any 
 such waj'. x\s I showed the utter weakness of their arguments 
 for Sunday observance (and, gentle reader, it was verj' easy to 
 do) the ministers became ver}^ uneasj' and began interrupting 
 me — thought I was taking too much time, etc. Eld. Higgins 
 said, ' ' This is our meeting. ' "I thought I was holding meet- 
 ings in this school house." "Yes, but you gave way for us to 
 speak to-night." " Yes, sir, and then whose meeting was it?" 
 "It was our meeting." "Yes, sir, and then you gave way for 
 me; and now whose meeting is it?" (Laughter.) They said: 
 "Tell the people you are a Jew ! Tell them you are a Jew I" 
 "Yes, I will tell the people I am a Jew. Paul says: • He is 
 not a Jew that is one outwardly, but he is a Jew that is one in- 
 wardly. ' Kom., 11,28,20. That is the kind of a Jew I am. 
 Christ was a Jew, the prophets and apostles were all Jews, and 
 Christ said to the woman at the well: -Salvation is of the Jews. ' 
 John, iv, 22; and, brother Higgins, if ever you are saved you 
 must be a spiritual Jew yourself . ' They continued their in- 
 terruptions until Mr. Tribbits, a worldly man, arose and said: 
 "Gentlemen, Elder Hill listened to you quietly, and now 
 jjlcase keep quiet and let him speak." 
 
 Ah T s1iowo<1 that the Sabbath was changed into Sunday by 
 the J^apacy and that the true Sabbath would be restored just 
 prior to tliQ second coming of Christ, a deep seriousness per- 
 vaded the people. As I finished, the Congregationalist minis- 
 ter cried out, " You did not say anything about 'One man es- 
 teems one day above another, another man esteems every day 
 alike. Let every man lie fully persuaded in his own mind. ' " 
 T said, "Oh, yes, ] forgot that point. I am only too happy to 
 
EXI'KRIENCES OF A PlONEER MINISTER. 75- 
 
 explain it. Our friends are inconsistent using this scripture 
 as thej' do, for they esteem one day above another. They es- 
 teem Sunday high above all other days, and claim it is a great 
 sin not to do so. In applying it to the weekly Sabbath they 
 have put a sword into the hands of the Sabbath-breaker to slay 
 the Sabbath keeper. For instance : On next Sunday when 
 they come to the school house to celebrate Divine ser\ice sup- 
 pose they should find a farmer out here plowing in his field ; 
 they would feel very badly about it, and begin to say, -What 
 has come over Mr. Smith, that he shoidd thus desecrate the 
 Christian Sabbath. It hurts our feelings to see him set such a 
 bad example to the whole community, besides, his own soul is 
 in danger of eternal flames for thus profaning the Lord's day. 
 We must go and talk to him immediately. ' They go and \ le- 
 gin their lecture, when Mr. Smith replies, ' Keverend gentle- 
 men, you know I was always a strict Sunday keeper until I 
 heard you speak on the Sabbath question the other evening ; 
 since then I do not esteem ,one day above another. You have 
 fuUj' pursuaded me that all da^'s are alike, so now I don't keep 
 Sunday any more. Gee. Buck ! Gro long. Bright ! I must be 
 doing my plowing.' And bur friends could say nothing 
 against it; they could only say, 'Behold what mischief we 
 have wrought.' I will try and help them out of the unfortun- 
 ate position in which they have unwittingly placed themsehes. 
 The term • every daj- ' does not include the Sabbath. I stn. 'I 
 am about my every daj- affairs, ' or, ' I have my every da}" 
 clothes on.' In either case the term 'every day' does not in- 
 clude the Sabbath, as everj- body knows. 
 
 .jrsT so IX THE scripture. 
 
 In Ex, , xvi, 4, the people were told to go out and gather a 
 certain rate of manna every da\' ; yet when some of the peo- 
 ple went out to gather on the Sabbath, they found none, and 
 God said, ' How long refuse ye to keep mj' commandments, 
 my statutes and my laws '.■' ' Ex. , xvi. Thus we see. when 
 God said ■ every day, ' he excepted the Sabbath. So. when 
 Paul uses the term 'ever}' day," he has no reference to the 
 Sabbath. 'We sincerely hope our friends will not fall into 
 such an error again. But, if the blind lead the blind, the 
 consequences will be disastrous to both." 
 
 One evening, after the discourse, a gentleman of Teutonic 
 
7t) Exi>KRlEN'('K.S OK A PlONEER MINISTER. 
 
 i^xtractiou arose and said, ' • You come to luy house some day, 
 and I will show you many things in my Bible contrarj' to your 
 doctrine.' "To-morrow morning you may expect us." When 
 we came, we found several of his friends assembled with him. 
 They said they had lieen searching the scriptures all night. 
 -Well, my friends, what did you find?' 'One thing we 
 notice. You always bait your hook for that Sal)bath. ' ■' Well, 
 the Sabbath is a testing truth for this time. Only a desire to 
 please God will lead a man to keep the seventh day, and 
 thu.s cut himself off from the world and w(jrldly ambition ; 
 while, on the other hand, when a man is convinced that the 
 seventh day is the Sabbath, and won't keep it. it is evident he 
 loves the world more than he loves (iod. " '• You teach that 
 we all ought to keei) the ten commandments, and it is impos- 
 sible for anyone to do so. -It is true that we cannot keep 
 (rod s holj' law without Divine aid ; but God will give us grace 
 to do His will if we seek Him with our whole heart. " -'No 
 man ever li\-ed who kept the commandments of (Jod." 'I 
 think you are mistaken about that. Let vis read Gen. .xxvi, 5, 
 ' For Abraham obeyed mj- voice ; kept my commandments, my 
 statutes and my laws. ' "Oh, yes: but that was in Old 
 Testament times, and we have nothing to do with that.' "The 
 Old Testament and the New Testament agree. ' Zacharias and 
 his wife Elizabeth walked in all the commandments and ordi- 
 nances of the Lord blameless.' Luke, i. tJ. In the Old Tes- 
 tament we found one, and in the New Testament we have 
 found at least two persons obedient to God's commandments." 
 ' ' But that was before the birth of Christ, so that is nothing 
 to lis " "Well, we will try again: 'Here is the patience of 
 the saints ; here are they that keep the commandments of God 
 and the faith of Jesus.' Rev. ,xiv. 12. Here is brought to 
 view a whole class of Christians keeping the commandments 
 of God. " "Oh, that is in Revelations, and 1 don't care for 
 that. " "Once more. 1 will read 1 John, ii, -J : 'He that 
 saith, I know Him, and kcepeth not His commandments, is a 
 liar, and the truth is not in him.' " Our friend was cornered 
 at last. He could only get away from the commandments of 
 (rod by repudiating the Bible altogether. I was informed 
 afterward that he would get angry and swear at his family, 
 and do many other bad things ; yet he was deluding himself 
 with the hope that he would be saved, because it was impossi- 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 7T 
 
 ble to keep the commandments. Onlj- believe in Christ and 
 all would be well, even if he continued in sin. 
 
 FATAL DELUSION, 
 
 enfolding many thousands in its soothing embrace. Christ 
 does not save us in our sins, but from our sins, Matt., i.21. 
 Out of Christ we are at enmity against God, are not subject to 
 the law of God, neither, indeed, can be, Rom., viii, 7 ; but in 
 Christ we are new creatures, • Old things are passed away, be- 
 hold, all things are become new,' '1 Cor.,v, 17 ; and we rejoice 
 in the law of God after the inward man, Rom.,vii, 20. If a 
 man's religion does not lead him to rejoice in the holy princi- 
 ples of the Divine law and fulfill its righteousness, there is 
 something wrong with his religion. Rom., viii, 4. 
 
 We decided to hold meetings in au adjoining school house. 
 A Mr. Hamm heard of it, and at school-meeting proposed to 
 the American sovereigns assembled, that they should vote to 
 refuse the Adventists the school-house, whereupon Mr. 3Iad- 
 dox, a rough old lumberman, said, '•! believe in fair play. 
 They have just as mucii right to the use of the house as the 
 Methodists have ; and' if j'ou shut the Advents out, I will shut 
 the Methodists out, " 
 
 This little speech in favor of equal rights opened the door to 
 us. At our first meeting Mr. iladdox said to us, ■ ' I have 
 some flour in a sack and some pork in a barrel ; you preach 
 and 1 will feed .you." There was no school in the house that 
 winter. It was not banked, and many panes of glass were 
 broken. We banked the house, put shingles in the windows 
 where panes of glass were wanting, picked up wood here and 
 there, carried it on our shoulders and cut it up ourselves. The 
 attendance was veiy small at first, often only five or six being 
 present. The outlook was very discouraging, but we labored 
 on, hoping, trusting, praying. At last we determined to or- 
 ganize a Sabbath school, which proved a grand success. In a 
 little while it contained about forty members. Prejudice be- 
 gan to give way. and in two months we had a nice company of 
 believers, Mr, Hamm among the number. One day Mr. Mad- 
 dox met Elder Higgins in town and said to him, • ' Elder, them 
 Advents are getting all j-our people over our way. I advise 
 yon to get your basket and come down and gather up the frag- 
 ments that remain, or soon you will have nothing left, " We 
 had manj' precious seasons with the dear friends at Irving. 
 
78 Experiences ov a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 The next camp meeting was also held at Hutchinson. Elders 
 t'auright and Stone attended from abroad. We had a good 
 camp meeting in many respects, although many thought Elder 
 Canright did not manifest a Christian spirit at all times. 133 
 were baptized. After campmeeting, brother Moore and myself 
 were sfutto Maine Prairie, Stearns county, Minn. We pitched 
 our tent on the bank of a lovel}' lake. Brethren Meade, Hall 
 and mj'self had family tents on the ground. Multitudes came 
 to hear of the near coming of the Kingdom of Christ and the 
 jjreparation necessary to meet our returning Lord with joy. 
 An Elder Shoemaker thought he must do something to hinder 
 those who were entering into the waj's of truth, so he chal- 
 lenged us publicly to a discussion, which we declined, wishing 
 to avoid strife. Interested ones came to us afterward and 
 said, ' • We are almost persuaded to keep the Sabbath, but 
 Elder Shoemaker tells us if he could onlj- have a discussion we 
 would see that the seventh day Sabbath could not stand. Be- 
 fore we turn over we want everj'thing to be done for Sunday 
 that can Ije done for it. We therefore think j'ou had better 
 iiccept his proposition." After careful consideration it was 
 thought best to do so. 
 
 ' ' Do the scriptures teach that the seventh day Sabljath is 
 binding on Christians?" was affirmed by me and denied by 
 him. The discussion continued four evenings. Probablj'- six 
 hundred people or more attended it. In the busy time of hay- 
 ing people came for miles. It was a remarkable sight to see 
 them in carriages and wagons, on horse back and on foot, 
 streaming toward the tent. The Elder was a veteran debater, 
 the hero of T don't know how many battles. We each spoke 
 four times, alternateh', each evening, and it was a lively time. 
 He took the position that the law of (rod, Sabbath and all, was 
 abolished. Ho, however, in his opening speech the last even- 
 ing of the discussion said he did not teach the abolition of tlie 
 law at all. 
 
 We were vi'vy thankful our lirother had been led to sec the 
 •error of his ways. He had held that the law was the minis- 
 tration of death, wliich was abolished ; while I had all the 
 while contended that the law of Jehovah was as immutable 
 iind unchangeable as the throne of God. Now, the last even- 
 ing of the discussion, he abandons his position, and comes 
 over to ours. We are glad to know the discussion has given 
 
ExPERIENf'ES OF A PlONEER MiXISTEK. 79 
 
 US at least one convert to the tnie faith. In his last and sum- 
 ming up speech, he endeavored to show that during the dis- 
 cussion he had proved the law was dead and done away. 
 Thus do men run into absurdities and contradictions when 
 they oppose the truth. It is impossible for eiTor to run in a 
 straight line. After the last speech we sang. -Blessed Are 
 They That Do, ' after which we asked all to arise who believed 
 the ten commandments ought to b^ kept. A goodly number 
 ai'ose. Then we said, • ■ All -who by the grace of God will 
 keep them, please remain standing : and those who will not 
 keep them, please sit down." Some sat down, while others 
 remained standing, among whom were some of Elder Shoe- 
 maker's prominent church members. The audience was im- 
 mense, and the excitement at fever heat. When it was seen 
 that a goodly number were determined to keep the Sabbath, 
 the wrath of manj' arose to a great height. Threats were 
 made, and we did not know what minute an attempt would be 
 made to throw us, tents and all, into the lake. We kept lights 
 burning and a sharp lookout all night. 
 
 A ladj'. while riding home in a wagon, got to disputing with 
 her husband, she contending the Adventists were wrong, and 
 he that the}' were right. All at once, she seemed to be seized 
 with a frenz}-. sprang from the wagon, and ran with great 
 swiftness, cr3-ing. '-It is not I ! It is the devil ! ' She ran a 
 long way before she could be secured. When she was again 
 taken into the wagon, she was completely exhausted. 
 
 .V REM.\RKABLE THING. 
 
 There were a number of orthodox ministers present when 
 we invited those who believed the ten commandments should 
 be kept, not one of whom arose, thus virtually sajing to all that 
 people, they did not believe the}- ought to be kept. When re- 
 ligious teachers take such a course, what can l)e expected of 
 the people led by them. We have heard ministers say to the 
 people, ■ ■ The ten commandments are a yoke of bondage ; they 
 are dead and abolished, "etc. Surely, we have reached the time 
 when this scripture has its application : '-It is time for Thee. 
 Lord, to work, for thev.have made void Thv law." Ps. cxix, 
 12iJ. 
 
 The next winter. 1S78-'7D, I taught school about three miles 
 from home. Elder Moore held meetings at Dassel, nine miles 
 distant, I used to go three miles and build my fires at the 
 
80 EXPEEIENCES OF A PlONEEB MINISTER. 
 
 school house in the morning, return in the evening and do up 
 the chores at home, tlien drive nine miles to Dassel, preach a 
 sermon, and return the same evening. When I reached home 
 1 would sometimes be so numb with cold I could scarcely un- 
 hitch my horse. I did this several evenings a week during 
 the winter, besides preaching in other places. In the spring 
 we moved to Dassel, where a number had embraced the last 
 message of mercy, among whom were the Castles. Phelans, 
 Bogars, Brickeys, and others. They had meetings and Sab- 
 bath school, and were prospering in the ways of God. William 
 Bi'ickey was an infidel. His naturally bright mind and talents 
 were surrendered to the prince of darkness. He went to meet- 
 ing to scoff at the ministers' sa}nngs, and he ridiculed religion 
 and its professors generally. AVhen he heard of the Adventist 
 meetings, he thought to go and make sport as usual (and he 
 was gifted in that direction). But as he listened to the proph- 
 ecies concerning Christ, that he came at the very time foretold 
 by the prophets, was born at the ver}' place, lived the life, died 
 the death, in fact, fulfilled eveiy specification of the prophe- 
 cies concerning Himself, his logical mind began to reason, 
 ' ' How can these things be so, if there be no Christ ? Could 
 an impostor fulfill all these conditions?" As the prophecies 
 were still further unfolded, he saw that the rise and fall of the 
 great empires of the world had been accurately foretold and 
 described by the prophets of God, and also that the condftion 
 of the world at the present time, physicall}', politically and 
 religiously was unerringly portrayed in the scriptures of truth; 
 all doubts of the divine inspiration of the Bible were removed 
 from his mind. He had found solid foundation upon which 
 to liase his faith. With the Bible he accepted Christ as his 
 only Savior and life through Him as his only salvation. He 
 immediately took his stand on the Lord's side, erected the 
 family altar and rejoiced in God willi all his house. He en- 
 joyed religion, became a worker in the Sabbath school and has 
 at times successfully and acceptably preached the word of 
 t!o(l, \i\it the enemy of all righteousness could not let the 
 good work of salvation go on without making an effort to hin- 
 der and destroy. 
 
 A certain Elder Allen was called to come and oppose the 
 work, which he did on the condition he should receive $1 per 
 day and board. 
 
EXPEEIENCES OF A PlONEER MINISTER. 81 
 
 He held meetings every evening and the opposition were 
 having a high time listening to his denunciations of our people 
 and work. 
 
 We attended to our own affairs and let him severely alone. 
 He and his friends were very anxious for a discussion, think- 
 ing thereby to annihilate Adventism in that community. The 
 excitenrent arose to such a height that Elder Grant, at that 
 time president of the conference, thought that if the other 
 side would pay ,for the use of the hall, I had better meet him 
 and hold up the truth the best I could. 
 
 That they were only too willing to do. The next evening I 
 attended their meeting for the first time. I found the elder 
 expatiating on the wickedness of Mrs. E. G. White. He had 
 two of her books, in one of which she had written more on a 
 certain subject than she had in another. With great energy 
 he exclaimed, ' ' Did Isaiah or J eremiah ever write anything 
 and then add something thereto?" I replied, "Yes, sir." 
 He said, " I never knew of such a thing. " "It is a fact all 
 the same," which the reader can see by comparing Jer. xxxvi, 
 27, xxviii, 32. If the elder did not know this it was so much 
 the worse for the elder. It was arranged we should have a 
 discussion oyer the three Messages of Kev. xiv, 6-12, con- 
 tinuing six evenings, two evenings to each message. I re- 
 quired our positions should be reduced to writing before our 
 discussion should begin. To this he objected, but finally 
 yielded. My position was as follows : ' ' The three messages 
 are a threefold warning to the world, just prior to the second 
 coming of Christ, to prepare the people for that event. The 
 first and second messages were given by William Miller and 
 his co-laborers, closing in 1844. The third message is now 
 being carried by the Seventh Day Adventists. The mark of 
 the beast, against the reception of which the third angel utters 
 his warning, will be Sunday keeping, when it will be enforced 
 by the death penalty." Rev. xiii, 15. 
 
 His position was : ' ' Christ was the first angel and pro- 
 claimed the first message at His first advent. The second and 
 third messages were given by the apostles. What the mark of 
 the beast is, is not definitely known." The discussion began 
 in good earnest. Friend and foe, saint and sinner were out in 
 force. The opposition were sure that Adventism would 
 speedily go down under the elder's destructive fire. I will 
 
82 Experiences of a Pioneee Minister. ■ 
 
 give the briefest outline of my argument in tlie discussion. 
 Evidently the first thing to do was to show the elder was 
 wrong in teaching that Christ was the first angel and gave the 
 first message at His first advent. First, 
 
 CHRIST SAID: 
 
 " I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. " 
 Matt. XV, 24. Second, When He sent forth his disciples to 
 preach He strictly charged them : "Go not into the way of 
 the Gentiles, and into any citj' of the Samaritans enter ye not, 
 but go ye rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." 
 Matt. X, 5, 6. The first angel proclaimed his message to 
 every nation, tongue and people. Kev. xiv, 6. TVhereas 
 Christ confined His message to the Jewish people at His first 
 advent, and whereas the first angel proclaims his message to 
 every nation, tongue and people, it is evident to every one 
 that Christ did not proclaim the first angel's message at His 
 first advent. It is equally evident the elder is mistaken when 
 he says He did. This was so evident that the elder publicly 
 abandoned his position, which had a very depressing effect 
 upon those who were paying him to demolish the Adventists. 
 We further showed that the apostles did not proclaim first 
 message, that the hour of God's judgment is come, for they 
 taught that the judgment was yet future in their day. For 
 instance, Paul said to the men of Athens, as he stood on Mars 
 Hill, "For God hath appointed a day in which He will judge 
 the world. " Acts xvii, 31. He also reasoned-before Felix of 
 righteousness, temperance, and a judgment to come (yet fu- 
 ture). He wrote to the Thessalonian brethren that the day of 
 Christ (judgment) was not at hand, 2 Thess. ii, 2, 3. There- 
 fore it is evident that he did not proclaim to every nation, 
 tongue and people, the hour of God's judgment is come. Why 
 not ? Evidently the time for that message had not yet arrived. 
 The coming of Christ immediately follows the giving of the 
 three messages. Rev. xiv, 14 -. therefore they are not due until 
 the second coming. Christ is nigh at hand. Did " Fear God 
 and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come," 
 ever go to the world ? Yes ; such a message was carried to 
 earth's remotest bounds in 1843-4. In every judgment there 
 are two parts, the investigative and executive. First investi- 
 gate a man's case, then execute the judgment rendered. ' ' The 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 83 
 
 righteous dead come up in the first resurrection, and the rest 
 of the dead live not again for a thousand years afterward. " 
 Rev. XX, 5-6. It is evident that it must be determined be- 
 forehand who are righteous and have right to come up in 
 the first resurrection, therefore the cases of the righteous dead 
 must be investigated before the first resurrection, which takes 
 place at the coming of Christ. "Also the righteous living 
 will be changed from mortal to immortality in the twinkling 
 of an eye at the last trump. " 1 Cor. xv, 51-53. We will not 
 be made immortal and then judged ; therefore it is evident 
 that the cases of the righteous living will be investigated be- 
 fore the last trump shall sound. The investigative judgment 
 began in 1844. How appropriate that a message announcing 
 that fact should go to the world. The message has gone ; the 
 judgment is here. May we all be prepared to pass the solemn 
 test. For a full explanation of the judgment, see ' ' The Sanc- 
 tuary and its Cleansing," by U. Smith. Address Review and 
 Herald, Battle Creek, Mich. 
 
 THE SECOND ANGEL 
 
 proclaims the fall of Babylon. Rev. xiv, 8. The elder says 
 Babylon is fallen means Jerusalem is fallen, or destroyed. It 
 may be trying to his feelings to show that he is entirely wrong ; 
 but we will do it as kindly as possible, and so effectually that 
 he will see it himself. First, We all know Jerusalem is de- 
 stroyed, and a message telling us what we already know, would 
 be useless. Second, In Rev. xviii, 1,2, we learn that after 
 the fall of Babylon she fills up with or becomes the hold of 
 every foul spirit and tbe cage of every unclean and hateful 
 bird. It is, therefore, plain that it is a moral fall Babylon 
 meets with, and in consequence of which fall her destruction 
 Cometh. Rev. xviii, 8. Third, Babylon is represented by a 
 woman. Rev. xvii, 4, 5. "The ten kings shall hate her and 
 burn her with fire." These ten kings (ten divisions of the 
 Roman empire) had no existence until long after Jerusalem 
 was destroyed, and the elder admits this fact. Therefore his 
 position that Jerusalem was the Babylon referred to, is a mis- 
 take. Again, ' ' Babylon is that great city that reigneth over 
 the kings of the earth. " Rev.xvii,18. But Paul said, "Jeru- 
 salem that now is, is in bondage with her children." Gal. iv, 
 26. It is certain that Jerusalem that is in bondage cannot be 
 
84 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 that Babj'lon that great city that reigneth over the kings of 
 the earth. It is equally certain that the elder is wrong when 
 he says it is. The term Babylon is derived from Babel, which 
 means confusion. Babylon located : — God says, " Come out 
 of her, my people." Rev. xviii, 4. God's people must be in 
 Babylon, or they would not be called upon to come out of her. 
 But where are God's people to-day? You answer, "In the 
 different churches." Then those churches where God's people 
 are, are Babylon. There are hundreds of different sects, all 
 claiming to get their teachings from the Bible. Let only one 
 representative from each of these jarring sects meet to set 
 forth their peculiar views, and you will all agree with me that 
 it would be confusion worse confounded. It would be Baby- 
 lon indeed. Then Babylon is fallen, means the churches are 
 fallen morally. This may seem harsh to some good people, 
 and we are also sorry that it is so. But I ask you the ques- 
 tion, "Are the churches more proud and worldly than they 
 used to be?" You say, "Yes, thej- are." Then are they 
 not fallen ? 
 
 ALL PROTESTANTS AGREE 
 
 that the woman called Babylon the great, the mother of har- 
 lots, in Rev. xvii, 5, represents the Romish church, which is 
 the truth. If the Romish church is the mother, who are the 
 harlot daughters but the churches that have come out of her ? 
 What constitutes a church a harlot ? Love of the world. ' ' If 
 any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 
 1 John ii, 15. "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not 
 that the friendship (love) of the world is enmity with God ? " 
 James iv, 4. Here we learn that those who profess to love 
 God and yet love the world, are called adulteresses or harlots. 
 It is only too painfully evident that pride, love of pre-emi- 
 nence, money, fashion, display, in fact everything the world 
 loves, finds as ardent, devoted worshippers in the churches as 
 can be found anywhere. No wonder the crj- goes forth, Baby- 
 lon is fallen. Come out of her, my people. 
 
 One evening Elder Allen asked me if he might ask me a 
 few questions. I said, ' ' Yes sir. " "Do you believe this dis- 
 cussion is helping on the cause of truth? " " Yes sir." "If 
 the cause of truth is being strengthened and good is being 
 done, don't you think you and your people ought to help pay 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 85 
 
 for the use of the hall?" "I would like to speak to that 
 proposition a moment. We came to this town last winter and 
 occupied the school house for a while. When that was closed 
 against us we hired the hall, night after night, week in and 
 week out. We paid our own expenses and asked no man for 
 a cent, feeling richly repaid by seeing precious souls coming 
 out of darkness into light. We felt that we had solemn, sa- 
 cred truth for this day and generation and we were willing to 
 sacrifice something in order to give the bread of life to the 
 people. 
 
 ' ' Some opposing our work sent for Elder Allen to tear it 
 down. He comes and says : ' Gentlemen, I have great light 
 for you ; I can tear down Adventism easy enough, but you 
 must pay me a dollar per day and board. If you do that I 
 will cause the true light to shine forth; if not, I pass on and 
 leave j'ou in your darkness.' You see, gentlemen, he loves 
 you at the rate of one dollar per day and board. He has been 
 overthrowing Adventism for a number of evenings and is hav- 
 ing a hard time of it and wants help. The kind friends who 
 are defraying his expenses do not think they are getting their 
 money's worth. So he virtually says to the Adventists ; ' I 
 find I have a greater work overthrowing Adventism than I ex- 
 pected. I am very tired; won't you please help me a little? ' 
 Well, we knew he would have a hb,rd time of it before he be- 
 gan. We are sorry for him, but do not propose to help him 
 just now." We thought best to let them bear their own 
 burdens. 
 
 We now come to the third and last message. Rev. , xiv, 
 9-12. It threatens the unmingled wine of the wrath of God 
 against the beast worshippers and receivers of his mark. Any 
 one can see that this is a last day message. First, It is im- 
 mediately followed by the coming of Christ on the white cloud . 
 to reap the harvest of the earth. Verse 14. Second, "The 
 wrath of God poured out without mixture into the cup of His 
 indignation, ' must be pure wrath without any mercy mingled 
 with it, which can never be until mercy is no longer offered to 
 sinners. So long as Jesus pleads for poor sinners before the 
 throne the unmingled wine of the wrath of God cannot come. 
 So this message is to prepare men for the closing up of the 
 gospel and the day of wrath that follows. It is the most 
 solemn, the most awful warning found in the book of God. 
 
86 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 We are treading here on solemn ground. Let us walk care- 
 fuUj', reverently. All agree that this message must go to the 
 world before the coming of Christ; all agree that it can go to 
 the world only once, and all agree that to-day the cry is being 
 raised everywhere — "If any man worship the beast .or his 
 image, or receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand; the 
 same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, vrhich is 
 poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation, 
 etc. Kev. , xiv, 0-12. Who are giving the cry? The Ad- 
 ventists, and they alone. What can the mark of the beast 
 (Papacy) be? The elder says he don't know. Of course then 
 he will not have much to say ; for it is not well to set our- 
 selves up as teachers of something about which we know 
 nothing. Somebody must know what it is, for it is unreason- 
 able that the warning could be given and no one know anj-- 
 thing about it. Again in Rev., xv, 2, we read, "And I saw a 
 sea of glass mingled with fire : And them that had gotten the 
 victory over the beast, and ovBr his image, and over his mark, 
 and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass." 
 What would be our surprise if we were to inquire of these 
 victors over the beast and his mark, ' ' What is the mark of the 
 beast ? " and they should say, "We had a great conflict with 
 the beast and his mark, and gained a great victorj' ; but we 
 don't know anything at all about the beast or his image ; we 
 left that for some fanatical students of the prophecies to in- 
 quire into. We just joined a popular church, heard very nice, 
 smooth preaching, our choir rendered the most charming 
 music, and we had a most enjoyable time attending church 
 picnics, fairs and festivals, and glided smoothl}- and grace- 
 fully onto the sea of glass mingled with fire, and immediately 
 began to celebrate our victory over the beast and his mark ; 
 but after all we never knew there was any beast, and were not 
 troubled in that direction at all. " 
 
 Without doubt those who give the warning and gain the vic- 
 tory over the beast and his mark will know what these things 
 are. Yes, they will know. Again, if nobodj' can know what 
 the mark of the beast is, do the best we can, we may ignorantly 
 receive it, and as a consequence, drink of the unmingled wine 
 of the wrath of God. Wc cannot any of us believe such a 
 thing possible, so wo must believe that God's people will know 
 what the mark of the beast is, and warn the world against its 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 87 
 
 reception. What can it be ? We will first inquire what is 
 God's mark, for God's people will also receive a mark, sign or 
 seal in their foreheads. In Ezek. , ix, 1-6, there is brought to 
 view a time of utter destruction. ' ' Slay utterly, both old 
 and young. Let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity." 
 Why not spare nor show pity ? Because it is the time of the 
 pouring out of God's wrath without mercy, against which the 
 people are warned by the third angel. God says, "Set a mark 
 upon the foreheads of them that sigh and cry for the abomi- 
 nations done in the midst thereof." Ezek., ix, 4. Why set a 
 mark on them ? That they might be preserved from the awful 
 destruction about to fall upon the wicked ; for it says, " Slay 
 utterly old and young, both maids and little children and 
 women, but come not near anj' man upon whom is the mark." 
 Verse 6. 
 
 ' ' Those who receive the mark of the beast drink of the 
 wine of the wrath of God." Rev., xiv, 9. " Those who re- 
 ceive God's mark are preserved the same as those who in the 
 days of Moses sprinkled the blood on the door posts, were 
 preserved from the destroying angel." Ex. xii, 13. It was 
 necessary for God's people then to sprinkle the blood. So in 
 the last days when the destroying angels will pour out the 
 seven' last plagues, Rev., xv, 1, it will be necessary for God's 
 people to have His mark upon their foreheads. What is it? 
 No one believes it will be a literal mark on the forehead, but 
 will be a religious characteristic that will mark those who re- 
 ceive it as a peculiar and distinct people, will separate them 
 from the world and the popular professors of religion around 
 them. We believe it is the true Sabbath that God's people 
 will accept, just before the coming of the Lord. Why believe 
 so? 
 
 (/. The Sabbath is a mark. Let a man begin the observ- 
 ance of the seventh day Sabbath in any community in this 
 Christian land and he will be a marked character at once, He 
 will be reported and commented upon far and wide. 
 
 h. This mark separates him from the world. No matter 
 how brilliant the worldly prospects may be for honor and po- 
 sition, all must be abandoned as soon as he begins the ob- 
 servance of the Sabbath. 
 
 c. It separates him from -popular religion. No matter 
 how pleasant his church relationship may be, he will be cut 
 
88 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister 
 
 off and exclmded when he accepts the Sabbath. 
 
 d. ^his mark is so plain it is known and recognized 
 wherever he goes. 
 
