Meetings at Grove Lake Fall, 1873

That eventful evening soon rolled around, and I found myself face to face with my first audience. 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:

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 results of salvation as best I could. There was at least one good point in the discourse-- it was short. Brother David Emmerson 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 Richardson, with two weeks' preparation, could preach a better sermon than that. Others thought that there was more scripture presented in the sermon than they had ever heard before. Others remarked, "Anybody could read texts of scripture, especially 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 larger attendance at the next meeting.

I preached on the second coming of Christ, the second and seventh chapter of Daniel, and announced 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 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 Brother David Emmerson's that afternoon I learned that Brother Dimmick had arrived. He was a person of some experience, and I felt that God had sent him at the right time. I never heard him preach with such power as he did that evening.