 When traveling I have inquired for my brethren by name 
 and could gain no information. Then I asked, ' ' Do you 
 know of anybody in this vicinity who keeps Saturday for Sun- 
 day?" "Oh, yes; a few miles southwest of here there lives 
 such a man, but what his name is I don't know. " So we see 
 a person is recognized farther by this mark than by his own 
 name. Yes, God has a mark for His sheep in these last days, 
 and that mark is the Sabbath. Again in Rev. , vii, 1-3, the 
 same work is brought to view as in Ezek., ix, 1-6, where the 
 mark is called the seal of God. How do we know it is the 
 same work? Because it is performed at the same time and 
 for the same purpose. In Ezek., ix, 1-6, the people receive 
 God's mark just before the time of utter destruction of old 
 and young without pity. In Rev., vii, 3, the angel says: 
 ' ' Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, until we have 
 sealed the servants of our God in -their foreheads." Why seal 
 God's servants just before the hurting should begin? Evi- 
 dently to preserve them from that hurting or destruction, the 
 same as God's people are preserved from the avenging sword 
 by receiving the mark of God in the forehead in Ezek.,ix, 1-6. 
 As the mark and seal are received in the same place — in the . 
 forehead. The marking and sealing are upon the same peo- 
 ple — the servants of God. At the same time — just before the 
 time of trouble. And for the same purpose — to preserve the 
 people of God from the destruction that comes upon the 
 wicked. It must be that the sealing and marking are the 
 same work. 
 
 Then if we can learn what the seal is, we can certainlj' know 
 what the mark is, for they are one and the same thing. The 
 8th chapter of Isaiah has its fulfillment just before the com- 
 ing of the Lord. The 17th verse reads, "And I will wait 
 upon the Lord that hideth His face from the house of Jacob, 
 and I will look for Him," which shows this scripture applies 
 when God's true people will be looking for His coming. Verses 
 21, 22 point out the day of trouble for the wicked in these re- 
 markable words, "And they shall pass through it hardly be- 
 stead and hungry. And it shall come to pass that when they 
 shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves and curse their 
 
Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 89 
 
 king and their god, and look upward. And they shall look 
 unto the earth, and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of 
 anguish, and they shall be djiven to darkness." Who can fail 
 to see that this scripture applies right down in the end of time? 
 In the 16th verse God says, "Bind up the testimony, seal the 
 law among my disciples. " This is to be done when God's 
 people are looking for the Lord to come. The seal of God is 
 found in His law. A seal gives authenticity to a legal docu- 
 ment, shows who the law giver is, the extent of his territory, 
 and his right to reign or demand obedience. The fourth com- 
 mandment is the only thing in God's law that does that. It 
 gives authenticity to the law by showing the Law Giver to be the 
 true God ; the Creator of the heavens and the earth ; it shows 
 the extent of God's territory, the heavens and the earth and the 
 sea. It shows God has a right to rule and reign over us, be- 
 cause He is our Maker. He made the heavens, earth, sea, and 
 all that is therein. Thus we see the fourth commandment is 
 a perfect seal to God's law, and nothing else is. Has it been 
 removed ? Yes. Has a counterfeit Sabbath been put in its 
 place? Yes, so far as such a thing could be done. Does God 
 require us to restore this seal (the true Sabbath) just before 
 the second coming of Christ ? Yes, ' ' Bind up the testimony, 
 seal the law among my disciples (followers of Christ), and I 
 will wait upon the Lord that hideth His face from the house of 
 Jacob, and I will LOOK for him. " Isa.,viii, 16,17. "Hurt not 
 the earth nor the sea nor the trees until we have sealed the 
 servants of our God in their foreheads. " Kev., vii, 3. "Seta 
 MAKK on the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for 
 all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. " Ezek. , 
 ix, 4. Does God set forth the Sabbath as the sign, mark or 
 symbol of His power ? Yes. ' ' Moreover, I gave them my 
 Sabbaths to be a sign between me and them that they might 
 know that I am the Lord that do sanctify them. " Ezek. , xx, 12. 
 ' 'And hallow my Sabbaths and they shall be a sign between 
 me and you (why ?) that j'e may know that I am the Lord 
 your God. " Ezek., xx, 20. Thus it is beyond doubt that God 
 sets the Sabbath forth as the sign, symbol or mark whereby we 
 may know God as the Maker and Creator of all things. 
 
 If the Sabbath is God's sign, seal or mark, what is the mark 
 of the beast (Pj,pacy) ? We naturally conclude it would be a 
 counterfeit Sabbath. God does not require two weeklj' Sab- 
 
90 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 baths, so either the Sunday Sabbath or the seventh day Sab- 
 bath must be counterfeit. Dare any man say the seventh day 
 Sabbath is counterfeit ? God resfed on it, God blessed it and 
 sanctified it, and commanded it to be kept holy. He spake it 
 with His own voice and wrote it with His own finger on the 
 table of stone, in the midst of nine other moral precepts as im- 
 mutable as the throne of God. The seventh day Sabbath comes 
 to us bearing the superscription and signature of the Almighty 
 God. Is it genuine ? Yes. Can any one of these things be 
 said of the Sunday Sabbath ? No. Did God rest on the first 
 day ? No. Did He bless it ? No. Did God sanctify it or 
 command that it should be kept holy ? No. Did He ever 
 promise to bless any one if he would keep it ? No. Did He 
 ever threaten to punish any man if he would not keep it holy? 
 No. Did Christ or the apostles ever observe it as the Sabbath? 
 No, not a single instance can be found. The Sundaj- institu- 
 tion comes to us without any Divine support of any kind what- 
 ever. It bears only the earmarks of the Papacy, the man of 
 sin. 
 
 We will now give the third angel's message entire: "And 
 -the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If 
 any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his 
 mark in his forehead or in his hand, the same shall drink of 
 the wrath of God which is poured out into the cup of His in- 
 dignation, and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone 
 in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the 
 lamb, and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever 
 and ever, and thej' have no rest day nor night who worship the 
 beast and his image and whosoever receiveth the mark of his 
 name. Here is the patience of the saints. Here are they 
 that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." 
 Rev., xiv, 9-12. In this message are brought to view two 
 classes: Beast worshippers and keepers of the commandments 
 of God. Mark it well. If we keep the commandments of 
 God we will not worship the beast or receive his mark; there- 
 fore the mark of the beast is something in opposition to the 
 commandments of God. What can it be but the Sunday Sab- 
 bath which is contrary to the fourth commandment? The 
 mark of the beast is to be universally enforced upon high and 
 low, rich and poor, bond and free. Rev. , xiii, 1 6. No in- 
 stitution can be so universally enforced excepting Sunday. 
 
Experiences op a Pioneek Minister. 91 
 
 The Papacy was to think to change the times and laws of the 
 Most High. Proof : ''And he shall speak great words against 
 the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, 
 and shall think to change times and laws (of the Most High) 
 and they (saints and laws) will be gjven into his hand until a 
 time and times and the dividing of time." Dan., vii, 25. Has 
 the Papacy spoken great words against the Most High? Yes. 
 He says he is Christ's vicegerent on the earth. He calls him- 
 self Lord, God the Pope, and we have heard him declare, ' ' I 
 am infallible; I am like the great (Jod, I cannot err." Surely 
 he has spoken the great words. Has he worn out the saints 
 of the Most High? Yes. Let the voice of the blood of the 
 slaughtered millions answer. The Papacy is drunken with the 
 blood of the martyrs of Jesus. Rev., xvii, 5, 6. Has the 
 Papacy thought to change the laws of God? Yes. He has 
 thought to change the Sabbath into Sunday. Out of his own 
 mouth will we judge him. 
 
 THE ROMAN DEORETALIA 
 
 is an authoritative work in the Roman ecclesiastical law. Each 
 pope when invested with the succession declares the papal de- 
 cretals to be true. The Decretalia speaks of the Pope as fol- 
 lows ; ' ' The Pope has power to change times and to abrogate 
 laws and to dispense with all things, even the precepts of 
 Christ." Decretal De, Translat. Episcop. Cap. 
 
 The Pope's will stands for reason. He can dispense above 
 the law; and of wrong make right, by correcting and changing 
 laws. Pope Nicholas, Dist. 96. Much more might be given, 
 but this is enough to show that he claims to be able to change 
 the law of the Most High. 
 
 THIS CLAI,^r PUT INTO PRACTICE. 
 
 Question — "By whom was it (the fourth commandment) 
 changed ? ' ' 
 
 Answer — "By the governors of the church.' Abridgment. 
 
 Question — "Had the church power to make this change?" 
 
 Answer — "Certainly. " Catholic Catechism of Christian Re- 
 ligion. 
 
 Question — "What warrant have you for keeping the Sunday 
 preferable to the ancient Sabbath, which was the Saturday?" 
 
 Answer — "We have for it the authority of the Catholic 
 church, and apostolic tradition." Catholic Christian In- 
 structed. 
 
92 Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 Does the papacy set forth the change of the Sabbath into 
 Sunday as a sign or mark of its power? Yes. 
 
 Question — "How prove you that the church has power to 
 ordain feast days and holy days? 
 
 Answer — ' ' By the very act of changing the Sabbath 
 into Sunday." (Abridgment of Christian Doctrine.) 
 
 God sets forth the Sabbath as the sign or mark of His 
 power and the papacy sets forth the Sunday as the sign or 
 mark of his power. Therefore it is certain that the Sabbath 
 is God's sign or mark and the Sunday institution is the sign 
 or mark of the Papacy. And when the jssue is plainly set be- 
 fore the people and they deliberately choose to honor and wor- 
 ship the beast (Papacy) by keeping his institution, and perse- 
 cute by oppressive laws those who obey God and keep His 
 commandments, the vials of God's wrath will soon be 
 poured out upon the persecutors, and the Lord will come and 
 take His tried and tested people to the mansions He has gone 
 to prepare for them. The conflict is alreadj- here. All over 
 the land the cry is raised for more stringent Sunday laws, and 
 soon legislators will yield to the pressure and the mark will 
 be enforced and none but the true hearted will be able to 
 stand. 
 
 THE DISCUSSION FAILED 
 
 to destroy the good-begun work at Dassel. Truth is mighty 
 and must prevail. 
 
 If there were strong indications in 1879, the time of the 
 discussion of the Sunday law movement, how much stronger 
 are they to-day, 1892 ? It is very difHcult for some people to 
 believe that Sunday is an institution of popery, and for the 
 benefit of such I will insert here an article in the Retieiv and 
 Herald from the pen of Elder E. E. Franke : 
 
 ' ' Sunday — Are we justified in keeping this day in prefer- 
 ence to God's ancient and time-honored memorial of creation, 
 the seventh day (Saturday) ? There is only one source to which 
 the consistent Protestant can go for a reply, and that is God's 
 word. Dr. Dowling truly said, ' The Bible, and the Bible 
 only, is the religion of Protestants. Nor is it of any account 
 in the estimation of a genuine Protestant how early a doctrine 
 originated, if it is not found in the inspired word. ' Hence, if 
 a doctrine be propounded for his acceptance, he asks, ' Is it 
 
EXPEKIKNCES OF A PlOXEER MINISTER. 93 
 
 found in tlie Bible ? Was it taught by the Lord Jesus Christ 
 or His apostles ? ' If they knew notiing of it, no matter to 
 him whether it be discovered in the musty folio of some an- 
 cient visionary of the third or fourth eeutury. or whether it 
 springs from the fertile brain of some modern visionary of the 
 nineteeuth. If it is not found in the sacred scriptures, it pre- 
 sents no valid claim to be received as an article of his religious 
 creed. The prevailing idea is that Christ or His apostles 
 changed the day. But we find the Bible silent on this point. 
 We find that Christ himself kept the seventh day Sabbath. 
 Luke, iv, lii. 31. The eai-ly Christians kept it after the cruci- 
 fixion. Luke, xxiii, 5li. Paul preached to Jews and Gentiles 
 on the Sabbath day. Acts, xviii. 4 : xiii. 42. We search in 
 vain for one passage in the scriptiu-es which sanctions Sunday 
 or first day of the week observance. The greatest obstacle in 
 the way of the Sunday institution is the law of ten command- 
 ments, Sunday cannot be supported by that law. the fourth 
 precept of which s;ivs the seventh day is the Sabbath, and to 
 abolish the law would be to abolish the very foundation of the 
 government of God. The leading Protestant denominations 
 agree that the ten commandments are now iu force. The 
 Methodist Piscipliue. article 6. says. • \o Christian whatever 
 is free from obedience of the commandments which are called 
 moral. The Baptist Manual, article 12. says. -We believe 
 that the moral law of God is the eternal and unchangeable rule 
 of his moKil government. ' The Presbyterian Confession of 
 Faith, article 5. says. • The moral law doth forever bind all. as 
 well justified persons as others, to the obedience thereof. 
 Neither does Christ in the gospel in any way dissolve, but 
 much strengthens, this obligation." I>wight's Theology, a 
 Presbyterian work. vol. 4. p. 120. says. ■ The law of God is 
 and must be unchangeable and eternal." Thus we find the 
 great denominations of Protestantism agree that God's law of 
 ten commandments is unchangeable, and yet by their practice 
 of keeping Sunday, they virtually admit it has been changed. 
 For surely a change of the Sabbath would involve a change of 
 the law of the Sabbath, 
 
 ■•Hear these words of Bishop Mallaliew. of the Methodist 
 eJiurch. when addressing a class of young men about to enter 
 the ministry : ■ Perfection involves the idea of good works 
 and obedience to the ten commandments, emphatically the ten 
 
9-i Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 commandments. You will never get a perfection, unless it is 
 the devil's perfection, that will admit you to preach anything 
 that is not found in these. ' — Reported in Oil City Blizzard, 
 Sept. 13, 1890. We know Sunday is not found in the ten 
 commandments. Let the reader draw his own conclusion 
 from the bishop's words. 
 
 ' ' Having found that the Bible sustains no change of the Sab- 
 bath, we turn in vain to history and the leading authorities of 
 these great denominations for Sunday sacredness. Buck's 
 Theological Dictionary, a Methodist work, says : ' Sabbath in 
 the Hebrew language signifies rest, and is the seventh day of 
 the week, . . . and it must be confessed that there is no law 
 in the New Testament concerning the first day. ' The Watch- 
 man, a Baptist .paper, says in reply to a correspondent: 'The 
 scripture nowhere calls the first day of the week the Sabbatlu 
 . . . There is no scriptural authority for so doing, nor of 
 course any scriptural obligation. ' Dwight's Theology, vol. 4, 
 p. 401, says : 'The Christian Sabbath (Sunday) is not in the 
 scripture, and was not by the primitive church called the Sab- 
 bath. ' Rev. George Hodges, who preaches for one of the 
 largest churches in Pittsburgh, Pa. , writing for the Pittsburgh 
 Dispatch, says : ' The seventh day, the commandment says, 
 is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. No kind of arithmetic, 
 no kind of almanac, can make seven equal to one, or the sev- 
 enth mean the first, nor Saturday mean Sunday. It is evident 
 that Sunday cannot in any manner be identified with God's 
 holj'' and sanctified rest day of the fourth commandment, and 
 is therefore only a man-made institution.' 
 
 "Now to history. Neander,who is admitted by all to be the 
 greatest and most reliable church historian, says : ' The festi- 
 val of Sunday, like all other festivals, was alwaj's only a 
 human ordinance, and it was far from the intention of the 
 apostles to establish a divine command in this respect, far 
 from them and from the early apostolic church to transfer the 
 laws of the Sabbath to Sund.ij'. ' — Rose's Neander, page 186. 
 
 But the question is asked, ' Who changed the Sabbath ? ' 
 In Dan. , vii, 25, we read of a power which all Protestant com- 
 mentators claim is the Papacy, or Roman Catholic power. We 
 read in the verse named, ' He shall think to change times and 
 laws,' meaning the times and laws of God, and it is this 
 power that has been tampering with God's holy Sabbath, the 
 
Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 95 
 
 only times in His law, and they flaunt it in the face of Protes- 
 tants as a token or mark of their authority in other traditional 
 matters. The following letters are from Cardinal Gibbons, of 
 Baltimore, the highest authority of the Catholic church in this 
 country : 
 
 Cardinal's Residence, | 
 Baltimore, Md., Feb. 25, 1892. j 
 John R. Ashley, Esq. : 
 
 Dear Sir; — In answer to your first question, directed by the 
 cardinal to reply to your letter, I will say: (1) Who changed 
 the Sabbath? Ans. The holy Catholic church. (2) Are 
 Protestants following the Bible or the holy Catholic church in 
 keeping Sunday ? Ans. The Protestants are following the 
 custom introduced by the holy Catholic church. (3) Protes- 
 tants do contradict themselves by keeping Sunday, and at the 
 same time profess to be guided by the Bible only. 
 I am faithfully yours, 
 
 C. F. Thomas, Chancellor. 
 
 "John R. Ashley, to whom the above letter was written, lives 
 at Rock Hall, Md. 
 
 "The following letter, from Cardinal Gibbons also, to the 
 writer, bears upon the same point : 
 
 Cardinal's Residence, 
 
 408 N. Charles Street, 
 Baltimore, Md., Oct. 3, 1889. 
 
 Dear Mr. Franke : — At the request of his eminence the 
 cardinal, I write to assure you that you are correct in your 
 assertion that Protestants are following, not the Bible, which 
 they take as their only rule of action, but the tradition of 
 the church. I defy them to point out to me the word Sunday 
 in the Bible. If it is not to be found there, and it cannot be, 
 then it is not the Bible which they follow in this particular in- 
 stance, but tradition, and in this they flatly contradict them- 
 selves. The Catholic church changes the day of rest from 
 the last to the first day of the week, because the most mem- 
 orable of Christ's works were accomplished on Sundaj-. It is 
 needless for me to enter into any elaborate proof of the mat- 
 ter. They cannot prove their point from scripture, there- 
 fore, if sincere, they must acknowledge that they draw their 
 
96 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 observance of the Sunday from tradition, and are, therefore 
 weekly contradicting themselves. 
 
 Yours very sincerely, 
 
 W. A. Heaedon. 
 
 Some time since the writer saw a printed sermon by Father 
 Enright, a Catholic priest who has charge of Redemptorist 
 College, Kansas City, Mo., offering $1,000 for Bible proof for 
 Sunday keeping. The writer took the liberty to write him and 
 received the following letter over his signature : 
 
 Jan. 11, 1892. 
 
 Dear Friend : — Your letter reached me only a few days 
 ago. The paper you speak of I have not seen. My words 
 were, I have repeatedly offered $1,000 to any one who can 
 prove to me ^^j^^f^j^ible alone that I am bound to keep Sun- 
 day holy. "yH^s no such law in the Bible. It is a law of 
 the holy Catfionc church alone. The Bible saj^s. Remember 
 that thou keep holy the Sabbath day. THE CATHOLIC 
 CHURCH says, ' No ! By my Divine power I abolish the Sab- 
 bath daj', and command you to keep holy the first day of the 
 week.' And lo ! the entire civilized world bows down in rev- 
 erent obedience to the command of the holy Catholic church. 
 Excuse delay in answering. 
 
 Yours respectfully, 
 
 T. Enright, Css. R 
 Lock Box 75, Kansas City, Mo. 
 
 ' ' The writer wrote to Arch bishop Ryan, stating Father Ea- 
 right's position, and received the following replj- : 
 Mr. E. E. Franke : 
 
 Of course Father Enright is correct. There is not a word 
 in the New Testament about Christ's changing the day. On 
 the contrary, he always observed the Sabbath, the seventh day. 
 Consult any Catholic work that has a chapter on tradition, and 
 you will find what you need. The church alone is authority 
 for the transfer from Saturday to Sunday. 
 
 Truly yours, 
 
 I. HOOSTMAN, 
 
 Chancellor. 
 
 ' ' The foregoing testimony is from the highest authority 
 
 of the Catholic church in this country. Some, however, are 
 
 not willing to receive Catholic admissions ; for such we will 
 
 give two good Protestant testimonies. Dr. N. Summerbell, in 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 97 
 
 his History of the Church from the Time of Christ to A. D. 
 1871, says : ' In 321 Constantine made a law that Sunday 
 should be kept in all cities and towns. But the country peo- 
 ple were allowed to work, and not till 538 A. D. was country 
 labor prohibited by the third council of Orleans, which called 
 it the new Sabbath. This was a Roman Catholic council. 
 
 "Rev. John Snj-der, in an article in the St. Lonis Globe- 
 Democrat of April 3rd, 1887, said ' Every instructed man 
 knows that there is no New Testament authority for the 
 change of the day of rest from the seventh to the first day of 
 the week. Every instructed man knows that the Catholic 
 church gave to the Christian world the Sunday, and deter- 
 mined the manner in which it should be u^d* And when 
 Protestantism threw off the authority of the Catholic church, 
 it abandoned the only ecclesiastical ground upon which it can 
 logically rest. ' 
 
 ' ' The above testimony comes from a man who is himself a 
 Sunday keeper. Now we appeal to every honest Protestant to 
 choose whom he will serve. ' Know ye not, that to whom ye 
 yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom 
 ye obey ? ' Are you obeying God and keeping His day, or are 
 you obeying the Catholic church and keeping Sunday ? We 
 cannot serve two masters. It is plain to every one, from the 
 above statements of Catholic prelates, that they claim to have 
 changed the law of the Living God." 
 
 That same spring I was stationed on the Mankato district, 
 which included southwestern Minnesota, and a portion of 
 northwestern Iowa. It was considered a hard field. After 
 the camp meeting, which was held that year at Minneapolis, I 
 took my family to Mankato, a city of about 8,000 inhabitants 
 at that time, and situated on the Minnesota river in a very fine 
 agricultural district. The soil is of the richest quality, and 
 timber and water are abundant. We traveled with horse and 
 buggy. One evening we called at a nice-looking farm house 
 and asked for lodgings. The lady made some objections, and 
 finally said : "We cannot keep you, because we have the 
 small-pox here.'' 1 well knew it was only an Irish ruse, and 
 said no more, but went and got some straw to put under the 
 buggy, fixed some blankets around it for curtains, and pre- 
 pared to lodge by the roadside. 
 
 The old lady came out and looked at the preparations 
 
98 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 awhile and said, as she saw the wife and baby : ' ' You ought to 
 come into the house and not be afther slapin' in the road all 
 night." "Oh, no; we would not do that for anything, as you 
 have the small- pox in the house, you know." She blushed and 
 went her way, evidently ashamed of the lie she had told. 
 That summer Bro. Ells and myself held meetings in Mankato 
 city. The work went slowly, but some took their stand to 
 obey Grod. One day, while visiting, I had a very interesting 
 conversation with a marble worker. He was very certain that 
 the New Testament taught the sacredness of Sunday. I told 
 him I had never discovered it, but if he had any light upon it 
 I hoped he would be kind enough to point it out to me. He 
 impressed me as an honest, sincere man, and I greatly desired 
 a more extended interview with him, to which he seemed per- 
 fectly willing. So he agreed to come to the tent the next 
 Sunday afternoon to point out to me New Testament proof for 
 Sunday keeping. He came, according to appointment, and we 
 began our investigation. He did not claim any command for 
 Sunday keeping, but founded it upon the example of Christ 
 and the apostles. But Paul says: " Wherejio law is, there is 
 no transgression. " Rom.,iii, 15. "If^ there is no law requit- 
 ing S^jjiday observance, then there is no sin in not observing 
 it. But never mind, let us have the example." "Well, 
 in John, xx, 19, we find the disciples were met together on 
 the first day of the week and Jesus met with them. I take it 
 that the disciples were assembled together in honor of the res- 
 surrection, and that Christians have met on that day ever since, 
 even until now. " "Let us see: Mark, xvi, 14, speaks of the 
 same meeting and says, ' Jesus appeared unto the eleven as 
 they sat at meat' (while they were taking their supper), and 
 so far from being assembled in honor of the resurrection, they 
 did not even believe he had risen from the dead. Rather a 
 slim foundation, is it not ? Again, to follow the example of 
 Christ we must needs do as Christ did; but the first thing 
 Christ did on the first day of the week was to arise from the 
 dead. Do you think it incumbent on us to follow His ex- 
 ample in this respect, and to arise from the dead every first 
 dq,y morning?" "Oh, no; of course not." "Well, let us investi- 
 gate His example a little farther. In Luke, xxiv, 13-33, we 
 have a very interesting account of two disciples going to Eser- 
 maus and returning again to Jerusalem, a distance of 15 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 99 
 
 miles, on that eventful first day of the week, which shows 
 they did not regard it as a day of sacred rest. What is still 
 more remarkable, Jesus himself went with them, showing that 
 he did not regard it as a day of sacred rest either. " 
 
 ' ' Well, Jesus met with His disciples eight days afterward, 
 John, XX, 26, which means he met with them the next first 
 day of the week." "Is that so? Is it really a fact that after 
 eight days means just a week ? By comparing Matt., xvii, 1, 
 and Luke, ix, 28, we see that after six days means about 
 eight days. If aftei' six days means about eight days, after 
 eight days is about how many days? " "Of course, no one 
 can tell, but I have always understood that Christ always met 
 with the disciples on the first day of the week after the resur- 
 rection. " " That is a mistake, because all agree that one of 
 the most remarkable meetings of Christ with His disciples was 
 on Thursday, the day upon which he ascended into heaven. 
 Acts, i, 1-11. But suppose we grant that every time Christ 
 met with His disciples was on the first day of the week, what 
 ■then? In John, xxi, 4, we find that Jesus met with them 
 when they were fishing and He told them to cast their net on 
 the right side and they should find, and they did so and 
 caught a multitude of fishes, verse 6. If this was on Sunday, 
 it proves Sunday to be a good fishing day. If it was rfot Sun- 
 day, then the claim that Christ always met with His disciples 
 on the first day of the week falls to the ground, does it not? " 
 "I must confess that it does." "You see, my brother, that 
 this Sunday argument breaks down at every point." 
 
 ' ' What further proof have you that Sunday should be sa- 
 credly obser\'ed ? " "On the first day of the week the spirit 
 was poured out, which is an evidence to my mind that it 
 should be religiously observed. " "Let us see. It reads not 
 when the first day of the week had fully come, but when the 
 day of Pentecost had fully come. Acts, ii, 1. The first day 
 of the week is not mentioned. Is this not a little singular if 
 God intended by the outpouring of the spirit to make it the 
 sacred da}' of the new dispensation ? Such proof is hardly 
 conclusive. It is nothing but supposition that the pouring 
 out of the spirit would make any day sacred, and a very 
 doubtful and improbable supposition at that." 
 
 ' ' I will now read Acts, xx, 7, ' Now upon the first day of 
 the week when the disciples came together to break bread. 
 
100 Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 Paul preached to them ready to depart on the morrow. ' This, 
 I consider, proves that it was the custom for the apostles to 
 meet for worship every first day of the week." " Does it say 
 it was their custom to do so ? " " No." " Does it say they 
 ever met on that day before ? " "No." "Does it say they 
 ever met on it afterward ? " " No. " " How many years does 
 the book of Acts cover?" "About twenty, I believe." 
 ' ' Yes ; and only one religious meeting said to have occurred 
 on the first day of the week in all that time. Don't you think 
 that is small evidence upon which to build a Christian institu- 
 tion that does away with one of the commandments of God, 
 and requires obedience to it on pain of eternal death ? But 
 again, this was an evening meeting, because there were many 
 lights burning, and Paul continued his speech until midnight, 
 see verses 7, 8. " " Yes, no one can deny that ; but I did not 
 notice that point before." "What were the disciples doing 
 during the light part of the day?" "Well, sir, I cannot 
 say." "Then they may have been about their usual avoca- 
 tions for all we know. That looks just a little bit weak, don't 
 it ? " "I must say it is not nearly so conclusive proof as I 
 thought it was." 
 
 ' ' LET us LOOK AT IT A LITTLE FURTHER. 
 
 When does the day begin according to the Bible ? The Bible 
 says the evening and the morning were the first day. Gen. , i, 5. 
 The evening comes first every time. In Lev. , xxiii, 32, we 
 read, ' From even unto even shall ye celebrate j'our Sabbaths. ' 
 As the day according to the Bible begins at evening, when did 
 the first day begin ? " "It must have begun on our Saturday 
 night." " Exactly. Then this meeting was held on what we 
 would call Saturday evening ? " "Yes, sir. " "Bather slim 
 proof for Sunday, is it not ? But what did Paul do the fol- 
 lowing Sunday morning ? Traveled on foot to Assos, a dis- 
 tance of nearly twenty miles, see verses 11-14. Rather poor 
 example of Sunday sacredness, is it not ? Well, brother, after 
 we have briefly analyzed this text, how much evidence for 
 Sunday keeping do you get out of it ? " "Well, sir, I do not 
 think the proof is very powerful, that's a fact. But I have 
 two more texts and I am done. 1 Cor., xvi, 1, 2, seems to 
 teach that the early Christians met for worship and took up 
 their collections on the first day of the week." "Does the 
 
Experiences of a Pioneee Minister. 101 
 
 text say they should meet together on the first day of the 
 week?" "No." "Does it say anything at all about any 
 meeting of any kind ? " "No." "Does it say 'lay by him 
 in store ?' " "Yes." "Does the term 'lay by him' mean 
 to -put something into a common treasury ? " " No. " ' ' Then 
 is there the slightest evidence here that it was the custom of 
 the early Christians to meet for worship on the first day of the 
 week?"" "I cannot say that there is. " "But the text not 
 only says ' lay by him in store, ' which means to do this at home, 
 but ' lay by him in store as God has prospered him. ' Many 
 people in business would only know how they had been pros- 
 pered through the week by an examination of their accounts. 
 Reckon up their income and their expenses. Subtract the one 
 from the other, and the difference would show how they had 
 been prospered. Very good work for a secular day, but not 
 at all in keeping with a sacred day. Paul had no idea of Sun- 
 day sacredness, or he would never have given such instructions 
 as that." "It does look that way to me now ; but I thought 
 it was good proof until we scrutinized it more closely. 1 have 
 just one more text. In Rev., i, 10, John says he was in the 
 spirit on the Lord's day. I have always been taught that 
 Sunday is the Lord's day, and became such at the resurrec- 
 tion. " ' ' Does the Bible say so ? " " No. " " Did God ever 
 bless Sunday ? " "No." "Did He ever sanctify it ?" "No." 
 "Did He ever call it the Lord's day ? " "No." " Did He 
 ever apply any sacred title to it whatever ? " " No. " ' ' Then 
 why should we call it the Lord's day, and apply sacred titles 
 to it, if the Lord never did ? Did God ever bless the seventh 
 day?" "Yes." " Did He sanctify it ? " "Yes." "Did 
 He call it the Sabbath of the Lord, thy God?" "Yes." 
 "Did He call it 'My holy day' ? " "Yes, Isa., tviii, 13." 
 "Did Christ say He was its Lord?" "Yes, Matt., xii, 8." 
 ' ' Then what day is the Lord's day ? " "It looks as if it were 
 the Sabbath." "Yes; God gave six days to man, and re- 
 served the seventh for Himself. Consequently it is the Lord's 
 holy Sabbath day. You have been presenting to us what you 
 considered- proof for Sunday sacredness, and we have not 
 been able to find any sacred title applied to it, nor any com- 
 mand for its observance, or any sanctiflcation of it, or any 
 blessing pronounced upon it. Neither have we found a single 
 instance in which Christ or the apostles observed it as a sacred 
 
102 Experiences of a Pioneek Minister 
 
 day. We have not been able to find a single Divine reason 
 for its observance. We keep it because Christ arose on that 
 day, is of man, and not of God. 
 
 ' ' Redemption is greater than creation, therefore we should 
 keep Sunday, is declared by men ; not by God. It is blessed, 
 sanctified and commanded by man, but not by God; while on 
 the other hand the seventh day is blessed, sanctified and com- 
 manded by the God of heaven. Observed by Christ," Luke, 
 iv, 1 6 ; kept by the holy women after the resurrection, Luke, 
 xxiii, 56 ; kept by the apostles, Acts, xiii, 13, 14, 42, 44. It 
 was Paul's manner to keep the Sabbath, Acts, xvii, 2, 13. He 
 persuaded both Jews and Greeks (gentiles) every Sabbath, 
 Acts, xviii, 4. John calls it Lord's day in Rev., i, 10, and 
 all flesh will observe it in the new earth, Isa. , Lxvi, 22, 23. 
 My brother, in the light of these facts which day ought we 
 keep?" 
 
 The gentleman did not say he would keep the Sabbath, but 
 he left the tent in a very different state of mind to what he 
 came. '-To whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey; his 
 servants ye are to whom ye obey. " 
 
 Two ladies at Mankato believed the truth, and both desired 
 baptism, and both were opposed by their husbands. One husband 
 said, "This is something new, do not be too hasty; wait three 
 months, and if you still desire baptism I will not object," and 
 he wept his- grief before his wife, who finally consented to 
 wait. When the three months were up he opposed her desire 
 for baptism more vehemently than ever. One yielding pre- 
 pared the way for another, until she gave up living out her 
 convictions of duty altogether, and as a consequence her hope 
 of eternal life fled and her light went out in darkness. 
 
 THE OTHER LADY 
 
 was at the tent the Sunday we were receiving candidates for 
 baptism. Her husband told her if she was baptized he would 
 not live with her. She wanted to know what she had better 
 do under the circumstances. I said if she felt it her duty to 
 God to be baptized, her husband had no right to stand between 
 her and her God. So she decided to go forward, at which 
 her husband was furious. They had but one child, a little 
 boy, who wished to remain with his mother; but the father 
 seized him by the arm and dragged the struggling, crying 
 
Experiences op a Pioneer Minister 103 
 
 child out of the tent, before all the people, giving his wife to 
 understand the separation was final. 
 
 A wickeder looking man I never saw. This Christian hero- 
 ine was baptized and her husband compelled her to walk home, 
 a distance of six miles, he driving just ahead of her all the 
 way, but not suffering her to get into the wagon. After 
 reaching home, I was told, he threw all her Adventist publica- 
 tions into the fire, and the poor woman had a hard time of it 
 for awhile ; but she continued faithful, trusting in God and 
 He gave her the victory. About three months afterward, as 
 I entered the Mankato Adventist church, one Sabbath morn- 
 ing, I saw the gentleman and his wife, sitting side by side, 
 as cosy as could be. I said to him : "1 am very much sur- 
 prised to see you here. " "Well," he said, "I have decided 
 to go with my wile." If the other lady had been equally 
 firm, and true to her convictions, she, too, might be rejoicing, 
 with her husband, in the blessed hope. How dost thou know, 
 oh wife, but thou mayest gain thy husband; but no wife can 
 gain her husband by yielding her convictions of truth and 
 duty. I held meetings the next fall at Tenhassen, Martin 
 county, in the same school house in which, years before, I 
 had taught school. 1 had quite an experience getting there. 
 Night overtook me and it was very dark, and I lost my way 
 on the sparsely settled prairie. I kept driving on, sometimes 
 in the road and sometimes out of it, not knowing whither I 
 was going. At last I ran on to a house which proved to be 
 Bro. Wilson's. I was made welcome, and it was much more 
 agreeable than wandering in the cold and darkness. The next 
 morning, while running behind the buggy to get warm, my 
 horses ran away^ My trunk went bobbing up and down, 
 turned over on its side, and I expected, every moment, to see 
 it fly out; but it did not. Some men ahead of me, in a wagon, 
 stopped my horses before much damage was done. When I 
 reached the meeting I found the brethren about ready to dis- 
 perse. They had waited so long they had become discouraged 
 and had given up hopes of my coming. Our meetings at Ten- 
 hassen were well attended and some were convinced of the 
 truth and joined the little company of believers. 
 
 One evening, after I had spoken with a good degree of free- 
 dom on the Sabbath question, a gentleman went through the 
 audience shaking hands and talking about his heart. He 
 
104 Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 kept Sunday and his heart did not condemn him. While I 
 was putting on my overcoat he came to me about his heart, 
 1 opened my Bible and requested him to read Prov. , xxviii. 
 26, which he did, as follows; "He that trusteth in his own 
 heart is a fool; but whoso walketh wisely shall be delivered." 
 We heard but little more from him on the heart subject that 
 evening. 
 
 Is it not passing strange that professed followers of Christ 
 will reject the plain testimony of His word and follow the lead- 
 ings of their own hearts? Better do as David did. He said, 
 "Thy word, 0, Lord, have 1 hid in my heart that I might not 
 sin against Thee. " Ps. , cxix, 11. Dear reader, not our heart, 
 but ' 'Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my 
 path to guide us in the way to heaven." Ps., cxix, 105. The 
 winter of 1879-80 I held meetings in a school house about four 
 miles northwest of Blue Earth Citj'. After my meetings 
 closed a Free- Will Baptist minister. Hardy by name, announced 
 to speak on the Sabbath question. I announced that after his 
 meeting was over I would speak the same evening on the same 
 subject. I went early and took a chair with me. When I ar- 
 rived I could scarcely find room to place my chair, and before 
 meeting began the house was literally packed. The people 
 clambered upon desks and everywhere they could get. It was 
 so packed about the door it was nearly impossible to get in or 
 out, while others stood outside and still others went home. 
 
 Elder Hardy went through the usual programme of making 
 light of our people and work, but brought little proof for Sun- 
 day. After his sermon I arose, and he motioned with his 
 hand and said "Sit down, sir, sit down." I meekly said, 
 "Bro. Hardy, may I have the privilege of making an announce- 
 ment?" "Oh, yes," he said. "After Bro. Hardy has dis- 
 missed his meeting I will immediately speak on the other side 
 of this question, and extend to him a cordial invitation to re- 
 main, and all others who are not afraid to look at both sides 
 of a subject. All who are afraid to, of course, are excused." 
 Bro. Hardy, his deacon and a very few others left, but as they 
 crowded out, others crowded in. My old class leader of former 
 years started to go, but as he saw so few going he returned 
 again. One lady who went out spoke so loudly as to seriously 
 interrupt the services inside. I knew her voice, and cried out 
 loud enough for her to hear: "That's a Methodist lady that is 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 105- 
 
 makiug that great racket outside. " She soon left and we had 
 quiet. 
 
 Everybody listened with great attention until I was 
 through. Then Mr. Wynne wanted to know how it could be 
 that the Lord heard his prayers, if he were not right in keeping 
 Sunday. We replied something as follows : 
 
 ' ' 'We know God heareth us because we keep his command- 
 ments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. ' 
 1 John, iii, 22. Again, we may at one time be accepted of 
 God, and because of the rejection of truth, be rejected of Him 
 at another time. In Hosea, iv, 6, we read : 'My people are 
 destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because thou hast rejected 
 knowledge I will also reject thee. . . Because thou hast for- 
 gotten the law of thy God I will also forget -thy children. ' 
 It is plain, according to this scripture, that knowledge comes 
 to the professed children of God concerning His law, and 
 they reject it and are, in consequence, themselves rejected of 
 God. We believe this scripture is being fulfilled now: 1st, 
 There is a special message going to the people in regard to the 
 commandments of God, especially the fourth precept, and 
 many of God's professed people are rejecting it. 2. That this 
 scripture refers especially to the last days is shown by the 
 connection in which it stands. The second verse reads: 'By 
 swearing and lying, and killing and stealing, and committing 
 adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. " What a 
 faithful picture of our days. The third verse says : 'There- 
 fore shall the land mourn, and everyone that dwelleth therein 
 shall languish with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls 
 of heaven ; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away. ' 
 Have the fowls of heaven been taken awaj' yet? No. Have 
 the fishes of the sea been taken away yet? No; and will not 
 be until the pouring out of the second plague. 'And the sec- 
 ond angel poured out his vial upon the sea, and it became as 
 the blood of a dead man, and every living soul (fishes) died in 
 the sea. ' Rev. , xvi, 3. As the rejection of knowledge in re- 
 gard to God's law was to take place in the last days, and is 
 now being fulfilled, you see, Bro. Wynne, that before knowl- 
 edge comes to you, that you are transgressing God's law, your 
 prayer might be heard and answered; while, when the light 
 comes to you and you refuse to walk in it, both you and 5'our 
 prayers will be rejected of God. 'He that turneth his ear 
 
106 Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 away from hearing the law even his prayer shall be abomina 
 tion.' Prov., xxviii, 9." 
 
 After meeting was dismissed a wilder c]ass of people 1 never 
 saw. They crowded around me and the uproar was tremend- 
 ous. Really I did not know what would happen next. All at 
 once, in the midst of the tumult, a voice arose high and clear 
 above all other sounds; "I tell you, Mr. Hill is a Christian." 
 It was the wife of a French gentleman that had spoken. In an 
 instant every voice was hushed and there was a great calm. 
 The spell was broken and we all went home. I believe it was 
 the Lord's doing that she cried out as she did. Toward spring 
 I began meetings near Kasota, Le Sueur county. Bro. Small, 
 of Eagle Lake, had been holding meetings there. He was joined 
 by an Eld. Sweet, who claimed to be almost persuaded to keep 
 the Sabbath, but it turned out that he was only waiting to see 
 which way the people of the neighborhood would turn. He 
 soon discovered that the}^ had no intention of keeping Sabbath, 
 and he immediately became a very strong Sunday advocate, and 
 worked against Bro. Small, who became a good deal discour- 
 aged. He told me he had done all he could for the people, but 
 they seemed more and more determined to go the wrong way. 
 He desired me to go with him to an appointment he had at the 
 school house for the next Sunday. 
 
 We found a goodly number present, who listened attentively to 
 the word spoken. I was so favorably impressed with the outlook 
 that I began a course of lectures. The house was filled ; evening 
 after evening the people listened to the special truths for these 
 last days, and a goodly number decided to obey. Sabbath school 
 and meetings were established, which continue unto this day. 
 
 When the meetings were in full blast Eld. Sweet, who had 
 been absent a few days, returned. He immediately began 
 going from house to house striving to turn the people away 
 from the faith. When 1 learned what he was doing, 1 publicly 
 invited him to give the people his reasons for keeping Sundaj-, 
 in the schoolhouse, the next evening. A crowd was out to hear 
 him. After he had finished, 1 reviewed him briefly. The 
 next morning he went away and was never seen in that neigh- 
 borhood again. 1 felt sorry for him. Poor man! Nearingthe 
 end of life's journey, striving against the truth of God! He 
 ought long ago to have learned that we can do nothing against 
 the truth, but for the truth. 
 
Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 107 
 
 the first sunday in may, 1880, 
 ■we had a memorable discussion in Eagle Lake, on the Sabbath 
 question. Eld. Kelley, of Janesville, Minn. , was the opposing 
 party. There had been a good deal said about it in the papers 
 beforehand, and people came for miles, many expecting that the 
 Seventh Day Sabbath would now receive its death blow. Eld. 
 Kelley depended a good deal on his wit to carry his point. He 
 insisted on having a board of three moderators, who should de- 
 cide who had presented the best argument. The board was 
 composed of one Sabbath keeper and two Sunday keepers, one 
 of whom was Eld. Surges, a great opposer of our faith. He 
 had sometime previously preached what he called the funeral 
 sermon of Seventh Day Adventism. It looked a little dubious 
 about the decision, We had a great desire that the truth 
 would triumph. We appointed an hour before day at which the 
 brethren arose and sought the Lord's blessing on His own pre- 
 cious truth that day. 
 ^ We went into the battle trusting in the almighty power of 
 ^the God of truth, and he did not fail us. The elder worked 
 hard. He even got down on his knees and prayed to the ten 
 commandments, but it was all of no avail. After the discus- 
 sion the committee retired to consult together. In a few min- 
 utes they returned, having agreed that Eld. Kellej' had lost his 
 proposition. The next issue of the Mankato Free Press con- 
 tained a brief account of the discussion, ending with these 
 words: "It was decided that Saturday is the right Sunday.'' 
 
 The next day after the discussion I was very weary and was 
 resting in Dr. Cordell's house. Siiddenlj- I was impressed 
 that I ought to go immediately to the large 60-foot tent 
 wherein the discussion was held. 1 did not wish to go, as I 
 was very weary, but I could not shake off the impression, so 
 I went. I found it filled with children at play. I told them 
 to run away, and they ran in every direction ; but none too 
 soon, for the large center pole immediately fell over, taking 
 the whole tent with it. One little fellow did not get out until 
 the tent was upon him. He was not hurt, but was under the 
 canvas. He was frightened nearly out of his wits, and he did 
 his best at making a loud noise. 
 
 HAD THE POLE FALLEN 
 
 when all the children were in the tent, no doubt a number of 
 them would have been killed, or very badly hurt. I was verj- 
 
108 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 thankful I had been led there just in time to prevent such a 
 sad result. Surely ' ' the angel of the Lord encampeth round 
 about them that fear Him and deliveretb them," Ps., xxxiv, 7. 
 
 That same spring our people held an institute at Medford, 
 Steele county. Bro. M. H. Gregory accompanied me in my. 
 buggy. We had a profitable time at the institute, which was 
 conducted by Elder L. B. Whitney. On our return the roads 
 were very muddy, and wherever I could find a bit of sod I 
 would drive on it, if possible. Bro. Gregory kept saying, 
 " You will upset the whole thing if you are not more careful." 
 ' ' Oh, don't be frightened ; I never upset a buggy in my life. " 
 Sure enough, as I hugged a hillside, where there was grass, a 
 little too close, we had to jump to save ourselves, and our 
 things fell out into the mud. "Now !" cried Bro. Gregory, 
 ' ' never say again you never upset a buggy in jour life. " 
 ' ' Oh, Bro. Gregory, this is hardly an upset ; only a spill out, 
 that's all. " 
 
 That summer Elder Dimmick, Bro. Gregory and myself held 
 a tent meeting at Alma City. As usual, opposition raised up 
 against the truth. One Elder D. Morgan for six meetings 
 affirmed that the first day of the week is the Sabbath. Before 
 he began he said he was not fool enough to do away with the 
 fourth commandment ; but he had not gone far before he said 
 the whole ten were done away, which showed he was ten times 
 more of a fool than he thought for. ' ' The wise in heart will 
 receive commandments, but a prating fool (one that prates 
 or speaks against the commandments) shall fall." Prov., x, 8. 
 When it was shown that the Methodist church authoritatively 
 teaches that the ten commandments are the law of God, bind- 
 ing upon all men. Elder Morgan replied, ' ' I am not preaching 
 Methodist doctrine now." "A house divided against itself 
 cannot stand." Mark, iii, 25. 
 
 ' ' Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble and the flame 
 consumeth the chafl', so their root shall be as rottenness, and 
 their blossom shall go up as dust, because they have cast away 
 the law of the Lord of Hosts, and despised the word of the 
 Holy One of Israel." Isa., v, 24. This terrible denunciation 
 applies pointedly and unmistakably to Elder Morgan. He has 
 cast away the law of the Lord of Hosts, as far as it is possi- 
 ble for man to do so. He says it is dead, done away and 
 made void. He despises the only word God ever spoke to 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 109 
 
 man with His own voice, and wrote with His own Divine finger 
 on the tables of stone. This word, so highly honored of God, 
 He tramples in the dust, and calls it Jewish death, bondage, 
 etc. Thus he despises the word of the Holy One of Israel. I 
 warn him as a friend, I exhort him, and those ministers who 
 uphold him in this great wickedness, to repent and do works 
 meet for repentance before it is too late. The law of God is 
 all right and will stand ; but those who are found in opposi- 
 tion to its principles of righteousness will surely fall. ' ' All 
 Thy commandments are sure, they stand fast forever and 
 ever." Ps., cxi, 7, 8. 
 
 Only a few embraced the truth at Alma City. The majority 
 were highly pleased with the idea that God's law is abolished, 
 and with it the Lord's Sabbath. What a sad awakening there 
 will be, when they discover that the law they despised and re- 
 jected will be the rule by which they will be judged, Ecc. , xii, 
 13, 14 ; Jas, ii, 10-12. 
 
 We were now living in Eagle Lake, Blue Earth county. 
 Diphtheria was raging through that part of the country. In 
 the city of Mankato its ravages were terrible. As I was re- 
 turning from holding a general meeting near Wells, in Septem- 
 ber, 1880, some of the neighbors rriet me and told me my 
 eldest son, Frankie, was down with the dread disease. For. 
 fifteen days and nights we watched over nim and did what we 
 could foi; him ; but at last it became evident that we must 
 part with our first born. Two or three days before he died he 
 said, "Papa, I am going to die." Darling boy! His eye 
 brightened as he spoke of the heavenly city. He said, ' 'There 
 will be no sorrow there. " How thankful we were for a religion 
 so simple, so precious, that a child ten years old could be com- 
 forted and sustained by it, even in- the face of death. Even 
 his young heart could trust in Jesus in that trying hour. 
 
 AS THE END DREW NEAR 
 
 he wanted his papa to lie down with him and then hold him in 
 his arms in a chair, and then lie down with him again. The 
 physician was present and told me not to do so, as I might 
 take the disease. I said his dying request should be granted, 
 regardless of consequences. It was such a crushing blow to 
 U8. Oh, how our sad hearts were wounded, and how lonely 
 our house seemed, and still the death angel was hovering over 
 
110 Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 us. Our eldest little girl, Ella, was sick with the same disease, 
 and the night after Frankie was buried she had a terrible fever. 
 We wrung a large cloth out of cold water and laid it on the 
 whole length of her body. In a few minutes it would be 
 steaming with heat, when we would repeat the process, until 
 finally the fever subsided. The next morning as the doctor 
 came in, he said, "That little girl will get well," which she 
 did. It seemed we could not bear the strain of losing an- 
 other of our dear children at that time ; but our hearts were 
 comforted with the blessed hope that the Life Giver would 
 soon come again and restore our loved ones to us once more. 
 The diphtheria still raged, and in January, 1881, it came to 
 our next door neighbors. As our children had played with 
 theirs, we were afraid that the diphtheria would visit us again. 
 Our worst fears were realized. Our only remaining little boy, 
 Gurden, five years old, and his little sister Nellie, one year and 
 a half old, were taken down with it. 
 
 THOSE WERE DARK DAYS. 
 
 It seemed as though my head would burst as I beheld the suf- 
 fering of the little ones. How it made our hearts long for the 
 time to come when there will be no more pain, neither sorrow 
 nor crying, for the former things have passed away. The lit- 
 tle girl was saved, and she has been sunshine to our hearts 
 ever since, but little Gurden was laid beside his brother, until 
 the voice of the archangel will awake the sleeping saints. 
 
 I did not enter a new field that winter, finding plenty to do 
 in looking after the churches of Kasota, Eagle Lake, Man- 
 kato, Alden, Wells, Tenhassen and Milford. The latter church 
 was situated near Spirit Lake, in northwestern Iowa. 
 
 The following April, in company with Elder Ells, I visited 
 the churches of Tenhassen and Milford. It was a time of 
 high water. Streams were swollen, bridges and houses were 
 swept away by the angry floods. As we got to Fairmont, 
 Martin county, we found it was impossible to get to Bro. 
 Knowlton's, who lived four miles in the country, by the wagon 
 road. We followed the railroad track until we crossed the 
 outlet of the lake. Then we took across the prairie, winding 
 around the sloughs as best we could. We eventually reached 
 Bro. Knowlton's, tired and weary, glad to find a resting place. 
 The next morning Bro. Knowlton said the water was too high 
 
EXPEEIENCES OP A PlONEEK MINISTER. Ill 
 
 and cold to drive his team to Tenhassen, eight or nine miles 
 distant. As we had an appointment for the next evening, I 
 told Bro. Ells I would try to get through on foot. If I could 
 not get through I could come back again. I found I had a 
 difficult iourney to perform. The country was afloat with ice- 
 cold water. Sloughs 1 could not get around I forded, and so 
 made my way until I reached Mr. De Wolf's, opposite Tenhas- 
 sen; but between, rolled rods and rods of swift-running water, 
 and not a boat to be had. What is to be done next ? So near 
 to Tenhassen, and must we fail now ? ' ' What do you think, 
 Bro. De Wolf, can j'ou not take me to the bridge with your 
 team?" "Well, we might try. What do you say, Tom?" 
 speaking to his hired man, "We were the last to venture 
 across on the ice, suppose we be the first to try the water." 
 "I don't care," said Tom, so we started immediately. It was 
 a risky piece of business. 
 
 The water kept deepening until the horses began to swim. 
 The water came into the wagon box and we stood upon the seat. 
 As we stood there the water came half-way to the tops of 
 our boots. The swift current twirled one of the end-boards 
 out of the wagon box, and what will come next? It looked 
 very much as if we would have to swim in the cold water. 
 Just then the water became shallower, and soon the horses struck 
 bottom and we came out all right. When we reached the long 
 bridge across the outlet we found a large share of it had fallen 
 flat upon the water, and there were rods of water between the 
 far end of it and the dry land. I met a man on the bridge 
 who said he had poled himself from the shore to the bridge on 
 a flat stick of timber. I took his pole and stick of timber and 
 was soon on terra jirma. That evening a goodly number were 
 present and we had a good meeting, and I was happy to be 
 able to fill my appointment and speak an encouraging word to 
 Grod's children. After a few days I was joined by Bro. Ells, 
 and we went on to Milford. The distance was about thirty 
 miles over a vast rolling prairie. About midway between Ten- 
 hassen and Milford lived a Bro. Crumb. We invariably 
 stopped there, going and coming, for rest and refreshments. 
 So his place was appropriately termed Crumb Station. At 
 Estherville we found the bridge across the Des Moines river 
 carried away, and we crossed in a small boat. There was a 
 great hole in the mill. The water had thrust a great cake of ice 
 
112 Experiences op a Pioneee Minister. 
 
 clear through it. The place looked desolate enough. In the 
 new earth there will be no such scenes of destruction. Ma}' 
 the happy change soon come! We held a series of meetings 
 with the Milford church, encouraged them what we could in 
 the way of holiness unto the Lord, had a baptism in lake Oke- 
 bogee, and started on foot for Tenhassen. Thus, in weariness 
 and painfulness, was the cause built up in those early days. 
 
 The following summer Eld. Ells and myself held tent meet- 
 ings in St. Peter. The interest was not great, but some em- 
 braced the present Truth and were baptized. One hot, sultry 
 day as I was preparing to write letters, a couple of men en- 
 tered the tent. 1 invited them to be seated, and entered into 
 conversation, as follows: "Do you live in this vicinity?" "No, 
 sir; we live more than fifteen hundred miles from here, " ' 'Oh, 
 you are from the East, I presume?" "No, sir; we are from 
 the West — from Utah. We are Mormon elders." "Is that 
 so? I never saw a Mormon elder before. Do you believe in a 
 plurality of wives?" "Yes, sir; we do." "Why do you believe 
 such nonsense as that?" "That is not nonsense; that is Bible. 
 Abraham was a good man, and he had more than one wife." 
 "You went a long way back for an example. While you 
 were going so far back why did you not go back to the begin- 
 ning — to Adam? God made one man and made just one wife 
 for him. God knew what was best for man. If two or more 
 wives had been for his highest good, God would not have with- 
 held them from him. One man and one woman was God's 
 ideal of marriage, and any deviation from the perfect pattern, 
 whether by Abraham, or Mormons, or anybody else, is a per- 
 version of the marriage institution. " ' 'Well, 1 saj- to you, sir, 
 we are commanded in the New Testament to have more than 
 one wife. " "You astonish me. 1 supposed I had read every 
 word in the New Testament several times, but I never read any- 
 thing like that." "Wo are told in the New Testament that we 
 should do the works of Abraham, and he had more than one 
 wife, so, if we do the works of Abraham, we wiD also have 
 more than ono wife. If wo don't we will not do the works 
 Abraham did." "Well, lot us see how that would work: 
 Abraham m:uTiod Sarah; so, to do as Abraham did, we will 
 liav<^ to marry Sarah, too. Afterward we must marry Hagar, 
 Surah's maid ; tlion troulilc comos into the family, in fact do- 
 mestic infelicity roaches sucha height that we will be compelled 
 
Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 113 
 
 to give Hagar a loaf of bread and a bottle of water, and send 
 her and her son away into the wilderness. So we would only 
 have one wife at last. You see, gentlemen, you have referred 
 to a very poor example for a plurality of wives." I wonder if 
 Mormons do not often feel like Abraham, very sorry they were 
 foolish enough to enter upon a course fraught with so much 
 domestic unhappiness. They thought we ought to let them 
 have our tent in which to preach Mormonism ; but, of course, 
 we could not do so. Pbor fellows ! Going up and down in the 
 earth to build up error and falsehood, supposing they are doing 
 God service. They endure cold, hunger and ridicule cheer- 
 fully, believing they will be rewarded in the Kingdom of God. 
 
 There are, no doubt, rogues and deceivers among them ; but 
 many of them are sincere men; but, alas, sincerity does not 
 remove their ignorance and superstition. Oh, the power of 
 Satan, that holds men in such utter darkness when the true 
 light shines all around them. How thankful we ought to be 
 for the light. 
 
 ' ' Shall we, whose souls are lighted 
 With wisdom from on high; 
 Shall we to men benighted. 
 The lamp of life deny? " 
 
 1 worked in harvest that year for Bro. Wm. Pettis, of Ka- 
 sota. It was hard work for me, but I stood it pretty well. 
 The next fall I held meetings in the Herrick school house, in 
 northwestern Iowa. At first we had a very small attendance. 
 Those who did attend reported excellent meetings, and soon 
 we had a housefull. 
 
 THE LORD BLESSED THE WORK 
 
 to the salvation of some who embraced the precious truths for 
 the days in which we live. The winter was quite open and 
 there was much foggy weather. Sometimes the fog was so 
 dense you could not see a rod before you. 
 
 Mr. Murray's family were much interested in the meetings. 
 The gentleman was often away from home and then it was 
 quite difficult for his wife and' children to get to meeting, and 
 I used to either send some one with a team for them or go 
 myself. One evening 1 had Bro. Herrick's team, taking them 
 home from meeting and the fog was so dense we lost our way 
 on the prairie. I felt very uneasy at the prospect of staying all 
 
114 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 night on the prs^ie with the mother and five children, none of 
 whom were any -too warmly clad. The larger children and I 
 stretched our in every direction from the wagon in hopes of 
 finding some way mark by which to determine our where- 
 abouts. At last we ran on to an old straw-stack. The chil- 
 dren said, "We know where we are now; this road that runs 
 by the stack leads right up to our house. " And so it proved. 
 It was a great relief to me to see them all safe at home. 
 
 A CHAPTER OF DISASTERS. 
 
 The next spring we had baptism a mile or two from thC' 
 schoolhouse, where the meetings were held. A nice company 
 of young people were baptized. How my heart swelled with 
 gratitude to God, who had turned their young hearts from the 
 ways of sin to love God and keep His commandments. After 
 baptism I was going to take Sister Murray and her children 
 home in my buggy. After they were all in the buggy there 
 was very little room for me, so I said, Ralph, the oldest child, 
 might drive the horses and I would ride with some one else. 
 
 Sister Murray thought her boy could drive all right, and so 
 they started, a little in advance of the rest. All at once there 
 was a cry raised, "Whose team is that running awaj-?" I 
 looked up, and lo, there was my team running, with the buggy 
 turned upside down, with nothing left of the box but the bot- 
 tom. 
 
 With fear and trembling I ran up to where the family were 
 dumped out upon the ground in a heap. Sister Murray's shoul- 
 der was dislocated and was very painful. One little girl's 
 nose was bleeding profusely. As she wept she wiped her face 
 with her hands and the blood from her nose fell on her hands 
 and she was covered with blood face, hands, everywhere. I 
 thought she must be badly hurt, but not a scratch could be 
 found upon her. Poor Sister Murray' suffered severely. The 
 summer of 1882 I did not hold any tent meetings in new 
 fields, being occupied in building up the work among the 
 churches. In the autumn we held a general meeting at Eagle 
 Lake, at which Sister Plum requested that a course of meet- 
 ings be held at Good Thunder, a town situated about thirteen 
 miles south of Mankato, on the Wells & Mankato branch of 
 the C. & M. R. R. It was decided I should go and see what 
 could be done. It was a German town, with comparatively 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 11& 
 
 few American people in it. It was a great place for drinking 
 beer. The Catholics and Lutherans would flock to church on 
 Sunday morning, and after meeting, the sisters 'would sell their 
 butter and eggs at the stores, while the brethren would regale 
 themselves with beer and tobacco in the saloons, not having 
 the remotest idea that they were not the best of Christians, 
 fully believing that St. Peter would immediately swing wide 
 open the pearly gate, and give them a roj'al welcome into the 
 shining city as soon as they should shufHe off this mortal coil, 
 and leave this mundane sphere. To intimate to them that 
 their religion was not the genuine article, was to incur their 
 hot displeasure at once. Some said : "If Bro. Hill goes there, 
 they will ride him out of town on a rail. " ' ' Very well, I will 
 have a ride then, for I am going." The Baptist place of 
 worship was secured in which to hold meetings, and we began 
 one Sunday evening in November, 1882. I drove a good 
 many miles through the cold, and arrived rather late. The 
 house was filled and the Lord gave freedom in preaching His 
 word. After meeting the Baptist brethren gathered around 
 me and expressed themselves highly gratified with the service 
 and said, ' ' Bro. Hill, as long as you preach Bible we will 
 stand by you." "Very well, brethren, then you will stand by 
 me always, for I don't know how to preach anything else but 
 Bible." 
 
 The meetings increased in interest continually until the sound 
 of them went out into the country for miles around. People 
 said no such meetings were ever held in Good Thunder before. 
 
 A Mrs. Graf, wife of the hardware merchant, became much 
 interested in the meetings, but her husband did not seem in- 
 clined to attend. He excused himself by saying: "I must at- 
 tend to business. " One evening, as she returned from meeting, 
 she discovered he had been having a good time in her parlor 
 drinking beer and playing cards with a few boon companions. 
 His excuse of business was no longer of any avail; Julius 
 must go to meeting, and to meeting he went. He also be- 
 came interested and finally gave his heart to God, and is to- 
 day, 1892, proclaiming the closing message of salvation to the 
 world. 
 
 While explaining the prophecies and the signs of the times, 
 the interest was intense. Saint and sinner, believer and un- 
 believer, were full of the themes preached on in the meetings. 
 
116 Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 In the post office, stores, shops and on the street corners, the 
 meetings were the subject of conversation and discussion. 
 
 When we reached the Sabbath question the interest deep- 
 ened. As the truth was presented on that subject, many were 
 enabled to see that the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord, 
 thy God, and a goodly number began its observance. Per- 
 haps a sermon or two on the Sabbath question will be of in- 
 terest to the reader, showing how people were led to forsake 
 the traditions and institutions of men to keep the command- 
 ments of the Lord. 
 
 ' ' My Friends : This evening we have come together to con- 
 sider the Sabbath question. There are two days before the 
 people claiming to be the Sabbath of the Lord. They cannot 
 both be genuine, for God does not require two holy Sabbaths 
 in every week. One must be genuine, the other counterfeit. 
 Which is genuine; which is counterfeit? Is it hard to tell? 
 The seventh day Sabbath came from God. 'See, for the Lord 
 hath given you the Sabbath.' Ex., xvi, 29. Did a counter- 
 feit or a fraud come from God? Hardly. God rested on the 
 seventh day; God blessed and sanctified it. Gen., ii, 1-3. 
 Not only so, but God proclaimed with His own voice: 'The 
 seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord, thj- God. ' He did 
 more. The Divine Being wrote with His own finger on the 
 table of stone : ' The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord, 
 thy God. ' Thus the seventh day Sabbath bears upon it the 
 blessing, sanctification and superscription of Almighty God. 
 You would be ashamed to ask for more proof of its genuine- 
 ness. 
 
 "What about Sunday, the first day of the week? Sunday, 
 80 called because anciently it was dedicated to the sun, or its 
 worship. — Webster. The heathen worshipped a counterfeit 
 God (the sun) on a counterfeit day (Sunday), while God's peo- 
 ple worshipped the true God on His true, holy Sabbath. Thus 
 it is certain that anciently Sunday was a counterfeit institu- 
 tion and the seventh day was the only genuine Lord's day. 
 Now you say the Lord has changed all this ; what was once 
 the genuine has become the counterfeit, and what was once 
 the counterfeit has become the true Lord's day. We all agree 
 that at one time it was pleasing to God to keep the seventh 
 day and displeasing to Him to keep Sunday, because it was a 
 heathen festival instituted in honor of a false God. But now 
 
Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 117 
 
 you say it is displeasing to God to keep the seyentli day, and 
 that it is His will and pleasure that we keep Sunday holy ; 
 that is to say, what God formerly blessed He condemns now, 
 and what He formerly condemned He blesses now. I cannot 
 believe such a thing possible. It don't look just right, does 
 it? But how did this great change come about? Did God 
 rest on Sunday? No one claims that He did. Did He trans- 
 fer His blessing and sanctiflcation from the seventh day to 
 Sunday? Not that anybody knows of. Did God ever com- 
 mand anyone to keep it holy? Such a commandment has 
 never yet been found ; it does not exist. Did He ever call it 
 the Sabbath? Never. Did he ever apply any sacred title to 
 it whatever? Every intelligent man and woman in this audi- 
 ence will say, ' No, He never did. ' Then do you not think 
 Sunday sacredness rather doubtful? Or do you still think we 
 must observe Sunday sacredly or be eternally lost? I think if 
 Sunday had become the Lord's day. He would have told us so 
 in His holy word. Don't you? 
 
 " Perhaps you still hold that Sunday is the Christian Sab- 
 bath and the seventh day is the old Jewish Sabbath. 
 
 ' ' Did you ever find the term ' Christian Sabbath' in the 
 Bible? Of course not. It is a fraudulent term, invented to'>^ 
 apply to a fraudulent institution. But why call the seventh 
 day the old Jewish Sabbath? Christ said it was made for 
 man. Mark, ii, 27. M-a-n does not spell J-e-w. Since the 
 Sabbath was made for man and we are men ; therefore the Sab- 
 bath was made for us. The only escape from this conclusion is to 
 maintain that the Jews are the only men that ever did or ever will 
 exist. For my part 1 am not prepared to admit any such thing. 
 
 ' ' Again, the Sabbath was made at creation. It took three 
 things to make the Sabbath. First, God rested on the seventh 
 day ; then it was God's rest day. Secondly, God blessed the 
 seventh day ; then it was God's blessed rest day. Thirdly, 
 God sanctified it ; thus it became God's blessed, sanctified rest 
 or Sabbath day. Thus the Sabbath was made God's holy day 
 in the beginning, two thousand five hundred years before there 
 was a Jew in existence ; yet people say, ' The seventh day is 
 the old Jewish Sabbath.' My friends, are you not sincerely 
 sorry you ever talked that way about the holy day of the Lord? 
 The commandment, itself, forever overthrows the idea that 
 the Sabbath is Jewish. 
 
118 Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 ' ' Let us read the commandment as our friends would have it 
 read : ' Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days 
 shalt thou labor and do all thy work, but the seventh day is 
 the ' old Jewish Sabbath. It don't read that way, does it ? 
 It does read, ' The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord 
 thy God. ' Then the Sabbath belongs to God, and not to the 
 Jews. We won't call it the old Jewish Sabbath any more, will 
 we ? It is a perversion of the truth. It is wrong and wicked 
 to do so. 
 
 "In Isaiah, Iviii, 13, we read, ' If thou turn thy foot from 
 the Sabbath, from doing my pleasure on my holy day, and 
 shalt call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honor- 
 able, and shall honor Him, ' etc. Here we are told to call the 
 Sabbath a delight. Some of you say your minister called the 
 Sabbath a yoke of bondage ; well, your minister called the 
 Sabbath bondage, and the Lord says, call it a delight. Which 
 do you think tells the truth about it, the Lord or j-our minis- 
 ter, and which will you mind, the minister or the Lord your 
 God ? We are not only to call the Sabbath a delight, but the 
 holy of the Lord, honorable. Did you call it the old Jewish 
 Sabbath to honor it, or to dishonor it ? No doubt you thought 
 to cast odium upon it ; but that is directly opposite to what 
 God's spirit tells us to do. Since God's spirit directs us to 
 call the Sabbath a delight, holy of the Lord, honorable, are 
 we led by the Lord's spirit if we call it Jewish, bondage, etc. , 
 and do what we can to make the Sabbath base and contempt- 
 ible in the sight of men ? ' As many as are led by the spirit 
 of God, they are the sons of God.' Rom., viii, 14. If we 
 are led by an opposite spirit, whose children are we ? John, 
 viii, 44. Isa. , Iviii, 13, not only tells us to call the Sabbath a 
 delight, holy of the Lord, honorable, but by so doing we shall 
 honor God. So we see God's honor is involved in this matter. 
 My fellow Christians, j^ou revere God, His honor is sacred in 
 your eyes. But God plainly teaches in His word that when 
 we honor the Sabbath we honor Him. Then it follows, if we 
 dishonor the Sabbath we dishonor God. This is a serious 
 matter, and we will be careful not to speak slightingly of the 
 Sabbath any more. We will no longer stigmatize it as the old 
 Jewish Sabbath ; but call it the Lord's holy, honorable day, 
 as He has plainly taught us to do in His holy word. 
 
 ' ' ' Yes, but, ' I hear some friend say, ' that was all right in 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 119 
 
 Old Testament times ; but now we live in New Testament 
 times, and have a new Sabbath, the first day of the week.' 
 Well, my friends, I have a proposition to make to you this 
 evening. If the New Testament teaches that the first day of 
 the week is the Sabbath, I will keep it with you. On the 
 other hand, if the New Testament teaches that the seventh 
 day is the Sabbath, you will keep it with me, and we will have 
 no division in this community on the Sabbath question. Now, 
 mind you, we are to settle it by the New Testament. I take 
 you to be good, honest people, and you will in nowise dodge 
 what the New Testament says on this important subject. We 
 will first read Matt., xxviii, 1, 'In the end of the Sabbath, as 
 it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, ' etc. From 
 this it is clear to every one that the Sabbath comes just before 
 the first day of the week. Mark bears the same testimony : 
 ' And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary 
 the mother of James and Salome, had bought sweet spices 
 that they might come and anoint Him. And very early in the 
 morning the first day of the week they came unto the sepul- 
 cher at the rising of the sun.' Mark, xvi, 1, 2. No one can 
 doubt that Mark calls the seventh day the Sabbath, for he 
 says, ' The Sabbath was past when the first day began. ' Thus 
 Matthew and Mark testify to the same fact. 
 
 "We will now read Luke, xxiii, 56, 'And they (the holy 
 women) returned and prepared spices and ointments and rested 
 the Sabbath day according to the commandment. ' Here it is 
 expressly stated that they kept the Sabbath according to the 
 commandment. That is the way you and I want to keep it. 
 In fact, if we do not keep it according to the commandment 
 we do not keep it at all. But which day did the holy women 
 observe as the Sabbath, the first or the seventh day ? The 
 next verse tells us, ' Now upon the first day of the week, very 
 early in the morning, they came unto the sepulcher, bringing 
 the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with 
 them.' Luke, xxiv, 1. You see, my friends, that the first 
 day of the week always comes along just after the Sabbath 
 was past. It is always one day too late to be the Sabbath ac- 
 cording to the New Testament. Again I ask. Does the Sab- 
 bath come just before the first day of the week according to 
 the New Testament ? In the light of the testimony of Mat- 
 thew, Mark and Luke, which I have just read, you must answer 
 
120 Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 yes. But what day comes always just before the first day of 
 the week? You answer, the seventh day of course. Then 
 what day should you and I observe as the Sabbath according 
 to the New Testament ? You must, in conscience answer, the 
 seventh day. Now we will all keep it, won't we ? One point 
 more. The holy women kept the Sabbath according to the 
 commandment by keeping the last or seventh day of the week. 
 It follows that when we keep the seventh day we keep the 
 Sabbath according to the commandment. Now, my Sunday- 
 keeping friend, let me ask you kindly, if we keep the Sabbath 
 according to the commandment by keeping the seventh day, 
 do you not go contrary to the commandment when you keep 
 Sunday. Before we close to-night I wish to say to you, there 
 is not the slightest shadow of evidence for Sunday keeping in 
 the Bible. The first day of the week is only mentioned eight 
 times in the New Testament. Now, to-morrow please take 
 your Bibles and concordances and look up every place where 
 it is mentioned, and if you find where it is once called the 
 Sabbath, or Lord's day, or a single instance in which Christ 
 or an apostle observed it as such, I will observe it also. You 
 will search the scriptures to find the truth on this important 
 question. I would suggest you get your ministers to help 
 you, and to-morrow evening you shall have opportunity to 
 present your scripture proof for Sunday sacredness. To-mor- 
 row evening the subject will be, ' Who Changed the Sab- 
 bath ? ' " 
 
 ' ' My Friends : In the good providence of God we are per- 
 mitted to assemble here once more to investigate a portion of 
 His word. The subject before us is, ' Who Changed the Sab- 
 bath ? ' But before going farther I will inquire, how many 
 have found where the first day is called the Sabbath or Lord's 
 day in the New Testament, or where Christ or the apostles ob- 
 served it as such in a single instance, or any Bible proof for 
 it whatever. All such please hold up j'our hands. Not a hand 
 jaised ! Not one of you with the aid of your ministers could 
 find a particle of Bible proof for Sundaj' keeping ; well, it 
 is hard to find proof where there is none. Of course if there 
 were any Bible proof for Sunday sacredness, you Christians, 
 who have listened to preaching, attended Sunday school, and 
 studied your Bibles all your lives, could certainly find it. So 
 
BXPEEIENCES OF A PlONEER MINISTER. 121 
 
 we all settle down on this one fact, there Is no Bible proof for 
 Sunday sacredness. Upon this point we all agree. We will 
 now show who did not change the Sabbath. 
 
 ' ' God says, ' My covenant will I not break, nor alter the 
 thing that has gone out of my lips. ' Ps. , Ixxxix, 34. You 
 may say this does not especially refer to the Sabbath. Per- 
 haps not, but at least it states the truth that God will not alter 
 the thing that has gone out of His lips. Did the Sabbath 
 come out of His lips ? Yes. Will He alter it ? No, for He 
 says, ' I will not alter the thing that has gone out of my lips.' 
 Christ did not change the Sabbath. He says, ' Think not that 
 I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come 
 to destroy but to fulfill ; for verily I say unto you, till heaven 
 and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the 
 law till all be fulfilled. ' (Till all things are accomplished. — 
 Sawyer. Till all things are ended. — Norton. Till all things 
 are accomplished. — Revised Version. Matt. v,17-19.) Have 
 heaven and earth passed away ? No. Have all things been ac- 
 complished? No. Then has one word or letter passed away from 
 the Sabbath commandment? You must, in all candor, answer 
 no. Christ taught His disciples to pray that their flight from 
 Jerusalem, nearly forty years after His resurrection, might not 
 be on the Sabbath day, Matt. , xxiv, 20, which does not look 
 much like abolishing or changing the Sabbath, does it? 
 
 ' 'At first all the Christians were Jews, and they were all zeal- 
 ous of the law, Acts, xxi, 20. If they were zealous of the law, 
 they were zealous of the Sabbath also. The first Gentile con- 
 vert to the Christian faith was Cornelius, A. D. 41, Acts, x, 
 1-48. Be it known unto all people that until the year of our 
 Lord 41 the many thousands of Christians were all zealous 
 Sabbath keepers, and there was not a Sunday keeping Christ- 
 ian in the whole world. The apostles were Jews, and every 
 believer and every preacher of the gospel were all Jews for 
 years after the resurrection. Were they all zealous of the 
 law ? Yes. Were they all zealous observers of the seventh 
 day ? Yes. Did one of them observe Sunday ? Not one. It 
 is not reasonable that they observed two Sabbaths every week. 
 
 THE APOSTLES OBSERVED THE SABBATH 
 
 and held religious meetings on that day. They met with the 
 Jews in the synagogue on the Sabbath. Acts, xiii, 14. They 
 
122 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister 
 
 met with the gentiles on that day. Acts, xiii, 42-44. They 
 met by the river side. Acts, xvi, 13. It was the only Sab- 
 bath known to the apostles. 'For Moses of old time hath in 
 every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues 
 every Sabbath day.' Acts, xv, 21. All agree that every Sab- 
 bath in which Moses was read in the synagogue was the sev- 
 enth day Sabbath. If the seventh day was every Sabbath, 
 where could the first day Sabbath be? It simply could not be 
 at all. The apostle James had no knowledge of any other 
 weekly Sabbath than the seventh day Sabbath. Again, ' and 
 he (Paul) reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and per- 
 suaded both the Jews and the Greeks' (gentiles). Acts, xviii, 
 4. Did he reason in the synagogue on the Sunday Sabbath? 
 No; but he reasoned every Sabbath. Where then was the 
 Sundaj' Sabbath? It was not born yet. Paul worked on 
 Sunday. 'And because they were of the same craft, he abode 
 with them and wrought for by their occupation,' they were 
 tent makers, 'And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sab- 
 bath and persuaded the Jews and Greeks. ' Acts, xviii, 3, 4. 
 "What did Paul do on every Sabbath? He reasoned in the 
 synagogue. What did he do on other days of the week? 
 Worked at tent making. Then what did he do on Sunday? 
 The conclusion is irresistible that Paul worked at tent making 
 on Sunday. Sundaj' sacredness came into the church later 
 than Paul's day. Dr. Smith in his Bible Die. Art. Sabbath 
 says that the Lord's day gradually took the place of the Jew- 
 ish Sabbath. Yes, it was a gradual process, this bringing 
 Sunday observance into the Christian church, the same as all 
 other errors were brought in. 
 
 "People's Encyclopedia, page 1597, saj's: 'There has 
 been no period, since the time of Christ, when there were no 
 Sabbath keeping Christians in the church. There is no posi- 
 tive evidence of any form of Sunday observance by Christians 
 previous to the middle of the second centur}'. ' 
 
 THE christian AT WORK 
 
 says: ' The selection of Sunday, thus changing the particular 
 day designated in the fourth commandment, was brought 
 about by the gradual concurrence of the early Christian church, 
 and on this basis, and no other, does the Christian Sabbath,- 
 the first day of the week, rightly rest. The exact date of the 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 123 
 
 substitution of the first day for the proper observance is not 
 known.' People's Cyclopedia, p. 519. 
 
 "Thomas Scott, on Acts, xx, 7, says: 'The change from 
 the seventh to the first day of the week seems to have been 
 gradually and silently introduced by example rather than by 
 express precept. ' 
 
 "Chamber's Cyclopedia, p. 85, 3d edition, 1881, gives the 
 following: 'At what date the Sunday, or the first day of the 
 week, began to be generally used by Christians as a stated 
 time for religious meetings, we have no definite information, 
 either in the New Testament, or in the writings of the Fathers 
 of the church. ' 
 
 "Sir William Domville says: 'Centuries of the Christian 
 era passed away before the Sunday was observed by the 
 Christian church as a Sabbath Examination of the six texts. ' 
 
 ' ' Much more might be given to the same import, but it is 
 not necessary. We have found that God did not change the 
 Sabbath; that Christ did not change it, and that the apostles 
 had no such mission or intention. That the change was 
 gradual and was not effected until hundreds of years after 
 Christ. 
 
 "Who then did change the Sabbath? 
 
 "TnDan. , viii, 12, we read of a power that should cast 
 down the truth to the ground. It is generally conceded that 
 the Roman power is here referred to. Has Rome cast down 
 the truth to the ground? Yes. She has perverted the truth 
 in regard to heaven and hell, and the forgiveness of sin. She 
 has perverted the Lord's supper into an idolatrous feast, 
 teaching that the priest has power to make a dozen or more 
 Gods and carry them around in his breeches pocket. We all 
 know that there is not a truth in the Christian religion that 
 Rome has not grossly perverted and cast down to the ground, 
 unless it be the Sabbath truth. Do you think the Sabbath es- 
 caped his hand, while all other truth fell under it? I think 
 Rome has taken a turn at the Sabbath truth as well as the 
 rest. In Dan., vii, 25, we have a prophecy that relates to 
 the Papacy: 'And he shall speak great words against the Most 
 High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and 
 shall think to change times and laws and they shall be given 
 into his hand until a time, times and the dividing of time. ' 
 
 "Has the Papacy spoken great words against the Most 
 
124 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 High? Yes. The Pope attributes to himself the attributes of 
 of Deity. He calls himself Lord God, the Pope. He says: 
 ' I am like the Most High, infallible ; I cannot err, ' and many 
 other such like things. Has the Papacy worn out the saints 
 of the Most High? Yes; countless millions of the saints of 
 God have gone down to the chambers of death under its cruel 
 power. 'And he should think to change times and laws (of 
 the Most High).' Do you think he has fulfilled this part of 
 the prophecy? We will let him speak for himself. On the 
 change of the fourth commandment. Q. By whom was it 
 changed? A. By the governors of the church. Abridg- 
 ment of Christian Doctrine. 
 
 ' ' Q. What warrant have you for keeping the Sunday pref- 
 erable to the ancient Sabbath, which was the Saturday? A. 
 We have for it the authority of the Catholic church, and 
 apostolic tradition. — Catholic Christian Instructed. They 
 have not only changed the Sabbath into Sunday, but boast of 
 it as an evidence of their great power. 
 
 ' 'How prove you that the church hath power to command 
 feasts and holy days? A. By the verj' act of changing Sab- 
 bath into Sunday. Abridgment of Christian Doctrine. 
 
 WHY bring SUNDAY KEEPING 
 
 into the church ? For the same reason image worship and 
 other heathen notions were brought in. After Constantino 
 professed Christianity, multitudes of heathen rushed into the 
 church who knew nothing of Christianity bej'ond the name, 
 and brought their heathen practices with them, among which 
 was Sunday keeping. At first it was not kept very well. The 
 first Sunday law extant was made by Constantine, A. D. 321, 
 which allowed farmers full liberty to carry on their work on 
 that day ; but the Catholic church took it up and christened it 
 Lord's day, and in its councils enjoined its strict observance. 
 In the council of Laodicea, A. D. 364, Sunday was not only 
 enjoined, but a curse was pronounced upon those who kept the 
 seventh day. Thus the Catholic church gradually substituted 
 Sunday, that wild solar holiday of all pagan times, for the 
 Sabbath of the Lord. Catholicism is only a mixture of hea- 
 thenism and Christianity, and it is the most natural thing in 
 the world that they should mix Sunday, the old heathen fes- 
 tival, in with the rest, and they did. 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 125 
 
 ' ' We have shown that the Sunday institution had its origin 
 among the heathen and was brought into the Catholic church 
 by the multitudes of heathen who flocked into it at the con- 
 Tersion of Constantine. That it was blessed, sanctiiied and 
 commanded b}' emperors, councils, popes, and earthly princes 
 and potentates, resting entirely upon the commandments of 
 men, without a ' Thus saith the Lord ' for its support. And 
 in conclusion I will briefly show that the seventh day, the only 
 weekly Sabbath or sacred day known to the Bible will be re- 
 stored and kept bj' the true people of God just before the 
 coming of Christ. 
 
 "It is said of them, ' Here are they that keep the command- 
 ments of God and the faith of Jesus.' Eev. , xiv, 12. The 
 next event is the coming of the Son of Man on the white 
 cloud, 1 -tth vei-se. To keep the commandments of God means 
 to keep them all, everj- one of them, for James says, ' If we 
 keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, we are guilty 
 of all.' Jas., ii, 10. Is not the Sabbath a point in the law ? 
 Yes. Then if we violate God's holy Sabbath can we be called 
 commandment keepers ? Xo, not by any means. It follows 
 when God says just before the coming of Christ, ' Here are 
 they that keep the commandments of God, ' he refers to a class 
 of people who keep the Sabbath. How do they become Sab- 
 bath keepers ? Because of a reform on the Sabbath just 
 prior to the second advent. Isa. ,Ivi, 1,2, reads: 'Thus saith 
 the Lord, keep ye justice and do judgment, for my salvation 
 is near to come and my righteousness to be revealed. Blessed 
 is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth 
 hold on it ; that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and 
 that keepeth his hand from doing any evil. ' When is this to be 
 done ? ' For my salvation is near to come, and my righteous- 
 ness to be revealed. ' Peter says : ' Who are kept by the power 
 of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in 
 the last time.' 1 Pet, i,5. It is certain the Salvation will be 
 revealed in the last time. But when that salvation is near to 
 come we are to lay hold of the Sabbath. ( We do not have hold 
 of the Sabbath, or the Lord would not tell us to lay hold of it 
 if we did. It would be folly to tell me to lay hold of the 
 Sabbath if I already had hold of it. You have hold of a 
 counterfeit Sabbath, blessed, sanctified and commanded of 
 men, while God's holy Sabbath day you have disregarded and 
 
126 Experiences of a Pioneee Ministee. 
 
 set at naught. Now He calls upon you to forsake the pagan, 
 papal Sunday and accept and lay hold of God's true, holy Sab- 
 bath day. He says, ' Blessed is the man that doeth this. ' 
 
 ' ' That means you and me and everybody. ' Blessed is the 
 son of man that layeth hold upon it. ' You are sons of men, 
 are you not ? Yes. Then G-Qd sends this message to you — 
 to lay hold of and keep the Safbbath, and He says He will bless 
 you in so doing. When ? ' For my salvation is near to come 
 and my righteousness to be revealed ; ' and Peter tells us the 
 salvation will be revealed in the last time. My friends, this 
 plain message comes to you to-night. What will you do with 
 it ? I hope you will accept it and receive the promised 
 blessing. 
 
 ' ' Ezek. , xiii, 4, reads : ' Oh ! Israel ; thy prophets are like 
 the foxes in the deserts ; ye have not gone up into the gaps ; 
 neither have ye made up the hedge for the house Israel to 
 stand in the battle in the day of the Lord. ' In this scripture 
 is brought to view the battle in the day of the Lord. Peter 
 says : ' The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, 
 in which the heavens being on fire shall pass away with a great 
 noise,' etc. 2 Pet., 3-10. In that day there will be a great 
 battle. ' And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out 
 of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the 
 beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. These be 
 the spirits of devils working miracles, which go unto the 
 kings of the earth and of the whole world to gather them 
 together to the battle of the great day of God Almighty.' 
 Rev., xvi, 13, 14. 
 
 ' ' It will be the greatest battle the world has ever seen. It 
 will be the last great conflict, when Gog and Magog will come 
 up to the great battle of Armageddon, when all the nations, 
 kings and kingdoms of the whole world will be involved. In 
 that time of awful peril the Lord's people will be protected by 
 the power of God, the same as Noah was protected in the time 
 of the flood, and the same as the Israelites were protected 
 when the flrst born of Egypt were destroyed. But in order 
 thus to stand, the hedge must be made up, the gap or breach 
 in the hedge must be repaired. What is the hedge or protec- 
 tion for God's people in the time of trouble ? We believe it 
 is the law of God. If we keep God's commandments, He will 
 keep us. If we despise His commandments and defy His 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 127 
 
 authority, we cannot expect the Divine protection. The time 
 of trouble is brought to view in the 91st Psalm : ' Thou shalt 
 not be afraid of the terror by night, nor for the arrow that 
 flieth by day ; hor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, 
 nor for the destruction that wasteth by noonday. A thousand 
 shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand ; but 
 it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou 
 behold and see the reward of the wicked. ' Ps., xci, 5-8. Thus 
 we see God's people will stand secure, while the wicked fall by 
 the ten thousand on every side. What will be their shield or 
 protection ? We read in the fourth verse, ' His truth shall be 
 thy shield and buckler. ' Oh, yes ; God's truth will be our 
 hedge or protection in that day. What is emphatically God's 
 truth ? ' Open ye the gates that the righteous nation that keep- 
 eth the truth may enter in. ' Isa. , xxvi, 2. ' Blessed are they 
 that do His commandments that they may have right to the 
 tree of life and enter in through the gates into the city. ' Rev. , 
 xxii, 14. As they who keep the truth enter in, and those who 
 keep the commandments enter in, we conclude that the com- 
 mandments and the truth are the same. To this agree the 
 words of the Psalmist : ' Thou art near, 0, Lord, and all thy 
 commandments are truth.' Ps. , cxix, 151. Again, 'Thy 
 righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is 
 the truth.' Ps. , cxix, 142. Now, put these together. 'His 
 truth shall be thy shield and buckler. ' ' All thy command- 
 ments are truth. ' ' Thy law is the truth. ' Or, put it this way, 
 ' His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thy law is the 
 truth ; ' therefore, thy law shall be our shield, hedge or de- 
 fense in the time of trouble. What is the gap in the law that 
 should be made up or repaired by the prophets (religious 
 teachers)? We believe it is in the fourth commandment. First, 
 All religious teachers agree that the nine commandments are 
 all right and should be observed as they were spoken by the 
 voice of God. Not so with the fourth. They think it has 
 been changed in some way or abolished or something, so that 
 it is no longer necessary to keep the seventh day specified in 
 the commandment. Second, In Ezek. , xxii, 30, we find the 
 same work of making up the hedge brought to view : ' And I 
 sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge 
 and stand in the gap before me for the land that I should not 
 destroy it, but I found none.' The 26th verse of the same 
 
128 Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 chapter shows exactly where the gap is : ' Her priests have vi- 
 olated my law and have profaned mine holy things. They 
 ha,ve put no difference between the holy and the profane, 
 neither have they showed difference between the unclean and 
 the clean, and have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths and I am 
 profaned among them. ' Yes, there it is. ' They have hid 
 their eyes from my Sabbaths.' Yes, the Sabbath command is 
 as plain and emphatic as the other nine, but somehow the 
 prophets (religious teachers) don't see it. In order for the 
 house of Israel (God's people) to stand in the battle in the 
 day of the Lord, this gap, or breach, in the law must be re- 
 paired. How can this be done ? Take an example or two. 
 ' Therefore He said that He would destroy them had not Moses, 
 His chosen, stood before Him in the breach to turn away His 
 wrath lest He should destroy them. ' Ps., cvi, 23. How had the 
 Israelites made a breach in God's law ? The 19th verse reads: 
 ' They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten 
 image. ' They had broken the command, 'thou shalt not make 
 unto thee any graven image, ' etc. , and God was about to de- 
 stroy them, l)ut Moses stood in the breach. How did he do 
 that ? He showed the people the greatness of their sin and 
 caused them to turn from it, Ex., xxxii, 30-35. One more 
 instance : The Israelites could not stand in battle before the 
 men of Ai. Why not ? Achan had made a breach in God's 
 law. How ? He had stolen and dissembled also, and they 
 could not stand in the battle until that breach was made up. 
 Then they could stand in battle and triumph over their foes, 
 Josh., chap. 7. God would be with them and protect them in 
 battle, if they would sincerely obey His commandments ; 
 otherwise not. Even so in the last days God will keep His 
 obedient children from every danger, while of the disobedient . 
 it is said, ' A thousand shall fall at thy side and ten thousand 
 at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee ; only 
 with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the 
 wicked. ' How important that the people be shown the sin of 
 trampling upon the fourth precept of God's law, and of ob- 
 serving a man-made institution in its stead, and thus be led to 
 repair the breach or make up the gap in God's law. 
 
 "But that is just what the religious teachers refuse to do, 
 and make all kinds of excuses instead. I will read some more 
 in connection with what I have already read : ' Oh, Israel, thy 
 
KXPEEIENCES OF A PlONEER' MINISTER. 129 
 
 prophets are like the foxes in the deserts. Ye have not gone 
 up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of 
 Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord. They 
 have seen vanity and a lying divination, whereas ye say the 
 Lord saith, and the Lord hath not spoken, and they have made 
 others to hope that they would confirm the word. ' Yes, nij- 
 friends, when a religious teacher says the. Lord commands or 
 requires us to keep the first day of the week holy, he sees a 
 lying divination, for the Lord has never spoken any such thing. 
 ' And they have made others to hope they would confirm the 
 word.' How often when the truth on the Sabbath question is 
 presented to the people, they look to their minister in the hope 
 that he will confirm the word that Sunday is the Sabbath. Vain 
 hope, for no such word can be found in the oracles of God. I 
 will now read from the 10th verse : 'Because, even because, 
 they have seduced my people ; saying peace when there is no 
 peace, and one built up a wall and another daubed it with un- 
 tempered mortar. They strive to hide the gap in God's law 
 by building up a wall before it. ' The first day of .Jhe week is 
 the Christian Sabbath, is the wall ; but it will not fit the gap. 
 Let us see : ' Eemember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six 
 days shalt thou labor and do all thy work, but the first daj- is 
 the Christian Sabbath. In it thou shalt not do any work, thou, 
 nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man servant nor thj' maid 
 servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy 
 gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the 
 sea and all that in them is, and rested on the first day ; where- 
 . fore the Lord blessed the Christian Sabbath and hallowed it 
 because Christ arose from the dead on that day. ' Of course 
 we all see that the Sunday-flrst-day-Christian-Sabbath won't fit 
 the commandment at all. It is only a wall built up to hide 
 the breach from the people. One built it up (the Catholic 
 church), and another (Protestants) daubed it. The wall is 
 daubed with mortar to make it stand. The mortar is untem- 
 pered because there is no truth in it. Let us look at some of 
 the daubing. One says, 'redemption is greater than creation 
 therefore we must keep Sunday in commemoration of redemp 
 tion. ' This, my friend, is a little premature, for redemption is 
 not yet completed, and will not be until God's people are made 
 immortal and obtain their everlasting inheritance in the king- 
 dom of God. Christ said, ' When these things begin to come 
 
130 EXPEKIENOES OF A PlONEER MINISTER. 
 
 to pass (signs of His second coining), then lift up j'our heada 
 and look u]), for your redemption drawetli nigh. ' Luke, xxi, 
 28. This, friend, is not onlj' premature, but, did God say we 
 should observe Sunday in commemoration of redemption ? No. 
 Did Uod require it at his hand ? No. Did God tell him re- 
 demption was greater than creation ? No. Does he know 
 that it is ? No. Does any man on earth know that redemp- 
 tion is greater than creation ? No. Then the whole thing is 
 a mess of untempered mortar. But here comes another : 'It 
 don't make anj' difference which daj' we keep, if we onlj' keep 
 one day in seven, onlj' be sure to let that one daj' in seven be 
 Sunday, as it is very desirable that all should keep the same 
 day ; for if every one should be permitted to keep just which 
 daj' in seven that would suit his notion or convenience, it 
 would bring confusion and destroy the Sabbath institution al- 
 together, therefore we must have a civil law compelling all " 
 men to keep holy the first day of the week, for the Sabbath 
 was changed from the seventh to the first day of the week at 
 the resurrection of Christ, and therefore it is a great sin not 
 to keep Sunday holy. ' Some more untempered mortar ; it 
 don't hang together very well. 
 
 ' 'Another says, 'stand aside, I have a load of mortar 1 wish 
 to daub on the Sunday Sabbath Lords day wall. The world 
 is round and everybodj^ knows it is impossible to keep the 
 seventh day Sabbath on a round world, so now we keep the 
 first day Sabbath instead of the seventh da}'. Yes, we perceive. 
 But, my friend, how can you keep the first daj- so nicely on a 
 round world and not the seventh day? Does the world flatten 
 out every Sunday, or what is the matter anyway? But here 
 conies another: 'The seventh day was lost somehow in the 
 dark ages or some other place, and we can't tell which is the 
 seventh day; therefore we keep the first day in honor of the 
 resurrection of Christ. Then you know which is the first day, 
 do you? 'Oh, yes, there is no doubt about that, for the first 
 day has been kept as the Christian Sabliath ever since the 
 resurrection of Christ. ' The first day of the week has been 
 kept and the seventh day lost. That is marvelous. You 
 know well when the fii-st day comes but cannot determine which 
 is the seventh day ! You remind me of the pian and his oxen. 
 He said he never could tell the off ox from the near one- but 
 he could tell which was the near one the darkest night that 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 131 
 
 ever was. -Well, my friend, you have made your little speech 
 on this question and now you are permitted to take your seat. 
 Ah, here comes Dr. No Law. .Let us hear him. 'Well, gentle- 
 men, I am in faA'or of Sunday sacredness; but I must say I 
 disagree with the learned gentlemen who have preceded me. 
 To my mind it is folly to hold that one day in seven and no 
 day in particular is required by the commandment when it ex- 
 pressly says 'The seventh day is the Sabbath, in it thou shalt 
 notr do any work. ' 
 
 "Also it is folly to teach that a particular day cannot be kept 
 on a round world, and still insist that the first day of the week 
 should be kept holy, but of all foolish things, is to teach 
 that the seventh day is lost and still claim that we keep the 
 first day in honor of the resurrection of Christ, for any dunce 
 ought to know that if we can determine the first day we can 
 also the seventh. All such teaching is certainly untempered 
 mortar; but I have a theory that I think is just right. The ten 
 commandments were a j-oke of bondage and were all abolished, 
 Sabbath and all. Now, gentlemen, you see we have the Old 
 Jewish Sabbath abolished and taken out of the waj', and as 
 everybody knows that we cannot get along without a weekly 
 day of rest and religious worship it is very easy for us to liuild 
 up the Sunday institution and call it the Lord's day. Well, 
 Dr. No Law, do jou think the ten commandments are a 5'oke of 
 bondage which you are notable to endure? 'Yes, sir.' Well, 
 Dr. , will you please tell us which of the ten commandments is 
 a yoke of bondage to you? Is it this one, 'Thou shalt not 
 steal?' 'It might be burdensome and hateful to a thief, but 
 hardly to an honest man. ' Perhaps this is the commandment 
 you cannot endure, 'Thou shalt not commit adultery?' How 
 is it Doctor, are you such a man that this commandment is a 
 grievous yoke to you? Please rise and explain. 'Well, I will 
 tell you frankly. I believe the nine commandments are moral 
 precepts and are all right, but it is the fourth precept that is 
 positive and does all the mischief. ' Oh, I see Doctor. The ten 
 commandments are bondage, but nine of them are compatible 
 with Christian liberty. The ten commandments were slain but 
 nine of them live right along ; in fact are moral precepts and 
 can never die. I see it is the commandment that says, 'The 
 seventh day is the Sabbath, ' that is such grievous bondage to 
 you. But Doctor, that is the very one the Lord tells you to 
 
132 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister 
 
 call a delight. Isa., Iviii, 13. Since the Lord sajs, 'Call the 
 Sabbath a delight, ' and you call it bondage, j'ou find yourself 
 in opposition to God. Come over. Doctor, onto the Lord's side 
 and then you will say with the Psalmist 'All his command- 
 ments are sure. They stand fast forever and ever and are 
 done in truth and uprightness.' Ps., cxi, 7, 8. You will say 
 with Christ, 'And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass 
 away than for one tittle of the law to fail.' Luke, xvi, 17. 
 You had better do the easier things first — extinguish sun and 
 moon and all the shining orbs of night, in short strike the 
 heavens out of existence and then it will be time enough for 
 you to work at the divine law of God, which is as immutable 
 as His eternal throne. When you are converted and get rid 
 of the carnal mind, Kom. , viii, 7, you will delight in the law 
 of Grod after the inward man as Paul did. Rom., vii, 22. 
 You will say with David, 'The statutes of the Lord are right 
 rejoicing the heart, more to be desired than gold, yea than 
 much fine gold.' Ps., xix, 7, 10. Oh, Doctor, your untem- 
 pered mortar is the woi-st of all. Thus the prophets (religious 
 teachers) are like the foxes in the deserts (dodge from point to 
 point). They have not gone up into the gaps nor made up 
 the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the 
 day of the Lord. The day of the Lord comes on apace, and 
 some are making up the hedge. Will you join in the work, 
 or will you make frivolous excuses and continue to trample 
 upon the holy commandment delivered unto you ? This Sab- 
 bath reform is brought to view in Rev., vii, 3, where the angel 
 says : ' Hurt not the earth, neither the sea nor the trees until 
 we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. ' 
 Why should not the hurting immediately begin ? Because the 
 servants of God are not sealed. Why seal the servants of 
 God first ? Evidently that they might be preserved from the 
 hurting when it does begin. The seal of God is found in His 
 law. In proof I will read Isa., viii, 1(! : 'Bind up the testi- 
 mony, seal the law among my disciples. ' In Rev. , vii, 3, the 
 angel says, ' Seal the servants of our God. ' The prophet says, 
 ' Seal the law among mj' disciples. ' AVhen ? ' I will wait 
 upon the Lord that hideth His face from the house of Jacob, 
 and 1 will look for Him.' Thus we see the sealing will be 
 done when God's people are looking for the Lord. The 21st 
 and 22d verses show that the day of wrath, when the wicked 
 
Experiences or a Pioneer Minister. l:->3 
 
 shall be driven to darkness and dimness of anguish, is at hand. 
 What work is to be done then ? Seal the law among m_y dis- 
 ciples. Who are disciples ? Followers of Christ, or Christ- 
 ians. Are you disciples, my friends ? You say, yes. Then 
 what is to be done among you just before the coming of the 
 Lord ? Seal the law. You are all interested now to know 
 ■what the seal of the law is. 
 
 A seal gives ArTHENTICITV 
 
 to a legal document, and brings to view who the law giver is, 
 the extent of his territory and his right to rule or demand 
 obedience. The fourth commandment is the onl}' thing in the 
 law of God that does this. It shows that the law giver is the 
 creator of all things. It shows His territorj- extends through- 
 out heaven and earth. It brings to view His right to rule 
 over us, because He created us, and thus has the right to de- 
 maud our obedience. Thus the fourth commandment performs 
 the office of a seal to God's law. That commandment says, 
 ' The seventh daj- is the Sabbath : but God's own people do 
 not keep it. A counterfeit Sabbath has been by deceit and 
 fraud imposed upon them. Hence, just before the coming of 
 the Lord, the command goes forth, ' Seal the law among my 
 disciples. ' ' Hurt not the earth nor the sea nor the trees until 
 we have sealed the servants of our God in theii foreheads. ' 
 That work is going on now. It has come to you. You hear 
 the solemn warning. I sincerely hope you will be obedient 
 to the requirement of the Great King. 
 
 ' ' One more point is all I have time to present to-night : 
 ' Thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer 
 of paths to dwell in.' Isa. , Iviii, 12. How shall we repair 
 the breach ? The next verse tells us : ' If thou turn away 
 thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on 
 my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight,' etc. This 
 scripture is too plain to need comment. We have had our 
 foot on the Lord's holy Sabbath for many generations, thereby 
 making a breach in His law. Now the Lord says to you, 
 ' Turn away thy foot from the Sabbath (no longer trample it 
 under foot), and call it a delight, the holy of the Lord, hon- 
 orable, and shalt honor Him, not doing thine own ways, nor 
 JSnding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words. 
 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord, and I will cause 
 
134 Experiences df a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 tlu'c to ride upon the high places of the earth and feed thee 
 with the heritage of Jacob, thy father ; for the mouth of the 
 Lord hath spoken it. ' And so tlie breach or gap in the Divine 
 law will be repaired or made up, and the Divine blessing will 
 rest upon us. My friends, will you do so or will j'ou not? 
 1 hope you will hoed His holj' word. 
 
 ••We have found that (led will bless the man that will lay 
 hold of the Sal (hath when his salvation is near to come and his 
 risihteousness to Ije revealed which Peter savs is in the last 
 time. We have found that just before the liattle in the day of 
 the Lord, God's people should stand in the gaps and make up 
 the hedge that they might stand in that great day. We have 
 found that the hedge or defense of God's people in that day- 
 will be His truth. His truth we found to be His law. The 
 lireech or gap in the law we found to lie the Sabbath. 
 
 "We have found that just Ijefore the c(jming of the Lord we 
 are to restore the seal of this law which means to restore the 
 true Sabbath. And lastly we have found we will repair the 
 breech in God's law if we turn away our foot from the Sabbath 
 or no longer trample it under foot, and we have only intro- 
 duced a small part of the testimony on this subject; but surely 
 this is enough. Who among us ^vill receive and obey the 
 truth? Will any of us think the sacrifice too great? Oh 
 think of the I sacrifice heaven made for our salvation. Think 
 of the Father giving His (uily begotten Son that we might be 
 saved because He loved us. Let us consider that the dear 
 Savior left the riches and glory of heaven and took upon Him- 
 self the form of a servant and bowed His head in death that 
 we might 1k' made heirs of eternal life! Look at this matter 
 in the light of the sorrow in the garden. In the light of the 
 purple robe and crown of thorns. Look at it iu the light of 
 the dying agony of the Sou of God upon the cross and then 
 decide if it is too much for us to keep the Lord's Sabbath. It 
 is possible some friends may forsake you. It is probable your 
 reputation and popularity will suffer. It is also possible that your 
 business interests may suffer more or less if you keep God's holy 
 day, and many nioio things too numerous to mention, but 
 what of it. Ciirist says: 'Except a man and forsake all that 
 he hath he cannot be my disciple.' Again Christ says: 'If 
 ye love nie kee|> my commandments. ' Do you love the name 
 of Christ above every name? If you do will you hesitate to 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 135 
 
 perform His clearly expressed will? I think not. 'This is the 
 love of God that ye keep His commandments.' ' 1 John, v, 3. 
 Of course it is impossible to put on paper the discourses as 
 delivered personally before a large and deeply interested 
 audience. To say the least, the interest in the meetings at 
 Grood Thunder was very great. The evening I spoke on the 
 Mark of tlie Beast, the house was crowded. As I showed 
 that the leopard beast of Rev, 13 was a symbol of the Papacy, 
 and that the beast with the two horiis like a lamb represents 
 the United States of America; that he is now making an image 
 to the first or Papal beast — that the mark Gods people would 
 receive is the true Sabbath; while the mark of the beast to be 
 received Vjy the unbelieving world is the counterfeit Pago, 
 Papal Sabbath, and tried to show the awful consequences of 
 rejecting God's institution and accepting instead the rival in- 
 stitution of the Papacy ; everj- individual seemed spell bound. 
 The power of God was present in the assembly. 
 
 after the discourse 
 
 I asked all who, by the grace of God, would keep His com- 
 mandments to please arise; whereupon a goodl}' number arose, 
 among whom were Mr, and Mrs. Graf. The excitement was 
 intense. After meeting was dismissed the people were in no 
 haste to leave the place. Everj- man and woman was talking 
 in an excited manner; some standing on benches, others 
 standing on the floor. It was to me a scene long to be re- 
 membered. As I stood beholding the mass of excited human 
 beings, all at once I heard the voice of Mrs, Graf above the 
 din saying, "I don't understand j'ou Christians at all. I am 
 only a poor sinner and j'ou have often exhorted me to change 
 my course of life, and I thought I ought to do it ; but to-night 
 when this man asked all who would keep Gods commandments 
 to arise, I, a poor sinner, could not keep my seat ; I had to arise, 
 but you Chi'istians could keep your seats as much as to say : 'We 
 will not obey God. ' I don't understand it at all." She was 
 talking to a Mr. D3'e, a young Baptist minister. He replied: 
 "We do keep the commandments, ' ' -Do you keep the command 
 that says The seventh day is the Sabbath?' "Yes, We work 
 six days and keep the seventh," Mrs, Graf seemed unable to 
 answer his sophistoiy, and I thought it well for me to say a 
 word as it was a free for all talk; so I said to him: -Do vou 
 
136 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 keep the clay of the resurrection?' He said: "Yes, sir." 
 < 'Does God call the resurrection day the seventh or first day of 
 the week?" "He calls it the first day of the week." "Will 
 you please tell me by what authority you call the seventh day 
 that which God in His word calls the first day? Now, sir, 
 let us see if you keep the fourth commandment by keeping the 
 first day Sabbath. Here hangs the ten commandftient chart 
 upon the wall. Let us see if you can read your first day Sab- 
 bath into the fourth precept and have it tell the truth." As 
 we stood there before the law of God, the people crowded around 
 us until some were actually climbing on the shoulders of others. 
 Now let us read: 
 
 ' ' 'Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days 
 shalt thou labor and do all thy work, but the first day is the 
 Sabbath of the Lord thy God ; in it thou shalt not do any 
 work, . . for in six days the Lord made heaven and the 
 earth, the sea and all that in them is, and rested on the first day ; 
 wherefore the Lord blessed the first day and hallowed it. ' Is 
 it true (jrod worked six days and rested on the first day ? No. 
 Is it true that God blessed the first day and hallowed it ? 
 No. Then is it true that the first day is the Sabbath accord- 
 ing to the commandment ? No. Then is it true that you keep 
 the commandment when j'ou keep the first day ? No. Then 
 you won't say so anj- more, will you ? Either keep the day 
 the commandment enjoins, or own up like a man that you do 
 not keep it at all. 
 
 Dear reader, do not deceive yourself with the foolish notion 
 that you can keep the commandment by keeping any daj' you 
 choose. How foolish such a course will appear in the day of 
 judgment. 
 
 That evening I went home with Mr. Getzlafl's people. They 
 were Germans, and belonged to the United Brethren church. 
 Frank Coon, a young brother, went with me. We had a great 
 talk about the truth that evening. They seemed to be very 
 favorably impressed, although thej* had not as yet decided to 
 go with us. In the morning a Mrs. Guderien came in and 
 asked me some questions. While we were talking Elder Kerr, 
 the United Brethren minister, was announced. He soon began 
 a tirade against our people. We pressed him for some Bible 
 evidence for Sunday keeping. He finally said he would not 
 stay in the same house with us, and put on his arctics prepar- 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 137 
 
 atoiy to leaving. I said, ' ' Bro. Kerr, do not leave so ab- 
 ruptly, " and Mr. Getzlaff said, "I have just fed your horse 
 some oats, and you had better give him time to eat them." 
 Before he left I said, ' ' Bro. Ken-, you have been with us all 
 day. You have berated our people roundly, and called us all 
 manner of hard names, and have not given us one Bible evi- 
 dence for Sunday sacredness. Do you not think it would have 
 been more profitable to have given us a ' thus saith the Lord ' 
 for Sunday keeping, than to spend your whole time giving our 
 people such a scolding ? These people are members of your 
 church, and what do you suppose they will think of their 
 minister not being able to find a particle of scriptural evi- 
 dence for Sunday sacredness in all day ? Thej' will naturally 
 think such evidence is pretty scarce. But tell us. Elder, have 
 you done the best j'ou could ? " He replied, " No, I have not. 
 I keep my best thoughts for my congregation." Mrs. Getz- 
 laff replied : "Bro. Kerr, if you have any evidence for Sun- 
 day keeping you do very wrong to withhold it, for I am just wa- 
 vering whether I shall keep Sunday or the seventh day." He 
 said : " How can I present any proof with this man here to 
 argue it all awa}' ? " "Bro. Kerr, if you have any Bible 
 proof for Sunday keeping, I hope you will be kind enough to 
 present it ; and I promise not to say one word while you do 
 it. '■ Thus exhorted, he opened his Bible and read the fourth 
 commandment. "Ah," said Mrs. Getzlaff, "that says the 
 seventh day. I thought you was going to show us some proof 
 for Sunday." He began to explain about one day in seven, 
 using some high-sounding words, when Mrs. Getzlaff said : 
 ' ' Bro. Kerr, I don't understand your great words, but it you 
 have some scripture for Sunday observance, I would very much 
 like to see it." He soon closed his Bible and departed, never- 
 more to return. 
 
 I had an interesting experience with Bro. Getzlaff and 
 family. They would go to meeting for a while, then stop ; 
 thinking they would not go any more. As soon as T would 
 miss them I would visit them and say to Bro. Getzlaff : ' ' We 
 are to have a very interesting subject to-night and you will be 
 glad to hear it, I am sure." "Oh, veil; I have so many 
 chores to do, I don't think I will go this time." "I know you 
 have lots of stock to see to and lots to do, and the weather is 
 cold; but I will help you do your work so you can go. I 
 
138 Experiences (if a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 would not have j'ou miss the meeting for anything, and 1 
 would feed stock, clean stables or do anj-thing there was to do 
 cheerfully and gladly." I worked a good many times with 
 him, talking and praj'ing with and for them, until I had the 
 joy of seeing them firmly established in the truth. 
 
 I felt no work was too hard if I could only bring souls to 
 rejoice in the truth as it is in Jesus. Bro. (letzlaff's are now 
 in the state of Washington. Their eldest daughter Mary is a 
 good. Christian girl and is a worker in the cause of (Jod in 
 that far distant state. May God's rich blessing rest upon her 
 all the daj's of her life. 
 
 Soon after Bro. and Sister Graf embraced the truth. They 
 were visited bj^-her two brothers, Gustavus and Emil Meilicke. 
 Gustavus was especially glad that his sister and brother-in- 
 law had started in the way to heaven, but very sorry they had 
 embraced the seventh day Sabbath, which they considered a 
 very great error. He and Emil began immediately to turn 
 them away from it. Bro. and Sister Graf being young in the 
 faith referred tliem to their minister. Yes, they would be 
 very glad to talk with him about it. 
 
 " Well, you must be careful how you meet him, for a good 
 many have met him to their own confusion." "That is 
 because they held to Sunday. We know there is nothing 
 for Sunday. We do not believe any Sabbath is binding. 
 Many is the minister we have put to flight on the Sabbath 
 question.'' "Yes, Bro. Gustavus, wo have seen them 
 seize their hats and leave the house in anger when j'ou showed 
 there was no Bible proof for Sundaj' keeping; but we think 
 you will have a different experience this time. " An opportun- 
 ity was not long in presenting itself and I never saw two per- 
 sons more confident of their position than they. They were 
 sure that keeping Sabbath brought us back under the old law. 
 " The old law is done away, and we are now living under a 
 new law, in which no such requirement can be found. "Then 
 you believe we have a now moral code which is better than the 
 ten commandments?" '-Yes." "Well, if you will please 
 show me that new and better law, I will forsake the old and 
 accept the new. " "We can do that easy enough. The new 
 law has just two commandments in it: ' Love God with all thy 
 heart' and 'love thy neighbor as thj'self.'" "I think you 
 are mistaken about that Iwing a new law. Please read Dent., 
 
Experiences oe a Pioneer Minister. 139 
 
 yi, 5, ' Thou shalt love th« Lord, thy God, with all thy heart, 
 etc' Now read Lev., xix, 18, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor 
 as thyself. ' These can hardly be called the new law, since 
 they were binding in the days of Moses. In fact, as soon as 
 an intelligent being was created, it was his duty to love God 
 supremely, and as soon as another intelligent being was cre- 
 ated it was his duty to love him as himself; so you see your 
 new law is as old as moral obligation." "Well, there was a 
 new commandment given and we are to go according to it." 
 "Will j'ou please tell me what it is and where it may be 
 found?" "We cannot tell just exactly what it is, or just 
 whereto find it; but we know there was one given. ' "This 
 is a little remarkable that you are to go according to the new 
 commandment, and yet you do not know what it is or where 
 it is to be found. Perhaps I can help you, 'A new command- 
 ment I give unto you; that ye love one another, even as I 
 have loved you,' John, xiii, 34. ' This commandment they 
 did not seem to think was just what they wanted, so they fell 
 back on the two commandments. Old or new, they would 
 take them anywaj'. "What is a law for? " Emil said, "the 
 law is a rule of action and points out our sins. " "Correct. 
 Sin is the transgression of the law, 1 John, iii, 4. And by 
 the law is the knowledge of sin, Rom., vii, 7. As sin is 
 known only by the law, and as it is necessarj' to show men 
 that they are sinners before they will seek salvation from sin, 
 we will suppose we start out to show the people their sins. 
 You by the two commandments, and 1 l)y the ten. We come 
 to a devoted Catholic, bowing down to an image of the A^irgin 
 Mary. You begin by the two commandments to show that he 
 is a sinner. 
 
 " ' You ought not to bow down to that image. 'Why not?' 
 ' Because you should love God with all your heart. ' ' Indeed 
 gentlemen, that is what I do, and because I do love Christ I 
 bow down to the image of his mother.'" They finally con- 
 cluded they could not convince him of sin by the two com- 
 mandments. ' ' Now I will try : ' My friend, you ought not 
 to bow down to that image. ' ' Why not? ' ' Because (jods 
 holy law says. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven im- 
 age ; Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them. ' Thus he is 
 convicted as a transgressor of the Divine law and so the ten 
 commandments cover every sin man can commit. In fact the 
 
140 Experiences ok a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 ten commandments are only the two principles of love to God 
 and love to man drawn out in ten precepts. The first four 
 point out our duty to (lod; the last six our duty to our neigh- 
 bor." Thus the conversation went on until late at night. As 
 they went home with their cousin that night Gustavus said: 
 "It served us right, we ought to have been better posted." 
 Emil said ; "I tell you what, boys, it was not a Methodist 
 minister we got hold of this time." Before Gustavus re- 
 turned home he accepted the faith he once destroyed. 
 
 One day there was an appointment at Edward Guderien's 
 for the purpose of searching the scriptures to see if these 
 things were so. A German minister was expected, and a large 
 concourse of people. The evening before, Bro.E.A. Curtis, a 
 young minister helping me, and myself stayed at Bro. Horace 
 Schram's, about eleven miles from the place of meeting. It 
 looked stormj'. and I said, ' 'We must certainlj' be at Guderien's 
 to-morrow, storm or shine; so we will get up in the morning and 
 away before breakfast." We reached Bro. Graf's, nine miles 
 distant, before they were out of bed. We stopped and got 
 breakfast, and by the time we were ready to start it was blow- 
 ing a regular blizzard. Fred Meilicke had driven by with 
 Gustavus, Emil and others, in his sleigh. Sister Graf rode 
 with me in my cutter. We had over two miles to go. We 
 met a team and did not know it until the driver cried out to 
 let us know they were there. The blizzard increased in fuiy. 
 When we arrived at Guderien's, Getzlaflfs were not there. I 
 wanted them there by all means, so I started for their place, 
 about one mile distant. The storm was directly in mj- face, but 
 Getzlaffs must be present, storm or no storm. When T arrived 
 Mr. Getzlaff said ; " It is too stormy ; nobody will be there." 
 "But somebody is there. " "Are Fred, Emil and Gustavus 
 there ? " " Yes, sir ; and Father Guderien, and a lot more." 
 " Then I think we will go." " Yes ; I will help j'ou get the 
 team ready, and away we will go." 
 
 It was a stormj' day without, and we had a stormy time 
 within, but the truth triumphed over every foe. The work 
 continued until late at night. It was storming so fiercely that 
 the neighbors did not dare to go home that night. We were 
 stowed away quite thickly, but we managed to get through 
 the night quite comfortably. I trow Bro. Guderien never kept 
 so many over night before nor since. 
 
BXPEEIENCES or A PlONEEa MINISTER. 141 
 
 After people began to embrace the truth, great opposition 
 developed itself. We were soon refused the use of the Bap- 
 tist meeting house, whereupon the hall in Graham's hotel was 
 rented by the interested ones, until a traveling lady was taken 
 sick at the hotel and could not bear the noise of meetings, so 
 for a time we could not have the hall. 
 
 About that time Elder Davis, the M. E. minister, announced 
 to speak on the Sabbath question. His discourse was mostly 
 ridicule and outrageous misrepresentations of our work and 
 people. After meeting I tried to have a friendly talk with 
 him about his misrepresentations, but he repulsed me with 
 great contempt. 
 
 As there was no other place to be had, Bro. Graf prepared 
 his hardware store as best he could, and we held meeting in it. 
 A goodly number were present to listen to a review of the 
 elder's discourse. 
 
 It was the darkest day I had yet seen in Good Thunder. 
 Shut out of all proper place in which to hold meetings, ridi- 
 culed and slandered by the ministers and hated b}' many 
 church members, for a while it seemed as if the load was too 
 much to carry. But God is good, and He did not suffer His 
 poor, tried servant to be tempted above that which he was 
 able to bear. As some heard the elder's discourse who did 
 not hear the reply, I thought best to print a couple of hun- 
 dred handbills, something as follows : 
 
 ' ' ' Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. ' 
 Eldei' Davis : 
 
 It is not true that Sabbatarians set the day for the world to 
 come to an end. It is true that Sunday keepers did so. It is 
 not true that Sabbatarians put on ascension robes in which to 
 go up to heaven. It is not true they climbed trees on which 
 to meet the Lord when He should come. It is not true that 
 some fell down and broke their foolish necks. It is not true 
 they went home flopping their wings like wet turkeys. It is 
 not true there is only a corncrib full of them. 
 
 Yours in behalf of the people you have so unjustly misrep- 
 resented, W. B. Hill." 
 
 I SCATTERED THOSE BILLS 
 
 among the people and took good care that Eld. Davis received 
 a couple himself. He only lilled his appointment a few times 
 after that and we saw the Reverend gentleman at Good Thun- 
 
142 Ext^ERIENCES 01' A PlONEUR MINISTER. 
 
 der no more. As we were shut out of every place in which to 
 hold meetings and Sabbath school excepting Bro. Graf's parlor, 
 we began to agitate the question of building a church. Bro. 
 Qninn was afraid the undertaking was too much. Bro. Grant 
 was not in favor of such an enterprise. But I saw clearly, if 
 the work was to be permanent and grow we must have a house 
 in which to worship God. The work is the Lord's and He will 
 help us, so we called a meeting to consider the matter. There 
 were present Brethren Graf, Dettamore, Getzlaff, Plum, Sisters 
 Graf and Plum, and myself. I was as poor as a church 
 mouse; but would subscribe ten dollars. Flow to get it I knew 
 not. Bro. Plum did not think he could do more than to work 
 some on the church, and the rest were not very abundantly 
 supplied with this world's goods. I do not remember just how 
 much was subscribed, but it was but little. Never did an 
 enterprise start out in greater apparent weakness, but we put 
 our trust in God, and went forward. Sisters Graf and Plum 
 were appointed a soliciting committee and the next day they 
 started with Bro. Plum's team and succeeded well in getting 
 subscriptions, and the little band were greatlj' encouraged. 
 We got most of our lumber at Eagle Lake, 20 miles away, be- 
 cause we could get it cheaper. There was one mill near Bro. 
 Quinn's in the woods where we got some. We had great times 
 hauling the green heavy lumber over the bad roads in the 
 spring. One daj' as we were going for lumber with three 
 teams we found some men repairing the road, who were about 
 to tear out a bridge over a deep ravine. 
 
 The}' thought to have a new one in before we got back. We 
 had disasters that day in getting stuck in the mud, breaking 
 whiffletrees, etc., and it became dark while we were yet miles 
 from home. As we came near the bridge that was being re- 
 built we ran over a pole stuck up in the road with writing 
 upon it. We could not see to read a word of it, but I knew 
 that it was a notice to Ijeware of the bridge. I felt badly, 
 fearing we could not get over it and we could not go around 
 it. T was in the advance as we came up to it. I found there 
 were just stringers laid across the ravine with pqles laid on top 
 of them, that was all. Can we get across with our heavy 
 loads? I resolved to try andgotovet all right. When brethren 
 Getzlaflf and Dettamore came up and looked at it, they thought 
 it was very dangerous. I said T got over all right and so can 
 
EXPEHIENCES- OF A I'lONEER MINISTER. 143 
 
 you, and through the good providence of God we all got over 
 without accident. It was two o'clock in the morning when I 
 got to bed, but the piles of lumber looked quite like building a 
 church. We bought a lot for 1100, and Bro. Frank Coon and 
 myself dug the trenches in which to la^' the stone. The foun- 
 dation was laid, and Bro. Horace Schram, a good carpenter, 
 gave us ten days' work. The days were long and nights short. 
 We worked as long as we could see, and were up and at it by 
 about sunrise in the morning. I worked so hard my wife 
 said my muscles kept jerking all night. The work was great 
 and the laborers few. Bro. Graf would leave his store and 
 work as hard as he could until called by customers to the store 
 again. Thus the work went bravelj' forward. In a little 
 while we had the church sided and painted and it looked real 
 neat. I well remember the first meeting we held in our new 
 church. It was unfinished inside and we had planks set on 
 blocks for temporary seats, yet it seemed to me the very gate 
 of heaven. How happy we were to be privileged to worship 
 God under our own vine and fig tree, none daring to miolest or 
 make us afraid. Bro. E. A. Curtis and myself had the 
 pleasure of presenting a well organized church to the Minne- 
 sota Conference that year. Sisters Bertha Graf and Kitty 
 Murphy attended the annual camp meeting held at Minneapolis. 
 They had adopted the plain dress recommended by Peter and 
 Paul, 1 Pet., iii, 3; 1 Tim., ii, 9, and professedly adopted by 
 our people. They expected to see all the sisters plainly but 
 neatly dressed. Imagine their surprise to find many of them 
 aping the fashions and vanities of the world. These banged, 
 befrizzed and fashion bedecked Adveutists are a detriment to 
 the truth they profess to love. It was a real hindrance to 
 these new beginners; but I trust they learned that we are 
 not to let the pride and vanit)' of unconverted professors of 
 religion hinder us in our efforts to follow in the footsteps of 
 our Savior. 
 
 The summer of 1883 I did not enter new fields, finding 
 plenty to do among churches alread}- raised up. 
 
 In February, 1884, I attended a general meeting at Hutchin- 
 son. I was feeling poorly. The exposure and incessant labor 
 were telling upon my naturally feeble constitution. I met 
 some friends there from Dassel. They were very desirous 
 that I should visit their church and I finally consented to go. 
 
144 ExPERtEKOEB OF A PlONEER MINISTER. 
 
 We started for Dassel, 14 miles away, about sundown. A* 
 we got about half way, we crossed a lake on the ice. The sun 
 had softened the snow some and the horses sunk down in it. I 
 immediately jumped out to lighten the load. Between the 
 snow and the ice there was much water. My feet were as wet 
 as if I had jumped into a river. We went to a house near by, 
 put on a pair of dry socks and started on again. It was not 
 ten minutes before my boots were frozen as hard as rocks. 
 
 I was forced to run behind the sleigh to keep my feet from 
 freezing, and in consequence took a severe cold. ' I found the 
 brethren were holding meetings in an .old log hut about two 
 miles out of town. It was entirely unfit for the purpose. I 
 said to the brethren, ' ' Why don't you build a church? " They 
 said, "We are not able." I replied, "You have trees that 
 will make lumber, and there is a sawmill near by, and you 
 have strong hands. What is to hinder having a church?" 
 The idea took immediately. One said, " I will furnish a lot.' 
 Another would furnish lumber, another work, etc., and they 
 all agreed if I would stay and help them through, they would 
 go at it. 1 was suffering from a severe cold, and was weary 
 and worn ; but I was anxious to see the people enjoying the 
 blessing of a good house of worship, so I said, ' ' Yes, breth- 
 ren, I am with you." I thought, strike now when the iron is 
 hot. I went into the woods to cut sawlogs. The snow was 
 up to my knees and melting, and I kept adding to my cold all 
 the time. It was marvelous how quickly we had a church en- 
 closed. Those not of our faith helped us with work and 
 mone}^ One day, as I was lifting on a heavy stick of timber, 
 I hurt my back. I felt so bad that I soon went home. 
 
 I kept getting worse until I was laid on a sick bed. My 
 back pained me so I could get but little rest night or day. I got a 
 little better and was called upon to preach Alva Presnall's 
 funeral sermon. Although very weak, I could not refuse. 
 The church was damp, and I took cold and had a relapse. As 
 I got a little better again 1 was sent for to visit Stella Moon, a 
 young sister in the last stages of heart disease. She was in 
 great distress, and wanted I should visit and pray with her. 
 She lived three miles down the railroad track. The section 
 boss said he would take me there on the handcar in a few min- 
 utes. So, feeble as I was, I went. We had only got nicely 
 started on our way when it began to rain, and I took more 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 145 
 
 cold, after wtich 1 was worse than ever. My back 'pained me 
 so intensely that Mrs. Hill said if any one approached the bed 
 I would turn white to my ears for fear some one would touch 
 me or jar me in some way. The only way I could get relief 
 was to wring cloths out of hot water and put them on my back. 
 In this way my flesh was scalded, but the pain was so great I 
 realized it not. I determined, if ever I got able, to go to the 
 Sanitarium, Battle Creek, Mich. I got some better, and in 
 May I was carried to the train and started for what I thought 
 was the only earthly hope. 
 
 I fell in with some people on the train going from Dakota to 
 Michigan. We soon became acquainted, told one another 
 something of our past history, and so helped to while away the 
 weary hours. At a station in Wisconsin, a German family 
 boarded the train. They could speak no English, and when 
 we reached Ghicago they were asked for their baggage checks 
 by a man with a great number of checks on his arm. He could 
 speak no German, and they no English, and were having quite a 
 hard time of it. I tried to explain to them in German what 
 was wanted, and it did them a world of good to find some one 
 who could speak a little Cherman. 
 
 While waiting in the depot at Chicago, a lady learned I was 
 on my waj' to the Sanitarium, and she said to me, " They will 
 feed you on bran bread there." " How do you know that ? " 
 " I had a sister who was there a while, and that is what thej- 
 gave her to eat." " Did she get well ? " "Oh, yes ; she has 
 enjoyed most excellent health ever since." "Well, I am will- 
 ing to eat bran bread or any other kind of bread that will 
 make me well again." 1 found, however, that the Sanitarium 
 bill of fare embraced a great variety of fruits, grains and 
 vegetables, and was most excellent. In fact, it comprises 
 almost everything you can think of but pork. 
 
 From Chicago I took the Michigan Central for Battle Creek, 
 and was soon flying over the iron rails for the Sanitarium. The 
 car I occupied was filled with Baptist ministers on their way 
 to Detroit to attend a Baptist association. The conversation 
 turned upon religion in politics. They became so interested in the 
 subject that they stood up in the middle of the car so they could 
 hear one another speak. I was an attentive listener. They thought 
 the onl}' way to save the nation from ruin was for the religious 
 people to attend the primaries and do all thej' could to control 
 
146 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 legislatioOT I asked one of them, a D. D. , if all- the religious 
 people should unite upon any one point in politics if he 
 thought they could carry it. He said, ' ' With the aid of those 
 non-church members who would vote with us, we can." Thus 
 the idea is rapidly gaining ground that the religious people 
 must rule in politics, which means an image to the beast in 
 the near future. 
 
 About 2 : 30 p. m. we arrived at the sanitarium. I found 
 W. H. Hall, of Minnesota, one of my children in the faith, 
 acting as steward of the institution. The sanitarium was an 
 immense affair, and they were building on an addition costing 
 $50,000. The institution is under the charge of Dr. J. H. 
 Kellogg, who fills the office of medical superintendent. He is 
 assisted by an able corps of doctors, nurses, bath hands, etc. 
 The first thing thej' did for me was to give me a warm bath, 
 which was refreshing in the highest degree. The next day 
 they gave me a cold bath. It seemed as if my breath would 
 forsake me, never more to return, as I got into the cold water. 
 My attendant gave me a vigorous rubbing, quickly took me 
 out and dried me with a sheet, then spatted me all over with 
 his hands until I was in a warm glow. I took the cold bath 
 once a week and in a little while could take it with comfort. 
 The next treatment was a salt glow. I stood on a stool and 
 took hold, .with my hands, of iron hooks in the wall above my 
 head, while my attendant took handfuls of salt, mixed with 
 water until it was like mush, and rubbed me with it from head 
 to foot until there was a redness all over me. It was quite a 
 severe process, as the sharp salt crystals would almost cut 
 through the skin. After my attendant was through rubbing me, 
 my whole body was covered with salt. I was then taken to a 
 water faucet, which poured at first a stream of warm water up 
 on me as I turned round, and soon the salt was all washed 
 away, but the water graduallj' became cooler until I could 
 scarcely endure it. After the salt glow came the massage, in 
 which the patient was laid on a couch and anointed with oil 
 and every muscle rulilied and kneaded in the most thoi'ough 
 manner. It was a very agreeable experience to me. One felt 
 like a new person after such treatment. The electric bath was 
 what I enjoyed most of till. The patient lay at full length in 
 tepid water with folded arms. Then the electricity was ap- 
 plied to the chest and upper part of the body. After awhile 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. Ii7 
 
 the electric current was changed to the extremities. It seemed 
 to me that I was being rejuvenated while in the bath. They 
 used electricity in various ways and it helped me very much in 
 my run down condition. There was the gymnasium in which 
 was every kind of appliance for exercising the muscles. 
 Then there were calisthenics and Indian clubs, with marching 
 to and fro to the sound of music. There was also a Swedish 
 movement room, in which a patient's nerves and muscles were 
 rubbed, kneaded, thumped, strapped, vibrated and friction, 
 ized into activity by machinery. One evening the doctor ex- 
 amined my nostrils and said, ' ' I see some abnormal grov.ths 
 that will have to be removed." 
 
 He removed four large hyperchefies, two from each nostril. 
 He fastened a wire loop over the lumps of flesh in my nostrils, 
 the two ends of which ran down a little tube and were fastened 
 to a screw at the end ; as the doctor turned the screw it pulled 
 the wire down the tube, making the loop smaller and smaller, 
 until the lumps were cut off. It was worse a good deal than 
 pulling teeth. All the abnormal growths Could not be re- 
 moved in this way and the doctor continued to burn them out 
 with a red hot iron once a week for six months, or as long as 
 I continued at the institution. Mrs. Hill's health was also 
 poor and after T had been there two months she came also 
 with two of the children. We remained in Battle Creek until 
 after general conference. It was the first general conference 
 we ever had the privilege of attending. It was very interest- 
 ing to hear reports from all parts of the field throughout the 
 whole world. It is wonderful to see how the rays of light 
 from heaven are penetrating the dark corners of the earth. 
 Every morning before daj' we held meetings for seeking the 
 Lord, and never did I see such earnestness before. 
 
 At the sanitarium I met people from all parts of the country, 
 among whom were all classes and conditions of men, judges, 
 lawyers, doctors, ministers, college professors, senators, con- 
 gressmen and literarj- people. They flock to the sanitarium 
 for the recuperation of lost vitalitj'. I made the acquaintance 
 of C. F. Bradley, of Evanston, 111. He was an eminent 
 Methodist minister and educator. He was very sorry that I 
 had left the Methodist church and joined the Adveutists. He 
 often tried to show me it is all right to keep Sunday ; but his 
 scripture proof was very slim. One day he said to me, ' ' Bro. 
 
148 Experiences of A Pioneer Minister. 
 
 Hill, will nothing do you but a 'thus saith the Lord' for Sun- 
 day keeping? Will not church history sufHce? " "Well, Bro. 
 Bradley, I think nothing equals a ' Thus saith the Lord. ' I 
 prefer the commandment of God to all the teachings of men. " 
 I considered such a question as an acknowledgment on his 
 part that he could find no ' Thus saith the Lord ' for Sunday 
 sacredness, and if C. F. Bradley cannot find it, who can? 
 One evening, as I was leaving the sanitarium for the cottage, 
 where my wife and I roomed, he called to me just as I reached 
 the door. He desired to speak with me a moment, ' ' Yes, 
 Bro. Bradley; what is it?" "I wish to speak with you about 
 the Sabbath." We stood side by side, with our shoulders 
 against the wall near the door and a patient sat near by in a 
 chair. He began by saying, ' ' Your people are committing a 
 great wrong in keeping the seventh day Sabbath. '' "How so, 
 Bro. Bradley?" "The Christian people of this land are hav- 
 ing a great struggle with saloonkeepers, infidels and wicked 
 people generallj', to maintain the Christian Sabbath, and 
 sometimes it looks as if the forces of evil would prevail in 
 spite of all that we can do, and you, a Christian people, 
 weaken the hands of God's servants and strengthen the hands 
 of the wicked by saying, ' Sunday is not the Sabbath of the 
 Lord at all. ' Yes, 1 think you people commit a great wrong 
 in so doing. I think it is displeasing to God." He certainly 
 made out a plausible case, in his own ej'es at least. 1 replied, 
 ' ' Bro. Bradlej', if I do wrong and displease the Lord by keep- 
 ing the seventh day I commit sin, do I not?" "Certainly." 
 "And if 1 commit sin I must answer for it on the day of 
 iudgment. " " Yes, that is so. " " Very well, suppose the day 
 of final reckoning has come and I stand before the Judge of 
 all the earth and he demands of me why I kept the seventh 
 day, what reply could I make? Could I not say: 
 
 ' ' The Great God came down from heaven and stood upon the 
 trembling mount, amid smoke and flame, and with awe inspir- 
 ing majesty proclaimed with His own Divine voice, 'The 
 seventh clay is the Sabbath; in it thou shalt not do any work?' 
 Not only so, but +lie Divine finger traced the same words upon 
 the imperishable stone, and in that world of sin and rebellion 
 against God, amid scorn and ridicule, at the loss of reputation, 
 friends and worldly preferment, I kept the seventh day Sabbath 
 because I loved the Lord and trembled at His word. I kept 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 149 
 
 it because I sincerely desired above everj'thing else to honor 
 God and keep His commandments. Bro. Bradley, what will 
 the Great God do with me?" He thought a moment and said: 
 "Oh, Bro. Hill, you will be saved." The next morning I met 
 the patient who sat listening to our conversation, and he said 
 tome: "Elder, you made the strongest point last evening I 
 ever heard made in all my life. '' There was only one answer that 
 could be given, for it is inconceivable that God would condemn 
 a man for keeping the Divine precepts spoken and written by 
 God Himself. ' 'Then you think it is perfectly safe to keep 
 the commandments of God." "Yes, sir; 1 do.' Is it equally 
 safe to despise them and trample them in the dust? Look at 
 it from the other side. If a Sunday keeper were asked in the 
 judgment. Why did you keep Sunday? Could he point to any 
 Divine command for its observance? Xo. Any Divine bless- 
 ing or sanctification of it? No. All he could point to would 
 be the commandments and traditions of men, and Christ said : 
 "In vain do ye worship me, teaching for doctrines the com- 
 mandments of men." Matt., xv, 9. Those are solemn words 
 and I hope the kind reader will ponder them well. At the 
 sanitarium some things happen that impress the memorj'. 
 One morning the welkin rang with shouts and yells from the 
 bath room. What can be the matter? We soon discovered 
 that an eminent Episcopal clergyman of Milwaukee was being 
 put through the cold bath exercise for the first time. 
 
 On another occasion the sanitarium resounded with whoops 
 and yells and very unbecoming words, and short sentences de- 
 livered with all the energy and power of a Boanerges. A rebel 
 general from Georgia was taking a steam bath, and the attend- 
 ant had turned on the steam hotter than he ought to, and had 
 departed for a moment to attend to some one else. Hence the 
 terrific yells and bad language. 
 
 My experience at the sanitarium was a benefit to me in more 
 ways than one. 1 had the privilege of mingling with more re- 
 fined people than ever before. Although a rustic from the 
 frontier, some of the foremost people took an interest in me. 
 After 1 had been at the sanitarium awhile I became chapbin 
 of the institution. It was my duty to preach in the parlor 
 everj' Sunday evening, to hold family worship every morning, 
 to hold Bible readings and prayer meetings with the helpers, 
 and to visit, read and pray with, and give consolation to those 
 
150 Experiences op a Pioneer Minister, 
 
 patients who especially needed and desired it. Plenty to keep 
 a well man busy. I was growing better every day, and almost 
 daily 1 was greeted with, "Elder, j'ou are looking better." 
 I thought if I could only continue to improve I 'would eventu- 
 ally become good looking, which would be a transformation 
 indeed. I was invited to preach in the Tabernacle. On Sab- 
 bath morning before meeting, my wife and I were surprised to 
 receive a call from a lady from Ohio. She said : ' 'I hear the 
 people say you are not capable of preaching in the Tabernacle 
 and L know you are, and I have come to request you to do the 
 best you can ;" and the tears ran down her cheeks like rain: 
 She would not stop a minute, but delivered her message and 
 went her way. The Lord gave freedom in speaking and the 
 hearty amens from the old veterans of the cause showed that 
 the discourse had struck a responsive chord. 
 
 My health being greatly improved we must return to Minne- 
 sota and re-enter the gospel field. We arrived at Eagle Lake, 
 Minn., alx)ut 2 a. m. We went to my father's house intend- 
 ing to stay until daylight, but we found a stranger's foot had 
 crossed the sill. Father had traded his town property for a 
 farm. We then went to Bro. P]lwin Merrill's where we re- 
 ceived a hearty welcome. 
 
 The winter of 1884-'85 was severe. I labored, with Elder 
 D. P; Curtis, at Wells, Rogers School House, and Good Thun- 
 der. We labored very hard, with some success, especially at 
 Good Thunder, where thirteen were brought to acknowledge 
 the truth. I exposad myself so much during the winter that 
 during the following summer and winter I could do but little 
 in the cause. 
 
 The winter of 1885-'86 I taught school at Eagle Lake. Bro. 
 David Alway was principal of the school that winter. He was 
 an excellent teacher, and tried to rule the school by love and 
 kindness ; but on some of the youngsters his kindness was 
 bestowed in vain. It was like casting pearls before swine. 
 One evening he told some of the youngsters whom he had re- 
 tained after school because of misconduct that he would rather 
 be whipped than to whip them, whereupon one of the young 
 scapegraces took the rod and proceeded to lay it on the teach- 
 er's back in the most approved fashion. I must confess that 
 1 did not possess the required humility and meekness to ruii 
 my department on that line. I kept the rod in my own hand, 
 
Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 151 
 
 and wherever incorrigible meanness showed its head I struck 
 at it, and 1 found it had a most excellent effect. While some 
 natures will respond to kindness, it is still true that the rod is 
 for the fool's back. 
 
 In March, 1886, we had a Sabbath school convention at Good 
 Thunder. It was the most interesting and profitable I ever 
 had the pleasure of attending. At that convention a Baptist 
 minister accepted the truth, and the next summer I had the 
 pleasure of baptizing him and his good wife in the Blue Earth 
 river. I am sorry to say that afterward he met with trials 
 and became discouraged. 
 
 During the summer I held tent meetings in Dodge Center, 
 Dodge county, in connection with A H. Vankirk and Frank 
 Coon.'' One Sunday evening, as Marshall Vankirk and W. A. 
 Alway were sleeping in the tent, some thieves entered and ap- 
 propriated their clothing ; fine shirts, caps, coats and vests, 
 shoes and stockings. About break of day there came a rap- 
 ping on my bed-room window, I looked out and there stood 
 Marshall without hat, coat, shoes or stockings, with only an 
 undershirt and old pair of pants on. He made an urgent plea 
 for clothing for himself and Bro. Alway, which was immedi- 
 ately responded to. I relate this incident to show some of the 
 experiences of holders of tent meetings. If all would keep 
 the commandments of God, such experiences would be un- 
 known. 
 
 The meetings at Dodge Center were well attended. The 
 Church was revived, a few were added by baptism, and in the 
 autumn a neat church was built, in which the little flock could 
 worship God. 
 
 The summer of '87 Bro. A. H. Vankirk and myself held 
 tent meetings at Mapleton, Blue Earth county. The interest 
 was small, and we saw but little fruit of our labor. We were 
 preparing to open meetings in Winnebago City, when I was 
 called upon to go to Winona, Minn. Elder Shultz, of Ne- 
 braska, was conducting a series of German meetings there in 
 a tent with a good interest, which stirred up the enemy of all 
 right to oppose, and he stirred up his children, of whom there 
 were a great number in the city, to tear the tent down and so 
 stop the work. So, on one Sunday evening, when the tent was 
 full of people, a great crowd of half drunk followers of the 
 beast (Papacy) assaulted the tent and tore it down on the heads 
 
152 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 of the assembled multitude. The yells of the mob and the 
 screams of the women and children were terrific. If Pande- 
 monium had raised up bodily the uproar could scarcely be ex- 
 ceeded. A board fence that ran by the tent was stripped of 
 its boards in a twinkling by men attending the meeting and 
 used as weapons of warfare against the rioters. One man 
 made a rush for Elder Shultz, when a stout German, John 
 Lamprecht by name, struck him with his fiet under the ear, 
 and sent him sprawling on the ground. Bro. Shultz said he 
 lay there and quivered as if he was about to give up his life. 
 
 AT this juncture of affairs 
 
 Bro. Shultz received a telegram that his son had been hurt 
 with a mowing machine, and that he should immediately re- 
 turn home. As there was no minister in the conference that 
 could speak any German but myself, I was sent to do what I 
 could to care for the German interest at Winona. When I ar- 
 rived at Winona I found everything in a discouraging condi- 
 tion, but with Bro. Wm. Kahn we went to work holding Bible 
 readings from house to house, rented a hall for meetings and 
 Sabbath school, and soon the skies began to brighten. Bro. 
 Rahn soon went home to Hutchinson, but I removed my fam- 
 ily to Winona, and Sister Amelia Meilicke stayed with us and 
 helped in the work. Also Bro. and Sister Koenig helped some, 
 although they were all learners. We used to have Bible study 
 in German daily, which we all enjoyed very much. As the 
 weather became colder, our hall became too uncomfortable to 
 hold meetings in, and I rented a house, the parlor of which 
 we converted into a chapel. Our Sabbath school increased in 
 interest and numbers, until we had sixty or more members. 
 Sometimes the Sabbath school would occupy parlor, dining 
 room and kitchen. When Elder Grant visited the school he 
 was very much surprised at the interest, and said he would 
 not have believed it had he not seen it. 
 
 My life in Winona was a very busy one. Holding Bible 
 study with the German students. Visiting and holding Bible 
 readings from house to house, baptizing converts, and preach- 
 ing in both English and German. As I was visiting a German 
 family, Borman by name, the lady informed me that they were 
 visited by another minister and they told him of the Adventists 
 and, of their belief that the second coming of Christ was nigh, 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 153 
 
 and he replied, "Mein Herr kommt noch lange nicht." — My 
 Lord delayeth His coming. — I said: "Please read Matt., xxiv, 
 48," and she read: "So aber jener, der bceser kneeht, wird in 
 Seinem hertzen sagen; Mein Herr kommt noch lange nicht." 
 And if that evil servant shall say in his heart : ■ 'My Lord de- 
 layeth His coming." I asked her, "What was the evil servant 
 to say?" She said: "Mein Herr kommt noch lange nicht." 
 "What did the minister say?" He said: "Mein Herr kommt 
 noch lange nicht." 
 
 "Then what kind of a servant is the minister?" "Er ist ein 
 bcEser kneeht." He is an evil servant. He said he would like 
 to read the scriptures with you. He can have that privilege any 
 time. It was arranged that we should meet at the Borman 
 home and search the scriptures together, but before the ap- 
 pointed evening came, it was evident the house would not hold 
 the people that would come, so the minister invited us into his 
 church, and we searched the scriptures together for two even- 
 ings, the result of which was that the Borman family accepted 
 the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. The work 
 grew until the spring of 1888 saw the Adventist people of 
 Winona in possession of a neat church and a house that an- 
 swered well for a parsonage. Thus grew the word of the Lord 
 and prospered. Since then the little company of believers 
 have been called to pass through trials, and some have re- 
 moved to other paits, while others have gone to rest a little 
 season until the Life Giver shall come. I hope and pray that 
 others may be raised up to go with the little company to the 
 Kingdom of God. We remained in Winona until the spring 
 of 1889, when we removed to Whitewater Valley, the place 
 where I found my wife 20 years before. We passed by the 
 old house in which we were married, and the school house 
 wherein I had taught school. A flood of old memories came 
 thronging into our minds by these reminders of the olden time. 
 The summer of 1889 Bro. Hultreich Graf and 1 ran tent meet- 
 ings at Stockton and Lewiston, but with indifferent success. 
 
 At Lewiston the saloon keepers were the main pillars of the 
 churches, and we could do but little with such a class of peo- 
 ple. The walls of the saloons were decorated with pictures of 
 Bible scenes, and drinking and getting drunk were no hin- 
 drance to church membership and church privileges. The 
 first evening we were there we heard women screaming in the 
 
154 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister 
 
 street a little way out of town. I ran down to see what the 
 matter was. I found a poor man with- his face beaten to a 
 jelly. I never saw a worse looking face on a human being. 
 It looked so shocking that women screamed when they saw it. 
 A saloon keeper, one of the pillars in the church, had pounded 
 him in such a shameful manner. One Sunda,y afternoon I saw 
 a man with a great stick in his hand chasing his wife. I 
 stepped in front of the animal and called a halt in his san- 
 guinary proceedings. That is the only instance I ever saw in 
 All my travels anything in the shape of a man chasing his wife 
 with a club. 
 
 No wonder we could not accomplish much in such a place. 
 We soon left for more inviting fields. Bro. Graf moved to 
 Winona and we to Minnesota Citj', six miles farther up the 
 Mississippi. 
 
 The fall of 1889 I had quite an experience getting sub- 
 ■scriptions to petitions to congress against religious legislation. 
 Senator Blair, of New Hampshire, had introduced two relig- 
 ious bills into the United States senate. One was entitled, 
 ' 'A bill to secure to the people the enjoyment of the first day 
 -of the week, commonly known as the Lord's day, as a day of 
 rest, and to promote its observance as a day of worship." In 
 Section 2, of his educational bill, we find these words ; 
 
 ' ' Each state in this Union shall establish and maintain a 
 system of free public schools, adequate for the education of 
 all the children living therein, between the ages of six and 
 sixteen years inclusive, in the common branches of knowledge, 
 and in virtue, morality and the principles of the Christian re- 
 ligion. " 
 
 Thousands of religious zealots were working with all their 
 might to commit congress to the above religious legislation, 
 and we thought it was time congress, and the people generally, 
 should have their attention called to the terrible effects of re- 
 ligious legislation. In my efforts to secure subscriptions to 
 those petitions I met with all kinds of people, with all kinds 
 of views. I came to a gentleman's house in Whitewater Val- 
 ley who readily signed the petition, but his wife thought re- 
 ligious instruction should be given in the public schools. She 
 said, "Here is Mr. Y's family, who do not attend religious 
 meetings and they receive no such instruction at home, and if 
 they do not receive it in school they will not receive it at all. " 
 
Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 155 
 
 "If religion must be taught in the public school, what re- 
 ligion shall it be? Suppose you should secure a Catholic 
 teacher for your school and she should be required by law to 
 teach religion, she would certainly teach her own faith, as she 
 would consider that the truest and best. How would you 
 like to have your little children taught to praj' to the Virgin 
 Mary and to adore her image? That they must confess their 
 sins to the priest, and get his absolution or be lost? To be 
 taught to believe in purgatory and to pay the priest to say 
 mass for the repose of the souls of the dead? To be taught 
 that the Pope is the infallible Vicar of Christ? That all Pro- 
 testants are damned and outside of the Catholic church there 
 is no salvation, and much more equally abominable?" "I 
 would not like it at all," she replied emphatically. 
 
 ' ' But would you not love to have your children taught the 
 Catholic religion just as well as the Catholic would love to 
 have his children taught your religion? And would not the 
 Catholic have just as much right to teach your children his 
 religion as you have to teach the Catholic children the Pro- 
 testant religion? Again, there are thousands of infidels who 
 do not want their children taught any religion. Would the 
 Christians have any more right to teach the children of infidel 
 parents the Christian religion in the public schools than the 
 infidels would have to teach the children of Christian parents 
 infidelity? And would not a law, requiring the principles of 
 the Christian religion to be taught in the public schools, ulti- 
 mately lead to defining by act of congress just what religion 
 should be taught in the public schools? Then would not we 
 have our religion ready made for us by the government of the 
 United States? It must certainly come to that, for if teachers 
 must teach religion they must be examined in that branch of 
 education. In order to do so there must be a standard by 
 which to test their fitness to teach religion, and that standard 
 must be established by law, and if congress establishes a 
 standard of religion and we should not accept it, would we 
 not be criminals in the eye of the law and liable to prosecu- 
 tion as such? Teaching religion by the state is a serious 
 thing and few, people reflect on its direful consequences. 
 Again, if congress defines the religion to be taught in the 
 public schools, religion will enter into every congressional 
 election, which will stir up bitterness and wrath, such as our 
 
156 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 country has never known. No finite mind can comprehend 
 the animosity and hate such a religio-political contest would 
 evoke. If a majority of congress were Catholics, then con- 
 gress would legislate in favor of the Catholic religion, and 
 would they not work for it? Yes, with all their power. They 
 would have as many Catholics in congress as possible. So 
 with Methodists, Presbyterians, etc. Church members, min- 
 isters and priests would all be ardent politicians and political 
 wirepullers, and the baneful effects on religion and the state 
 would be incalculable. How infinitely better to keep church 
 and state forever separate. Civil government was never in- 
 tended to teach religion or preach the gospel, or define a 
 man's duty to his God. If religion cannot be taught in the 
 home and in the church, it cannot be taught anywhere. ' 
 
 the lady signed my petition 
 
 and I went on my way rejoicing. A granger gave me a ride 
 in his wagon. He also was in favor of teaching religion in 
 the public schools. ' 'Suppose the teacher were an unVjeliever. 
 Would you have him teach what he did not believe? Would 
 not that be hypocrisy?" "Well, 1 would have the teacher pray 
 in the school anyhow." "But, my friend, what kind of prayers 
 would an unconverted teacher offer to God? Are not the 
 prayers of the wicked an abomination to Him? Do you think 
 such prayers would be beneficial to the school? Would it not 
 be far better off without them?' "Well, sir; I would not allow 
 unconverted persons to teach school." "Then j'ou would have 
 the state ask every teacher if he is converted and make the 
 state the judge of his spiritual condition before God. If the 
 teacher desires the school very much, would he not be tempted 
 to say yes, I am converted, when he was not? And would not 
 this teaching religion in the public schools have a tendency to 
 make a first class liar and hypocrite of him? When a lad, I 
 attended school where the teacher prayed according to law. 
 His prayers were printed on the cover of his daily register. 
 When prayer time came he would say, 'Let us pray,' and 
 flop onto his knees, and we all had to follow suit, and the old 
 gentlemen would read his prayers as fast as his tongue could 
 fly. He seemed to look upon it as as disagreeable job, and to 
 be glad when he got through, and I am sure we all were. 
 "He was praying because the state paid him for it, and thou- 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 157 
 
 •sands of teachers would pray in the same way for what money 
 there was in it; but may our free schools of America long be 
 delivered from such hypocrisy as that. It makes one tired to 
 see how many good people are clamoring for the state to teach 
 religion in the public schools, not knowing that when such a 
 thing comes to pass, the sun of religious liberty shall have 
 gone down in darkness forever. " 
 
 HELIGIOtIS bigotry. 
 
 Another man, an old acquaintance, and a resident of the 
 Whitewater Valley, was in favor of Sunday laws. Sign a peti- 
 tion against religious legislation ! not he. ' 'We want laws pro- 
 tecting us against being disturbed in our religious meetings on 
 Sunday. " "I believe there is already a law that severely punishes 
 those who disturb religious meetings, or any other kind of 
 meetings, on Sunday or any other day. I supposed our rights 
 were already strictly guarded on these points. But I do not 
 think the man who observes some other day of the week should 
 be fined and imprisoned for quietly following his occupation 
 on Sunday. Also the man who does not believe in keeping 
 any day, has the same right to work as you or I have to re- 
 frain from working. Don't you think so yourself?" ''I think a 
 man has the same right to steal and murder as to work on 
 Sunday." "Then if 1 observe the seventh day conscientiously 
 unto the Lord, and quietly work on ms- own premises on Sun- 
 daj', you would class me with thieves and murderers. ' I left 
 him, thinking religious bigotry is not yet dead. Gentle reader, 
 the above sentiments were uttered by a professed Christian in 
 Whitewater Valley in October, 1889, and he is not an isolated 
 case either, thousands are equally selfish and intolerant. If all 
 would live according to the Golden Rule, there would be no 
 clamor for Sunday laws. Kind reader, are you a Sunday 
 keeper, and do you wish to enforce Sunday rest on all men, 
 whether they wish to or not? Would you like it if the seventh 
 day keepers, having the majority, would force you to rest on 
 that day? Of course not. Then when you compel them by 
 law to rest on Sunday, do you do unto them as you would they 
 should do unto you? Of course not. Then are you an 
 observer of the Golden Rule? Not at all. Then are j'ou a 
 Christian? Impossible, for a Christian observes the teachings 
 of Christ. 
 
158 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 Take another case. There are many thousands vho do not 
 believe in keeping any day. How would you like it if they 
 should happen to gain control of legislation and force you to 
 labor on Sunday? Would you not think your natural rights 
 had been fearfully infringed upon? Certainly you would. 
 But have you any more right to compel them to conform to 
 your notions of Sunday keeping than they have to compel you 
 to conform to their notions of non-Sunday keeping? Don't 
 you think it would be more Christian-like to let every man keep 
 or not keep Sunday as he sees fit, so long as he does not in- 
 terfere with the rights of others? Or do you think that j'ou, 
 as a Sunday keeper, have more rights under the government 
 than you are willing to accord to other people? If so, you 
 have not yet learned the first principles of Christ. 
 
 Again. If Congress has a right to define and enforce one 
 religious institution, it has the right to enforce any and all re- 
 ligious institutions. It has Just as much right to enforce 
 Christian baptism as it has to enforce the Christian Sabbath. 
 If not, why not? 
 
 THIS RELIGIOUS LEGISLATION 
 
 is dangerous business, and should be left alone before it is med- 
 dled with. I know it is said that it is not a religious but a 
 civil Sunday our ministers and doctors of divinitj' are seeking 
 to have enforced by law upon the people ; because they do not 
 otherwise take rest enough for their health. It is the health 
 of the dear people that stirs up the zeal of our dear brethren 
 in the ministry to labor so ardently to enforce the great Amer- 
 ican civil Sunday upon everybody ; but Dr. Franklin, the great , 
 American philosopher, said, ' ' Laziness kills more people than 
 hard work." Thousands already take altogether too much 
 rest. What will our philanthropic D. D. 's do with them ? Will 
 they devise a course of healthful Sunday exercise for them', or- 
 will they make them rest on Sunday also for the good of their 
 health ? Be not deceived. The Sunday Sabbath is a religious 
 institution, and that only. Take religion away from it, and 
 the Sunday Sabbath would vanish in the twinkling of an eye. 
 It is only because of the religious regard that men have for 
 Sunday that they clamor for civil laws to guard its sacredness. 
 None know this belter than those who are working for such 
 laws. 
 
Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 159 
 
 ' ' This day (Sunday) is set apart for Divine worship and 
 preparation of another life. It is the test of all religion." — 
 Dr.' W. W. Everts, of Chicago. Then if congress should en- 
 force Sunday observance it will enforce the test of all religion. 
 
 "The experience of centuries shows that you will in vain 
 endeavor to preserve Sunday as a day of rest, unless you pre- 
 serve it as a day of worship." — Joseph Cook, in Boston lec- 
 tures, 1887. So Joseph Cook wants Sunday preserved as a 
 day of worship. How ? By having congress enforce it by 
 law upon the people. 
 
 ' ' If you take the religion out of the day j'ou take the rest 
 out. " — Dr. Wilbur F. Crafts, in the Washington National Sun- 
 day convention, Dec. 11-13, 1888. Oh, yes ; those reverend 
 gentlemen know what they want — a religious Sunday enforced 
 upon all by law ; but they sugar coat it with the word civil, 
 so that it may the more easily slip down the popular throat. 
 
 THERE ARE TWO SPECIAL OBJECTS 
 
 that incur the wrath of the Sunday reform divines, the Sundaj' 
 newspaper and Sunday excursion trains. Why so ? We will 
 let them tell : 
 
 ' ' The laboring classes are apt to rise late on Sunday morn- 
 ing, read the Sunday papers,' and allow the hour of worship 
 to go by unheeded." — Dr. Everts, in Elgin convention. Yes, 
 yes. The people are more interested in reading the Sunday 
 papers than in listening <;o the dry sermons of the prosy 
 preachers. And what are our reverend gentlemen going to do 
 about it ? Put more life and power into their sermons, and so 
 attract the people to the gospel feast ? Oh, no, not at all ; but 
 they will get a law to stop the naught}' editors from thus hind- 
 ering the people hearing their diluted sermons. 
 
 Let us hear another : ' ' They read the paper ; the time comes 
 to go to church, but it is said, ' Here is something interesting, 
 I will read it and not go to church to-day. ' " — Dr. Herrick 
 Johnson, Farwell hall, Chicago, Nov. i'(i-21, 1888. Kind 
 reader, you can see the point that pricks our brethren in the 
 ministry so sharply. The Sunday newspaper keeps people 
 from church. Therefore it must go. 
 
 so WITH THE SUNDAY TRAIN. 
 
 ' ' They cannot afford to run a Sunday train unless Ihej' get a 
 great many passengers, and so break up a great many congre- 
 gations. The Sunday trains are hurrying their passengers fast 
 
160 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 on to perdition. " — Dr. Everts, in Elgin convention. Querj'. 
 Would the Sunday train hurry a man to perdition or any other 
 place if he did not ride on it ? But, don't you see, the people 
 prefer the Sunday excursion train to the sanctuary, therefore 
 the ministers call on the law makers to help them fill the 
 churches. But who' ride on the Sunday train ? Rev. M. A. 
 Grault says : ' ' The ministers complain that their members go 
 on these excursions." Poor ministers! Their own church 
 members forsake them and go oflf on a Sunday frolic and they 
 are powerless to prevent it. So they say to the government, 
 ' ' Stop that Sunday train, for our church members are on it, 
 and leave us to empty pews ; besides, that train is hurrjing 
 all on board to perdition. So we demand of the United States 
 government a law enforcing a civil Sabbath merelj' as a sani- 
 tary regulation to preserve the health of the dear people ; and 
 so stop the Sunday train to save us ministers from empty pews 
 and to save our church members from going to perdition." 
 But if the government is to save people from going to perdi- 
 tion, pray what are the ministers for ? 
 
 At the Elgin Sunday convention the following resolution 
 was passed : 
 
 ' ' Resolved, That we look with shame and sorrow on the non- 
 observance of the Sabbath by many Christian people, in that 
 the custom prevails with them of purchasing Sabbath newspa- 
 pers, engaging in and patronizing Sabbath business and travel, 
 and in many instances giving themselves over to pleasure and 
 self-indulgence, setting aside by neglect and indifference the 
 great duties and privileges which God's day brings to them." 
 
 A sad case, truly. But have those shamed and sorrowing 
 ministers enough spiritual power to stem the tide. Do thej* 
 propose to cry to God for His converting power to come upon 
 those pleasure-loving. Sabbath-breaking church members, until 
 they will cease to don the livery of heaven to serve the devil 
 in? Do thej' propose to preach the gospel with such burning 
 zeal that the chiirch will be too hot to hold such arrant hj'po- 
 crites? Not at all. They turn from the power of God to an 
 arm of flesh — to the politicians. As is painfully evident from 
 the next resolution. 
 
 "E(\i(iJn-(?, That we give our votes and support to those 
 candidates or political officers who will pledge themselves to 
 \'ote for the enactment and enforcing of statutes in favor of 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 161 
 
 the civil Sabbath." What a spectacle to angels and to men! 
 The ministers in convention assembled calling upon the poli- 
 ticians to trounce their refractory church members into a de- 
 cent observance of the Sabbath ! If the church members had 
 any true religion they would not need it. If the ministers had 
 any power with God they would seek help of Him and not ap- 
 peal to corrupt politicians. Surely no other evidence is 
 needed to show the fallen condition of the churches. Surely 
 Babylon is fallen, is fallen. Come out of her my people. 
 
 Will the ministers eventually gain control of the govern- 
 ment? Yes, they are getting the politicians rapidly into line. 
 In the session of 1828-29 congress was petitioned to not per- 
 mit the mails to be carried on Sunday ; but refused to grant 
 the petition. The committee, to whom the matter was re- 
 ferred, reported adversely. An extract or two from that re- 
 port is here presented: "It should, however, be kept in 
 mind that the proper object of government is to protect all 
 persons in the enjoyment of their religious, as well as civil 
 rights, and not to determine for any whether they shall esteem 
 one day above another, or esteem all days alike holy." After 
 showing that some good citizens esteem Saturday holy, and 
 other good citizens observe Sunday, the committee says: 
 "With these different religious views, the committee are of 
 opinion that congress cannot interfere. It is not the legiti- 
 mate province of the legislature to determine what religion is 
 true, or what false. While the mail is transported on Satur- 
 day the Jew and the Sabbatarian may abstain from any agencj' 
 in carrying it, on conscientious scruples. While it is trans- 
 ported on Sunday another class may abstain from the same 
 religious scruples. The obligation of government is the same 
 on both these classes; and the committee can discover no 
 principle on which the claims of one should be more respected 
 than those of the other, unless it be admitted that the con- 
 sciences of the minority are less sacred than those of the ma 
 jority." It seems that the above principle need only be stated 
 to be recognized and accepted by every fair minded person, 
 and congress at that time summarily disposed of the petition. 
 But how stands the case today? 
 
 CONGRESS HAS BOWED TO THE BEHESTS OP THE CLERGY. 
 
 The session of congress that has just closed, 1892, has de- 
 creed that the World's Fair at Chicago must be closed on Sun- 
 
162 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister 
 
 day or receive no financial aid from the United States treas- 
 ury. I quote again from the congressional committee: "Ex- 
 tensive religious combinations to effect a political object, are, 
 in the opinion of the committee, always dangerous." 
 
 Was there an extensive religious combination to induce 
 congress to add the Sunday closing clause to the World's fair 
 appropriation bill? Yes. The National Reform Association, 
 the American Sabbath Union, the W. C. T. U., Catholic and 
 Protestant, priest and preacher, united in one grand raid up- 
 on congress with entreaties, petitions and threats to secure the 
 much coveted Sunday legislation. Then have we reached the 
 danger line? Yes, we have. 
 
 Let us hear the congressional committee once more : ' 'All 
 religious despotism begins by combination and influence, and 
 when that influence begins to operate upon the political insti- 
 tutions of a country, the civil power soon bends under it; and 
 the catastrophe of other nations furnishes an awful warning of 
 the consequence. " Have the influence of religious combina- 
 tions begun to operate upon the political institutions of our 
 country? Yes. Has the civil power begun to bend under it? 
 Yes? Congress has so far yielded to its demands as to go be- 
 yond its constitutional prerogative and to legislate in favor of 
 Sunday, a religious institution in the face of the declaration of 
 the constitution that congress shall make no law respecting an 
 establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise 
 thereof. What next? The awful catastrophe of other nations 
 before us who yielded to the power of the priesthood. Just 
 as soon as corrupt politicians discover that there is power in 
 this religio-political movement, they will join hands with the 
 scheming, ambitious preachers, jump onto the baud wagon 
 and go with the crowd. As witness Senator Quay, the man 
 who introduced the Sunday closing amendment in the Senate, 
 the mal-odor of whose reputation has scented the whole coun- 
 try, and smelled even to the world beyond the sea — a man 
 who has been charged by reputable papers with almost every 
 crime which circles around. ''Thou slialt not steal;" yet 
 who has never dared to compel these papers to prove their al- 
 legations by libel suit against them. Yes, that is the man 
 who rushed to the aid of the preachers, thinking : " If I pat 
 your back, 3'ou will pat mine." Yes, he needed the aroma of 
 the holy clergy to counteract the bad smell of his unsavory 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 163 
 
 reputation, and they needed his political influence to gain con- 
 trol of the government. So the spouse of Christ yielded her- 
 self to the arms of the political corrupfionists for the sake of 
 the political loaves and fishes. What kind of a child will such 
 an unholy union bring forth? It will be 
 
 AN IMAGE TO THE BEAST, 
 
 and the enforcing of his mark. The mark of the beast is to 
 be universally enforced. "And he causeth all, both small and 
 great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their 
 right hand or in their foreheads." Rev., xiii, 16. The Sun- 
 day is" to be universally enforced. Let a man be what he may, 
 Jew, seventh day observer of some other denomination, or 
 those who do not believe in the Christian Sabbath ; let the law. 
 apply to every one, that there shall be no public desecration 
 of the first day of the week, the Christian Sabbath, the day of 
 rest for the nation. They may hold any other day of the 
 week as sacred, and observe it ; but that day, which is the one 
 day in seven for the nation at large, let not that be publicly 
 desecrated by any one, by officer in the government, or by pri- 
 vate citizen, high or low, rich or poor. Dr. McAllister. — Who 
 are to receive the mark ? All, both great and small, rich and 
 poor, free and bond. Who are to receive the Sunday institu- 
 tion ? Every one. Officer in the government (the great) or 
 private citizen (the small), high or low, rich or poor. Are en- 
 forced Sunday keeping and the mark of the beast the same ? 
 Yes. The issue is before us. The commandments of God on 
 one side and the commandments of the beast (Papacy) on the 
 other. On which side of the controversy will you stand ? 
 "To whomsoever ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his 
 servants ye are. " Rom., vi, 16. I venture to saj- now, in the 
 year of our Lord 1892, that only a short time will elapse be- 
 fore the decree shall go forth, that those who will not keep 
 Sunday will not be allowed to buy or sell. 
 
 I JIUST NOW GO BACK 
 
 to 1889. In November of that year I was sent as a missionary 
 to Lake Shetek country, in Murray county, Minn. It was the 
 scene of a great massacre of the whites during the Indian out- 
 break of 1862. 
 
 The gentleman to whom I was directed proved to be very 
 
164 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 peculiar. He claimed to have had a very remarkable conver- 
 sion the winter previously. When he discovered I was a min- 
 ister he was very much elated ; said he had been praying the 
 Lord to send one, and he was certain I was the one the Lord 
 had sent. He interested himself greatly in opening the way 
 for meetings. ' ' When will you begin ? " " To-night. " ' ' But 
 you are tired, and had better rest an evening or two." "Yes, 
 I am tired ; but there is a great work to be done, and but little 
 time in which to do it. So the meetings begin to-night." The 
 neighborhood was soon apprised of the meetings, and the first 
 one was held at Mr. Dan Greenman's. A goodly number 
 were present, and good attention was paid to the word spoken. 
 After meeting we determined to hold the rest of the meetings 
 in the school house. I was led to that conclusion for two rea- 
 sons: First, people feel more free to go to a school house 
 than to a private one ; and lastly, I noticed that while the older 
 ones were attentively listening to the minister in one room, 
 some children were having a little war in an adjoining room, 
 and some of the parents had to go in and settle them. Not 
 enjoying such little side attractions, I preferred the school 
 house. The school house was a poor affair, with no stove in 
 it. The good people got a coal stove, and neatly lined the in- 
 side of the house with building paper, so it was fairly com- 
 fortable. 
 
 The people manifested a good degree of interest in the meet- 
 ings, especially our peculiar friend to whom 1 had been directed 
 when 1 first entered the neighborhood. He thought the meet- 
 ings were just right until I inadvertently incurred his displeas- 
 ure. I will mention some of his peculiarities. He had an 
 idea that as a son of God he had no need to work ; that his 
 Heavenly Father would supply all his wants. He also claimed 
 to be able to live without eating, and to go barefoot through 
 the snow without injury ; but I noticed he did ample justice to 
 the food set before him, and that his feet were warmly clad. 
 He thought he had the power of the gospel in his right hand. 
 He could just lay his right hand on a sinner and convert him 
 without any further trouble. He said to me that he was Christ, 
 and could feel his hands and feet burn where the nails had 
 been driven through them. But what alarmed me the most 
 was his confidential statement that the neighborhood would 
 never be right until somebody's blood was shed. I perceived 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minlster. 165 
 
 that he was a religious fanatic of the first magnitude. I was 
 afraid that he would some time be seized with a determination 
 to save the people by the shedding of blood. I remembered 
 that a religious fanatic cut his brother's head off in the time 
 of the great reformation. I thought of the Pocasset tragedy, 
 where, a few years ago, Charles Freeman, under the influence 
 of religious fanaticism, took the life of his own darling child. 
 And what this man might do I did not know. 
 
 In a discourse one evening, 1 dwelt on the danger of re- 
 ligious fanaticism; also I expressed my belief to some of his 
 friends that he was mentally unbalanced and should be cared 
 for. This raised his ire to such a height he went to town to 
 have me arrested, but returned saying his lawyer told him he 
 had no case. The Methodist minister attended a meeting or 
 two and expressed himself pleased with the doctrine preached. 
 But when I came to speak on the Sabbath question he opposed 
 with all his might. He cried out: "No man knows which is 
 the seventh day. I don't know. Bro. Hill don't know. No 
 man knows, for we have all forgotten the day of the week." I 
 very briefly replied: "If Bro. Lewis has forgotten the Sab- 
 bath, he has broken the law of God. For God said, 'Remem- 
 ber the Sabbath day,' but Bro. Lewis he does not remember 
 the Sabbath at all, but has entirely forgotten it. God said re- 
 member. " Bro. Lewis says: "1 forgot." Surely he ought 
 not to forget what God told him to remember. 
 
 THE next evening 
 
 1 spoke on "Who changed the Sabbath?" Bro. Lewis was on 
 hand to oppose again. I proposed to him that if he had oppos- 
 ing views to present that he take a whole evening, and not 
 have a jangle at the close of the sermon, but he persisted in 
 speaking. In the course of his remarks, he said I ought to 
 go where there were no other ministers of the gospel and 
 preach my peculiar views to the unconverted and not to Christ- 
 ians. A gentleman in the audience inquired if it were peculiar 
 to preach the commandments of God? The minister replied: 
 "It is peculiar to preach the seventh, seventh, seventh day." 
 ' 'Well, " replied Mr. Carpenter, ' 'I have a very poor opinion 
 of a man's piety that will pretend to keep the ten command- 
 ments, and yet try to get around one of them." The minister 
 sat down as if he had been struck by lightning. He had not 
 
166 Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 another word to say. After meeting, Mr. Carpenter invited 
 me to lodge with him that night. As we were walking home 
 he said "Eld. Lewis stops with us to-night, too. Hetooksnp- 
 pei' with us and left his horse in my stable, and is ahead of us 
 with Mrs. Carpenter and the boys." Sure enough, I found the 
 Elder at the house as pleasant as though nothing unusual had 
 occurred. Mr. Carpenter made a little apology for speaking 
 out iu meeting, and everything went along merrily as a mar- 
 riage bell. The two Elders occupied the same bed that night 
 without the slightest discord until morning, when Bro. Lewis 
 abruptly asked me, "Bro. Hill, how many people do you ex- 
 pect to convert in this neighborhood?" "Well, Bro. Lewis, 
 what is it to be converted?" "To be converted is to be turned 
 from sin to righteousness." "Right. To turn men from 
 sin to holiness is true conversion. Now, what is sin?" "Sin 
 is the transgression of the law." "Right again, Bro. Lewis, 
 and we hope by the grace of God to turn a goodly number from 
 sin — transgression of the law — to keep the commandments of 
 God." "Oh, I suppose you mean to turn them to keep the 
 Sabbath." "AVe hope, Bro. Lewis, to see them keep the Lords 
 Sabbath with the rest of the commandments, for James says, 
 'Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one 
 point, is guilty of all. Jas., ii, 10, and the Sabbath is a point 
 in the law, and we must keep it or be law breakers in the sight 
 of God. " Bro. Lewis made no reply to this, and we arose, took 
 breakfast and each went his way for that time. 
 
 MY friend who was so CERT.'VIX 
 
 the Lord had sent me at first in answer to his prayers, had now 
 turned to be mj' enemj', and was just as certain I had been sent 
 of the devil to distract the peace of the neighborhood. He not 
 only declared he would never enter another Adventist meeting, 
 but that he would make war on us to the end. He joined Bro. 
 Lewis in opposition meetings iu an adjoining school house, but 
 all to no purpose. Although he manifested the greatest zeal, 
 he ran, lie said, a thousand miles or more to get ministers to 
 5)reacli and people to attend the meetings; but all in vain. The 
 people would attend the Adventist meetings in spite of every- 
 thing, and the work went forward. A nice Sabbath school was 
 established and a company of believers were raised up to keep 
 the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Bro. Lewis 
 
Experiences op a Pioneer Minister. 167 
 
 made one more attempt to bring the people back to the observance 
 of the venerable day of the Sun. He got so excited and shouted 
 so loudly that a child was so frightened its father had to 
 take it out of the school house and remain outside until the 
 discourse was over. He labored so hard that he panted for 
 breath, yet failed to find a 'Thus saith the Lord' for Sunday 
 keeping, and seemed determined to make up in noise what he 
 lacked in truth. He complained bitterly that he found it 
 necessary to preach on the Sabbath question at all. He would 
 in nowise do so, only for the divisions brought in by the 
 seventh day folks. Oh, what troublers they are. I thought 
 of the cry raised against the apostles anciently. ' 'These men 
 being Jews do exceedingly trouble ovr city." Acts, xvi, 20. 
 These men preaching the seventh day is the Sabbath do ex- 
 ceedingly trouble the ministers. Why? Because it is the 
 truth, and they cannot successfully deny it. If there was any 
 Bible authoritj' for Sunday keeping they would not feel so 
 badly. If such scripture could be found their bitter mourning 
 would be turned into joy immediately, their wails of sorrow 
 would be turned into songs of rejoicing. They would sing : 
 
 This is the way we long have sought, 
 And mourned because we found it not. 
 
 But, alas! They are like Kachel, weeping for her children 
 and refusing to be comforted, because they are not. Even so 
 the ministers are mourning for a '"Thus saith the Lord" for 
 Sunday keeping and refusing to be comforted; because it is 
 not. No such Divine authority can be found. As God has 
 never commanded Sunday, the clergy are stirring up the cor- 
 rupt politicians to supply the lack by enacting human laws in- 
 stead, and when they get the laws they ask for, What will 
 become of the troublers of their Zion? Rev. Mr. Trefren, 
 of Napa, Cal. , speaking of Adventist ministers, said : ' ' What 
 we want is law in this matter, and we will get it, too, and then 
 we will show these men what their end will be. The ministers 
 are fast gaining control of the government and we will soon see 
 how they will use those men who will dare to differ with them. " 
 
 During the winter 1 was joined by Bro. Frank Johnson, an 
 earnest, faithful worker in the cause, and we held meetings at 
 Currie, about six miles from Shetek. Mr. Neil Currie furnished 
 us a good hall free of charge, and the good people furnished 
 
168 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 coal and light. We boarded at the Padgitt hotel. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Padgitt were very kind to us, and she, with Mrs. Swart- 
 wood and some others, embraced the truth, and a Sabbath 
 school was organized and Sabbath meetings established. We 
 worked hard, walking many miles over the bleak prairies visit- 
 ing and holding meetings, and were rewarded by seeing some 
 fruit of our labor. 
 
 AT THE CAMP meeting OF 1890 
 
 it was decided that J. W. Collie, W. A. Alway and mj'self 
 should hold a course of teat meetings at Worthington, a beauti- 
 ful town of about 1,500 inhabitants, situated near the south- 
 western corner of the state. We went by way of Shetek and 
 Currie. Bro. Collie, while on his way over the prairie to visit 
 Mr. Sam Greenman, fell in with our friend who claimed to have 
 the power of the gospel in his right hand, etc. The gentleman 
 invited him to a scriptural conference to which he readily as- 
 sented. So they sat down by the side of the fence to invest- 
 igate a few doctrinal points our peculiar friend wished to 
 explain. Presently he proposed a season of prayer, to which 
 Bro. Collie also assented. During his prayer our peculiar 
 friend began to grabble onto Bro. Collie with his hands. He 
 became so demonstrative that Bro. Collie, being a youngster, 
 became frightened, and wished himself somewhere else. Sud- 
 denly remembering he had an engagement at Sam. Grreenman's 
 to dinner, he excused himself and went on his way, wondering 
 what kind of a man he had met with. 
 
 We arrived at Worthington in the latter part of June. We 
 found Mr. DeWolf there, who had years before given me a 
 ride in his wagon through the raging waters, when I was on 
 my way to Tenhassen. He kindly helped us to secure a good 
 location for our tent. It was late one summer afternoon when 
 three quiet strangers entered the town which was soon to be 
 stirred as it never was before, by the truths which they bore to 
 the people. In the dusk of the evening we pitched our family 
 tent, made a bed of the preaching tent and some blankets. 
 
 It was rather a hard bed for tired limbs, but the discomfort 
 was much increased by clouds of hungry mosquitoes. In the 
 morning there came a rapping on the tent pole. It was Mr. 
 De Wolf who had come to invite us to breakfast. He and his 
 good wife were very kind to us, especially to me. They 
 kindly gave me a home all the ten weeks I was there, for which 
 
EXPERIEXCES OF A PlOSEEK MiMSTEK. 169 
 
 kindness I hope and pray ther may not lose their reward. 
 The meetings were sometimes well attended and sometimes 
 not. When the interest would lag, we would get out hand- 
 bills announcing special subjects and so draw the people. 
 What helped our cause the most of anything, was holding Bible 
 readings in private houses. Some of the best people in the 
 town attended the readings. The Methodist minister. Eld. 
 Harrington, lived near the tent. He had a great desire to hear, 
 but would not enter the tent. He was in the habit of clan- 
 destinely standing on the outside to listen. We thought to 
 cure him of such unseemly behavior, so the next time he was 
 discovered eaves-dropping, the speaker was informed of it and 
 he said, ' -I understand Bro. Harrington is standing on the out- 
 side of the tent. There is plenty of room ^-ithin. Please come in, 
 Bro. Harrington, and be seated. " He refused to come in but 
 went away for that time. Even after that he was discovered 
 standing outside in the rain listening to the preaching. He 
 would not be seen in the congregation for fear of setting a 
 bad example to his church members, so he listened on the sly. 
 It wotdd hardly do to say to his brethren, stay away from those 
 meetings and be seen there himself. 
 
 A NICE SABBATH SCHOOL WAS ORGANIZED 
 
 and some began to obey the truth when I determined to leave 
 the boys and go home for awhile, as I had not been home for 
 about twelve weeks. No sooner than I had gone than Eld. 
 Harrington began to preach on the Sabbath question. Bro. 
 Collie answered him with such effect that some more (Bro. and 
 Sisters Griffin) took their stand for the truth. The Eld. said 
 he had intended to have preached a number of times upon the 
 subject, but after he heard the reply, he concluded that once 
 was enough. 
 
 In Feb., 1891, I was sent again to Worthington by the Con. 
 Com. to meet Eld. J. M. Vankirk, of Kuthven, Iowa, who 
 was confident he could exorcise the doctrines of Adventism 
 from the town of Worthington. Our people tried to avoid a 
 discussion, but nothing else would satisfy Eld. Vankirk and 
 the Sunday keepers. I was sick and in no condition to per- 
 form labor of any kind, much less bear the burden of a twelve 
 nights' discussion. 
 
 The propositions for discussion were: First. Ought Christ- 
 
170 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 ians to sacredly observe the Seventh day Sabbath? Secondly. 
 Is the law of which the Sabbath was a part abolished? Ought 
 Christians to sacredly observe the first day of the week? I 
 affirmed the first and he the two last propositions. He was 
 smooth, oily, slippery and worked hard, but went away leaving 
 more Adventists in Worthington than when he came. The 
 little company there are still firm in the faith, and rejoicing in 
 the blessed hope. May the Lord prosper them alway, even 
 unto the end. 
 
 IN APRIL, 1891, WE removed 
 
 to West Union, Minn. , and lived in Brother C. McDonald's 
 house, he having gone with his family to the state of Washing- 
 ton. Brother John Budd desired me to take his wife over to his 
 father's one da}', as she wished to go and he had not time to take 
 her himself. 1 wanted to see the old folks and concluded to go. 
 As we were returning the front wheel of the carriage ran off as 
 we were descending quite a steep hill, which frightened the 
 horse and he began to run and kick with all his might. Sister 
 Budd was afraid her little boy, who was with us, would be killed, 
 and, womanlike, screamed and caught hold of the lines, which 
 onl}' made a bad matter worse. In a very short time the carriage 
 top was in one place and a badly used up carriage in another, 
 and the horse and harness had disappeared over the prairie, 
 leaving three badly shaken up persons to get home as best they 
 could. Sister Budd said she did not believe she would ride 
 with the minister again. 
 
 The state camp meeting of 1891 was held at Minneapolis. 
 A meeting called a workers' meeting was held about a week be- 
 fore the general camp meeting began. At this meeting there 
 were hours set apart to prepare the ground and pitch tents, and 
 other hours were set apart for devotion and the study of God's 
 
 word. One day I thought Brother took rather strong 
 
 ground in regard to faith. He said all Abraham did was to 
 believe. All he could do was to believe. All you can do is to 
 believe. All anybody can do is to believe. I asked if that 
 were so, why is it that we are exhorted everywhere to watch 
 and pray, to strive, wrestle, run, fight and even to add to our 
 ffiith, if only to believe were all we had to do? Brother Porter, 
 president of our conference, said, ' ' Brother Hill will have five 
 minutes in which to answer his own question at our next meet- 
 ing;" which I did as follows: "We are told all we can do is to 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 171 
 
 believe, or have faith, and that is not of ourselves ; it is the 
 gift of God; then why do not all men have faith? It is re- 
 plied, because some men will not accept the gift. Very welj, 
 then the difference is in the men. Some men will, and other 
 men will not. Again, here are two men who both have faith; 
 the one goes on increasing in faith, while the other makes ship- 
 wreck of faith. How is this? Both had faith. One grew 
 strong in faith and the other weaker until he lost what faith he 
 had. These opposite results were reached by the opposite 
 course taken by the two men. The one thought he was re- 
 quired to improve upon the talent of faith God gave him, 
 while the other thought he had nothing to do but believe. 
 
 WE are told 
 
 that as faith is the gift of God, all we have to do is to take it. 
 Well, here is a gift of God — a loaf of bread. Supposing we 
 should all act upon the principle that bread is the gift of God, 
 therefore all we have to do is to take it. Would we not all 
 soon get very hungry? If faith is a gift of God, we 
 should ask for it. 'Ask and ye shall receive,' and the disciples 
 praj'ed 'Lord increase our faith. ' If a man has only a little 
 faith, he should live out the faith he already has and his faith 
 will be strengthened and perfected. James, speaking of Abra- 
 ham, said, 'Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and 
 by works was faith made perfect?' James, ii, 22. How was 
 Abraham's faith perfected? Bj"^ works. How will your faith 
 be perfected? By works. In order to be strong in faith we 
 must act out the faith we already possess. We are told all any- 
 bodj^ can do is to believe. Suppose I steal Bro. Curtis' knife. 
 How can I be forgiven? Will it do for me just to believe I 
 am forgiven without confession and restoration? Will it bene- 
 fit me in the least to believe I am forgiven so long as I retain 
 that knife in my possession? No. But I go to Bro. Curtis 
 and say: 'I stole your knife. I am truly soiTy I did so, and 
 here I give you the knife again. ' Now I can come to God 
 with the assurance that God will forgive me, because I have 
 complied with the conditions of forgiveness. God will not 
 repent for us, nor believe for us, nor watch and pray for us, 
 nor improve our talents for us; but He will help us do all 
 these things, and without Him we can do nothing. Yes, 
 God's wisdom and power will be given unto every one who 
 
172 ExpebiiSnces of a Pioneer Minister, 
 
 seeks for it, and he will be strong in the Lord and in the 
 power of His might." 
 
 4.t that camp meeting our good president, Eld. E. C. Porter, 
 took leave of us. Never did we part with a president so re- 
 luctantly before. He had endeared himself to all the brethren 
 in Minnesota. After camp meeting. Brethren W. A. AlvTay, 
 A. Parker and myself pitched our tents in a grove on the shore 
 of Osakis lake, Douglas county. Never did we pitch tent in a 
 more pleasant location. We began meetings on Julj' 2d, with 
 a fair attendance. The interest increased until oft times our 
 tent was filled to overflowing, and some decided to obey the 
 truth. Bro. Satterlee, the M. E. minister, felt called upon to 
 oppose our work. He started out on the warpath, tomahawk 
 in hand, evidently determined to take our scalps at the first 
 onset. Of course we went to hear him, and he gave us a roast- 
 ing sure enough. According to Bro. Satterlee, we were the 
 most ignorant, hypocritical hypocrites that could be found. 
 He said we preached damnation to the people, and that we 
 were a curse, and only a curse. The Rev. gentleman's rage 
 seemed to know no bounds. As we listened to him we thought: 
 "What Spirit impels a man to thus abuse his fellow man? 
 Is it the spirit of Christ? Oh, no. Then what spirit is it? 
 It must be an evil spirit. 
 
 Why is it that ministers almost always abuse Sabbath keepers 
 when they preach upon the Sunday Sabbath question? Is it 
 because they cannot find any Bible authoritj' for Sunday sacred- 
 ness that they get so cross? He started out to give the rea- 
 sons why the Sunday should be observed, and in a long dis- 
 course he gave us only three. 1. We keep Sunday because 
 Christ arose from the dead on that day. Did God tell us to 
 keep Sunday holy because Christ "arose from the dead on that 
 day? No; not at all. Who does? Bro. Satterlee. Would 
 God have told us to keep Sunday holy if He thought it was best 
 for us to do so? Yes, certainly; God did not tell us to do so; 
 and why not? Evidently because He did not think it was best 
 for us to do so. What God has not commanded or required, 
 Bro. Satterlee ought not to command or require. 2d reason: 
 We keep Sunday the same as we keep the Fourth of July. 
 Yes, certainly. The Fourth of July rests solely upon the 
 commandments of men. So does Sunday; but Christ says: 
 ' 'In vain do ye worship me teaching for doctrines the com- 
 
Experiences ov a Pioneer Minister. 173 
 
 mandments of men." 3d reason: We keep Sunday because 
 all the -world keeps it. Yes; Bro. Satterlee keeps Sunday to be 
 in harmony with the world; but "The whole world lieth in 
 wickedness," — I John, v, 19. It is not good for a Christian 
 to love the world: For --If any man love the world, the love of 
 the Father is not in him." — I John, ii, 15. To be in harmony 
 with the world is to be in harmony with the beast as it is writ- 
 ten: "All the world wondered after the beast." — Rev. xiii, 3. 
 Bro Satterlee places himself among the beast-worshipping 
 world. To be in harmony with the world is to be against 
 Christ; for Christ said: "If ye were of the world, the world 
 would love its own ; but because ye are not of the world, therefore 
 the world hatethyou." Here we are taught, 1st: Christians 
 are not of the world: but Bro. Sstterlee goes with the world. 
 Yes; there are altogether too many worldlj' ministers profess- 
 ing to be ministers of Christ. Secondly: We learn that the 
 world hates Christ and Christians. Perhaps that is the reason 
 why he hates the Adventists so heartily. He not only hates 
 Sabbath keepers, but the Sabbath and the law that enforces 
 the Sabbath. He said the law was under his feet, and the man 
 who follows the law ignores Christ. 
 
 Wesley, the founder of Methodism, said: "The law is 
 God's faithful witness in heaven." What a contrast! Bro. 
 Wesley has the law high up in heaven ; Bro. Sattlerlee has it 
 low down under his feet. Queer plaoe for God's hoh' law. 
 God says: "I will put my laws in their minds and in their 
 hearts will I write them. " We suggest to Bro. Satterlee and 
 all others who are trampling the precepts of Jehovah in the 
 dust, that the heart is a much more appropriate place for God's 
 law than under their feet. If to follow the law ignores Christ, 
 why does Bro. Satterlee, every time he sprinkles a baby, require 
 its parents to promise to teach it the ten commandments? Does 
 he intend to teach the child to ignore Christ and be lost? Is 
 not such contradiction and confusion the result of rejecting 
 the truth of God? ' 'A house divided against itself cannot 
 stand." Since Bro. Satterlee is divided against himself, how 
 can he stand? But reallj-, does the man who keeps the com- 
 mandments ignore Christ? If so, it follows to honor Christ 
 we must break the commandments of God. Could Satan de- 
 vise a more wicked teaching? Christ said to the Father: "Yea, 
 thy law is within my heart.'' Ps., xl, 6, and. "I have kept 
 
174 Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 
 
 my father's commandments," John, xv, 10, and he has joined 
 the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus together. 
 ' 'Here is the patience of the saints ; here are they that keep the 
 commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." Kev. , xiv, 
 12. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder. 
 Were we offended because a brother minister railed on us so? 
 Not at all. "Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and 
 say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Ke- 
 joice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in 
 heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets which were before 
 you." .(Sermon on the mount.) Many of the Elder's own peo- 
 ple did not approve of his bitter spirit, and he soon left for 
 another field of labor. He remarked to a gentleman before 
 going that his people urged him to speak against the Adventists, 
 but as it resulted differently to what was expected, thej- turned 
 against him. Yes, fighting the truth results differently to 
 what was expected. We can do nothing against the truth but 
 for the truth. His successor takes a different course and says 
 nothing publicly against the Sabbath. The ministers are 
 learning that whoever publicly opposes the Lord's Sabbath 
 burns his own fingers. If they would only go a step farther 
 and embrace the whole truth, how much better it would be for 
 them and their people, both now and hereafter. In Osakis, 
 where we had no cause at all about a year ago, we have now a 
 neat little church, of which P. Hogan was the master builder, 
 with Sabbath school and meetings established. And although 
 unpopular truth makes slow progress here, yet Gods true peo- 
 ple will eventually hear His voice and follow him. In Sep- 
 tember, 1891, we removed to Osakis, where we still reside, and 
 can say we have received many kindnesses from the people of 
 this place and vicinity, for which favors we are thankful. In 
 the winter of 1891-92, I was assigned 15 churches to visit in the 
 northwestern part of the state, one of which was Round 
 Prairie. As 1 was walking from the depot with a gentleman, 
 tie showed me the old tent pole that wc used in our tent meet- 
 ings Ki years before. There it lay on the prairie, broken in 
 two near the top, As I stood there and looked at the old pole, 
 what a flood of recollections came rushing into my mind. I 
 could see the tent standing there as of old, and the people 
 coming on foot and, in wagons and buggies. I could see them 
 seated in the cotton meeting house, and imagine myself speak-- 
 
Experiences of a Pioneer Minister. 175 
 
 ing to them once more. Where are this multitude of people 
 now? Some have moved away; some one place and some 
 another, and some have folded their arms across their bosom in 
 their last long sleep, their work all done and their life's record all 
 made up, closed up and sealed unto the judgment of the great 
 day. In a little while that scattered congregation and I will 
 meet again. They to give an account as to how they heard and 
 obeyed the message of truth, and 1 to give an account of 
 how I proclaimed to them. Shall I be able in that great day 
 in the presence of God and the holy angels, to look each one in 
 the eye, and say, ' 'I did my whole duty ; I am free from the 
 blood of all these men?" I felt to renew my consecration to 
 God and His work, and to pray, ' '0, Lord, help me to be a 
 faithful watchman on the walls of Zion. " 
 
 At Verndale I found two protracted meetings in progress ; as 
 a consequence our meetings were slimly attended by those not 
 of our faith. What to do to get them to come I did not know. 
 At last I got a lot of posters struck off announcing ' 'The Ad- 
 ventist Heaven" will be the subject of discourse at the Ad- 
 ventist church to-night. I posted them up all over the village, 
 and sure enough a goodly number of outsiders were- present, 
 among whom was a Methodist minister. I invited him to open 
 the meeting with prayer, which' he did. Several times during 
 his prayer he prayed the Lord "If it be possible, bless this 
 meeting." Evidently, he was in doubt whether the Lord could 
 possiblj' bless the Adventist meeting or not, into which his 
 bump of curiosity had beguiled him. 
 
 After the opening exercises, the minister took out his note 
 book and pencil and prepared to take notes. I began by ex- 
 plaining that the Adventists did not believe in a separate and 
 distinct heaven for them, or that they should have a corner of 
 heaven all by themselves. All of God's people shall share 
 alike in that beautiful home ; but Adventists have peculiar 
 views as to how it shall be — where it shall be — and how 
 and when it shall be obtained. These views I shall en- 
 deavor to present this evening, and the reasons therefor. I 
 noticed at first the minister took a few notes ; but, as the sub- 
 ject was unfolded, he forgot about his notes, and sat with in- 
 tense interest until the last word was spoken. The Lord helped 
 in speaking, and the believers and unbelievers testified it was 
 good to be there. 
 
l76 ExPEKiENCES or A Pioneer Minister. 
 
 I left Verndale, in company with Bro. Grant, for Eunice. 
 The weather was intensely cold, and I felt peculiar pains trav- 
 eling through my system almost continually. While holding 
 meetings at Eunice, I was forced to give up to the power of La 
 Grippe. Bro. and Sister Shields took me home and gave me 
 steam baths, which helped, but I took a relapse and was worse 
 than ever. It looked to me as if my work was done, and that 
 1 probably would never see my loved ones again in this life. 
 I found it was a precious thing to have a hope in Christ at 
 such a time as that. Oh, the blessed hope that is as an anchor 
 to the soul both sure and steadfast, and entereth into that 
 within the vail. Who would for an hour be deprived of its 
 rich comfort ? 
 
 After awhile, although very sick, I smarted for home. I 
 ■was taken in a sleigh to Detroit, intending to take the cars ; 
 but I found I was too sick to go farther for two or three days,- 
 and I stayed at young Eobert Schram's, who were very kind to 
 me. 1 stayed during my sickness at Brethren Shields' and 
 Van Allen's and at Mr. Schram's, all of whom showed me no 
 littj'e kindness. When I arrived at home I was so weak I could 
 scarcely walk ; but soon got better and assisted Bro. Alway 
 what 1 could, who was at that time holding meetings in the 
 McKindley school house, situated in the timber about six 
 miles from town. We used to often go across the lake on the 
 ice. One day, as I was walking across, I came to a piece of 
 ice that seemed to be detached from the main body. I was 
 about to step onto it when 1 thought, better try that first, so I 
 pushed it with my foot, and it sank quickly under the water. 
 Had I stepped upon it, I would certainl}' have gone down with 
 it. My time had not yet come to go down into the chambers 
 of death. 
 
 WHAT WAS SOMEWHAT REMARKABLE, 
 
 ^Mrs. Hill had a presentiment that 1 was in danger, and could 
 not rest that night. Surely, ' ' The angel of the Lord encamp- 
 eth round about them that fear Him and delivereth them." At 
 the McKindley school house there was quite a good interest to 
 hear, and a goodly number actually took a stand to obey the com- 
 mandments of God, but most of them soon tired of the self-deny- 
 ing way. I was informed one man said, ' ' I would be keeping 
 the Sabbath now only for some of my neighbors," and that an- 
 other said, ' ' I know it is the truth ; but my wife is so opposed 
 
EXPEEIBNCKS OP A PlONEEE MINISTER. 177 
 
 that I can have no peace if I obey it." Thus they all, with 
 one accord, began to make excuse, and of course the Lord 
 will excuse them. Such excuses will hardly stand in the judg- 
 ment. "My neighbors hindered me" will hardly shield the 
 man from the penalty of the transgression of the Divine law. 
 ' ' My wife opposed me, therefore I rejected the commandments 
 of the Great King," will hardly pass in the court of heaven. 
 Such excuses will only put the poor people to shame that make 
 them. Notwithstanding all discouragements, a little Sabbath 
 school was organized there, but whether it will continue to 
 hold out against the opposition, time will tell. Elder Knott is 
 now teaching the people there, that the ten commandments are 
 abolished. Sabbath and all the rest. I dropped into his Bible 
 study one evening, in which he was explaining the first chap- 
 ter of Galations, which says, that, "If an angel from heaven 
 should preach any other gospel than that is preached, let him 
 be accursed." T wondered on which the curse rested, the 
 Methodist church for teaching that the ten commandments 
 are the law of God and binding on all men, or on Elder Knott 
 for teaching that the ten commandments are dead and binding 
 on nobody. It must most surely rest on one or the other-, for 
 they preach directly opposite the one to the other. 
 
 One Sabbath day, as I was on my way to meeting, I met a 
 gentleman from that neighborhood hauling a load of wood to 
 town. I said to him, ' ' Brother, it hurts my feelings to see 
 you breaking the Lord's Sabbath. " On my return I met him 
 again, when the following discourse ensued : "1 have been 
 thinking about what you said to me about breaking the Sab- 
 bath. I don't know about its hurting your feelings to see me 
 work on the Sabbath ; maybe it is onl}' a hobby you have. 
 Bro. Knott is teaching us that all the old commandments are 
 done away, and we have nothing to do with them any more." 
 ' ' Is that so ? i supposed the Bible taught that we shoilld 
 observe the old commandments as well as the new. " " Yes ; 
 but you find that in the Old Testament." "Let us see 
 about that," and I read 1 John, ii, 7 : "Brethren, I write 
 no new commandment unto you; but an old command- 
 ment which ye have heard from the beginning. This is in the 
 writings of John, in the New Testament. John here plainly 
 teaches that we should observe the old commandment, which is 
 even from the beginning ; but Bro. Knott teaches that all the 
 
178 EXPEEIENOBS OF A PlONEER MlKISXEB. 
 
 old commandments are done away. Which do you think is 
 right, the holy Apostle or Bro. Knott?" "Well, in Paul's writ- 
 ings we find the law is done away. " ' 'So you think the Apostle 
 Paul contradicts the Apostle John?" "I think they agree. " "Let 
 us hear Paul: 'Do we then make void the law through faith? 
 God forbid; yea, we establish the law,' Rom. iii, 31. Here 
 Paul says the law is established ; the very opposite of abolished 
 or done away. ' ' ' 'Well, I know Paul says, 'We are not under the 
 la;w, but under grace. ' " "I know that very well, too ; but, Bro. 
 
 , who is under grace, the man who breaks the commandments, 
 
 or the man who keeps them? Do you think the man who lies, 
 steals, commits murder and the like, is under grace?" "Oh, no, 
 the man who is a Christian will keep the commandments."' 
 
 "Now, Bro. , you are on the right track, and I will bid you 
 
 good-bye." 
 
 IT IS CERTAIN THE MAN WHO IS A CHRISTIAN 
 
 will keep the commandments of God. "For this is the love of 
 God, that ye keep his commandments," and his commandments 
 are not grievous, 1 John, v, 3. 
 
 Kind reader, if a man who is a Christian will keep God's 
 commandments, what kind of a man is it who tries to evade them 
 and teaches they are dead and abolished. And if it is love 
 that leads a man to keep the commandments of God, what is it 
 that impels him to disregard them? All true obedience springs 
 from love, all other obedience is vain. May God's love rule in 
 your heart and mine, and then we will be God's obedient child- 
 ren, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the 
 Lord, blameless in His sight. 
 
 THE SPRING OF 1892 
 
 was very cold and wet, and I took a heavj- cold which brought 
 the La Grippe back on me with great power. My friends 
 watched in fear lest I should not recover. Bro. and Sister 
 Bidgood and Bro. and Sister Briggs were especially kind to 
 us during this illness. Through the loving kindness of our 
 Father in heaven 1 once more recovered so as to do a little in 
 the cause I love. 
 
 I was too feeble to attend the state camp meeting at Minne-' 
 apolis in Way, 181)2. My two daughters, Ella and Nellie, at- 
 tended it, and it was the best one ever iield in the state. The 
 
EXPERIBNCES OF A PlONEER MiXISTEE. 179 
 
 brethren came home greatly refreshed and encouraged. They 
 conld see clearly that the long looked for triumph of God's 
 faithful children is at hand. 
 
 The power of God was present not only to heal the soul but 
 the body as well. One sister, Haak, of Winona, with whom I 
 am well acquainted, had been an invalid for years, and a great 
 sufferer, attended the meeting and was instantly healed in 
 answer to prayer, and returned to her home a well woman. A 
 blind man, whose name I did not learn, was healed by the 
 power of God. He came in the darkness of blindness and re- 
 turned rejoicing in the light of day. Thus we see the Lord is 
 gracious and willing to do groat things for His people. The 
 Bible study, conducted by Eld. A. T. Jones, was a great bless- 
 ing to the dear brothers and sisters. Their eyes fairly shone 
 with their new hope and joy. May the good and blessed work 
 go on until the joy of every believer shall be full. 
 
 -\ WHILE AFTER CAMP MEETING 
 
 I had the pleasure of visiting Long Prairie, Stewartville, Eagle 
 Lake, Good Thunder and Kasota. It was a priAilege to meet 
 the dear old veterans in the cause and speak to them once 
 more of the blessed hope. We realized more than ever that 
 we are standing on the very verge of the eternal world, events 
 startling in their nature are transpiring before our eyes and the 
 next thing in order is the time of trouble and then the glorious 
 appearing of the Son of God on the white cloud, and the gath- 
 ering of the saints unto Him. At Eagle Lake I had the pleas- 
 ure of meeting my aged father. He is in his S3d year and 
 quite feeble ; but his hope is strong in the holy one of Israel, 
 the One that is mighty and able to save. At Kasota. where 
 my sister Sarah, and brother-in-law, John Pettis, live. I could 
 only stay one evening, which I improved by holding meeting 
 with the brethren. 31 y mind was carried back to the time, 
 about thirteen years ago. when I first held meetings there. I 
 asked the brethren if they remembered that at that time I told 
 them that the churches would gain control of the ci^-il power in 
 this country and so make an image to the beast or Papacy? Are 
 the churches uniting to gain that control? Yes. Are they 
 succeeding? Yes. Both houses of congress have yielded to 
 the demands of the churches in regard to the Sunday closing 
 of the World's Fair, Did I tell you that the time would come 
 
180 ~ BXPERIBNOES OF A PlONEEE MINISTER. 
 
 when this country would be stirred from one end to the other 
 on the Sunday Sabbath question? Yes. Was it the truth? 
 Yes. Witness the universal agitation on this question caused 
 by the Women's Christian Temperance Union, the Amer- 
 ican Sabbath Union, the Sunday Rest leagues and Na- 
 tional reformers. Their literature, meetings, conven- 
 tions and petitions are everywhere. Ninety-one churches met 
 in Chicago the other day to boom the Sunday movement. 
 What other religious question creates such interest and en- 
 thusiasm? None whatever. Did I tell you the time would 
 come when Congress would at the behest of the churches 
 make Sunday laws? Yes. Has congress already begun to 
 make Sunday laws to please the churches? Yes. Did I tell 
 you that the time would come when Sabbath keepers would be 
 fined and imprisoned in this country for working on Sunday? 
 Yes. Has it come to pass? Yes, four as good honest Christ- 
 ian people as cap be found are in a dungeon to-daj* in Free 
 America, one of whom we are well acquainted with ; for quietly 
 working on their own premises on Sunday after having kept 
 the Sabbath day according to the commandment of the Lord. 
 Thirteen years ago 1 declared to you on the authority of God's 
 word that these things would come to pass, every one of which 
 is in the process of fulfillment before your eyes to-daj'. Does 
 not this prove to a demonstration that our people have the cor- 
 rect interpretation of the prophecies relating to the days in 
 which we live? Yes, it most surely does. Will this persecu- 
 tion of commandment keepers become general? Yes. The 
 Sunday crusade is here and is moving with mighty power and 
 will not stop until all over this broad land, those who will not 
 bow down to the image or receive the mark will experience and 
 know what it is to suffer for Christ's sake. They will experi- 
 ence the wrath of the dragon. But who will gain the victory 
 in this last conflict. The beast and his image or the suffering 
 people of God? Let us read Ecv. xv, 2. 
 
 WHO STAND ON THE SEA OF GL.VSS? 
 
 Those who on this earth gained the victory over the beast and 
 his image. Who are now warning the world against the beast 
 and his image and the reception of his mark? 7th day Ad- 
 ventists. Anybody else on this earth doing so? No. Then 
 who only will obtain the victory over the beast and his image? 
 
EXPEKIBNCES OF A PlONEEE MINISTER. 181 
 
 7th day Adventists. Theu who only will stand on the sea of 
 glass mingled with fire before the throne? 7th day Adven- 
 tists. Do not misunderstand me, I do not sa}' none but Ad- 
 ventists will be saved, but I do say, and every Bible believer 
 must believe with me, that only those who contend with the 
 beast and his image will stand on the sea of glass and 7th day 
 Adventists are the only ones in this world that are scripturally 
 doing that. Ask any other class of people if .they have any spe- 
 cial burden to oppose the beast and his image they will tell you 
 no, that they do not know if there be any beast and his image or 
 not. How is it with you, kind reader? Are you in ignorance 
 of these things? How can you expect to stand with that glad 
 companj' of overcomers on the sea of glass? Is it not high 
 time that you were becoming intelligent in regard to these 
 solemn truths? 
 
 IT IS OBJECTED THAT 
 
 it cannot be that the little unpopular people of Seventh Day 
 Adventists can be the only ones who have the truth for our 
 time. When was the present truth popular in this wicked 
 world? Not in the days of Noah, neither in the days of Abra- 
 ham or Elijah, or Christ, or at any other time. Neither will it 
 be in the last days ; for in the latter times some shall depart 
 from the faith. 1 Tim. iv, 1. In the last days perilous times 
 shall come. 2 Tim.iii,l. And the remnant or last of God's peo- 
 ple who keep the commandments of God, and have the testi- 
 mony of Jesus Christ, will suffer the wrath of the dragon. 
 Rev. xii,17. A popular church is never persecuted ; therefore 
 the remnant people of God, upon whom the dragon shall make 
 war, will be a small unpopular people proclaiming unpopular 
 truth to the world. Are the Seventh Day Adventists just such a 
 people as tha,t? Yes. Are they already suffering fines and 
 imprisonment for conscience sake? Yes. And it will be more 
 and more so as the days roll round. Many say the age in 
 which we live is too enlightened to persecute anybody. But 
 the spirit of intolerance and persecution is not dead by any 
 means, as witness the fines and imprisonments of Sabbath 
 keepers in Arkansas, for working quif'tly on their own premises 
 on Sunday. Also the celebrated Kircr case. A man who 
 was fined for plowing corn on Sunday; \.ho was dragged from 
 court to court, and finally died under a thousand dollar bonds. 
 
182 EXPEKIENCES OF A PlONEER MINISTER. 
 
 to appear before the supreme court of the United States, and 
 for what crime? For plowing corn on Sunday after having 
 kept the Sabbath of the Lord according to the commandment. 
 Was he a good man and a Christian? Yes, even those who 
 prosecuted him admitted that. Who are responsible for his 
 being persecuted to the day of his death ? The popular churches. 
 What does Christ say about such things? "Inasmuch as ye 
 did it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye did it 
 unto me." How will such popular professors of religion 
 answer for their persecution of Christ's little ones when they 
 stand before Him in the great day? I would rather be the 
 persecuted than the persecutors, would not you? Take the 
 more recent case of the Adventists imprisoned in Paris jail, 
 Henry county, Tennessee. 
 
 The following is a dialogue between an Adventist and a 
 Methodist shortly before the persecution began: Methodist. 
 "You people are doing a good deal of harm in this country." 
 Adventist. "Why, how is that? We are a quiet, inoffensive 
 people." Methodist. "Yes, but were it not for your church we 
 would have regular meetings here at Springville, and all the 
 young people who now go to your meetings would be working 
 members of the Methodist church. " Adventist. "Well, show 
 us our error and we will all be Methodists. ' ' Methodist. ' 'That's 
 just what we are going to do ; we are going to prosecute every 
 one of you." 
 
 Kind reader, I call that the spirit of religious bigotry and 
 intolerance. What do you call it? Did they prosecute them? 
 Yes. Five Christian men, two of them personally known to 
 the writer, were indicted as criminals, and appeared before the 
 court without a lawyer, and personally plead for liberty to 
 worship God according to His own word — to work six days and 
 rest the seventh, as God had commanded them. Was it denied 
 them? Yes. Although not a man could be found td testify 
 he had been disturbed by their Sunday work ; yet four of these 
 Christian men were fined and imprisoned as Criminals in the 
 common prison. Was the spirit of persecution satisfied with 
 their imprisonment? No, sir. But even ministers went 
 to Paris, the county seat of Henry Co. , Tennessee, to see if, 
 by some means, these suffering men could not be made to work 
 in the chain gang on the public roads, and they were compelled 
 even to endure that infamy. 
 
KXPSHISNOES or A FlONSGR MmiSTSR, 183 
 
 In the light of these facts, who will say, The spirit of persecu- 
 tion is dead? Hero is something more I find in the Rerii ir i(- 
 Herald, dated Aug. 9, 1852: ''We learn that Brethren E. E. 
 Franke and C. L. Taylor are having an exciting time in their 
 tent work at Ford's store, Maryland. Methodist ministers have 
 come in from all parts of the county, and stirred up a mob, 
 who, wearing masks and armed with clubs and other weapons, 
 have undertaken to tear down their tents and drive them from 
 the place, and would have done so, had not the tent been 
 watched nights by its friends to the number of thirty or forty, 
 armed for all emergencies. Who will say that the spirit of relig- 
 ious intolerance is dead? Who are suffering from this pei-secut' 
 ing Spirit? Seventh Day Adventists. " But this is not all. Judge 
 Hammond, a Judge of the United States District Court, in 
 his decision iu the King case, holds that the majority have the 
 legal right to persecute the minoritj- in this land. See Due 
 process of law and the Divine right of Dissent, page 21. 
 
 THUS PLACING PERSECUTION 
 
 on a legal basis iu this land of boasted freedom. Yet more. 
 The Supreme Court of the United States rendered a decision on 
 the 29th day of February, 1892, that this is a Christian nation. 
 Thus laws supporting Christian institutions are constitutional. 
 Yet more. Congress has legislated in favor of Sunday, a re- 
 ligious institution. How long before the whole power of the 
 government will be fully under ecclesiastical control, when the 
 ministers will not stir up masked mobs to tear down tents and 
 drive people away, but will say to officers of the law: -'Take 
 care of these men," and they will do it. And while popular 
 professors of religion will be enjoying their church fairs, festi- 
 vals and ice cream suppers, the victims of their bigotry and 
 intolerence will be languishing in dungeons and laboring in the 
 chain gang. 
 
 The crisis is before us, reader. On which side will you be? 
 Will you join the popular professore of religion in oppressing 
 the humble children of God? If so, will not the judge say to 
 you and to them in that day: "Wherefore did ye fine and 
 imprison me and persecute me?'' And when you will ask: 
 "'\V'hen did we such a wicked thing?" Will not the Judge 
 say: "Inasmuch as j'e did it unto one of the least of these, 
 my brethren, ye did it unto me. But whoso shall offend 
 
184 Experiences of a Pioneer Ministeb. 
 
 one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better 
 for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that 
 he were drowned in the depth of the sea. ' ' — Matt, x^■iii. 1 . God 
 will not forsake His people in the time of trouble. He 
 says: 'When thou passeth through the fire, the flame shall 
 not kindle upon thee, and when thoa passeth through the 
 waters, they shall not overflow thee. The angel of the Lord 
 encampeth round about them that fear him and delivereth 
 them." — Ps. xxxiv, 7. 
 
 did the angel of the lord 
 deliver the three worthies from the .bu;-ning flame in the days 
 of Nebuchadnezzar, the king? Yes. he did. Did the angel 
 of the Lord deliver Daniel from the power of the lions? Yes, 
 he did. Did the angel of the Lord deliver Peter from prison? 
 Yes; the Lord delivered His faithful servants in ages past, and 
 He will shield them by His mighty power in the last great 
 struggle with the powers of darkness. Grod will have mighty 
 men of faith in his army in the last days, and his light and 
 truth will shine forth until the whole earth will be lightened 
 with the glory of God, Rev., xviii, 1. Dear reader, are yon 
 in the army of the Lord? If not, you have no time to lose. 
 He is now calling for volunteers, and whosoever wilL may come. 
 
 FOR MANY TEARS 
 
 I have been marching under the banner of the Great Princ*. 
 I have seen something of storm and battle. I have seen some- 
 thing of the goodness of the Lord. In early life I was thrown 
 into the company of the wild and reckless. My lot was east 
 among those who drank of the flowing cup and enjoyed them- 
 selves at the card table, and rejoiced in the ways of sin. I did 
 not choose such associations, but I was surrounded with them, 
 but I found that the grace of God was sufllicient to keep my 
 feet from falling into the snare laiil for them by the enemy of 
 all righteousness. I have found Jesus a comfort in sorrow, a 
 refuge from the storm, a very present help in time of trouble. 
 I have found Him to be a light in the darkness, a friend that 
 sticketh closer than a brother. I have found that all His ways 
 are ways of pleasantness, and all His paths are peace, and the 
 blessed hope He sheds abroad in the soul of eternal life when 
 Jesus comes. Oh, who tor a single moment would be without 
 it? That blessed hope so sdon to be realized. That land of 
 rest. — How it looms up before the eye of faith. How it re- 
 
EXPERIEN'CES OF A PlONEER MINISTER. ISo 
 
 joices the heart of the «e:ii'y, thirsty pilgrim :is he tmvels over 
 the hot phxins of e:\rth toward the shining city. How he longs 
 for the shady fountains and cooling streams of that fair land. 
 How his heart bounds for joy at the the thought of the welcome 
 home that awaits him at the end of the way. How he turns 
 with delight from the dark scenes of earth to the bright scenes 
 of heaven. By faith he beholds the verdant fields of the holy 
 and glorious land. He thinks of the white robe, the palms of 
 victorj' and crowns of glory, and his heart rejoices. He 
 thinks of The Father and the Son, of the holy angels and the 
 white robed throng before the throne, and he longs to join in 
 the everlasting song of Glorj' to the Lamb. 
 
 How the humble child of God rejoices to l-iuuc that the 
 long, dark night of sin and sorrow is almost over. That the 
 bright beams of the golden morning are bursting through the 
 darkness. That the warfare is almost ended ; that the battle 
 is almost o'er, and that rest, sweet rest in heaven, is so near, 
 when ' ' the ransomed of the Lord will return and come to 
 Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads. They 
 shall obtain joj' and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall 
 flee away." Isa., xxsv, 10. 
 
 ''And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth 
 and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that 
 are in them heard I saying, blessing, and honor, and glory and 
 power, be unto Him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the 
 Lamb forever and ever.'" Rev. v, 13. 
 
 AVhat a glad day when every creature that has life will be 
 full of glory and of God. Defir reader, are you not glad that 
 that day is near? ^Yhat are bolts and locks and prison bars, 
 scourgings and stripes and death itself to the man who is filled 
 with such a hope as this ? "Finally, brethren, farewell. Be 
 perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace, 
 and the God of love and peace will be with you. Amen." 2 
 Cor., xiii, 11. 
 
 N. B. — Although the conversations and sermons in this 
 book have been somewhat revised for publication, the reader 
 may rest assured there is not an incident recorded which did 
 not actually occur. 
 
 X. B. — Because of the high esteem in which Dr. A. C. 
 Meilicke and Anna Meilicke, his wife, are held by the writer, 
 this little book is dedicated to them.