CHAPTER III.

MEETING OPPOSITION-- REMOVING TO KINGSTON-- MEETINGS IN ROCK COUNTY, MINNESOTA.

Mrs. Hill and my three 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 Lewiston, and made our home for a while with Brother Erb, who received us very kindly. I began meetings in a schoolhouse near the Dunkard church. The roads were very bad. The frost was just coming out of the ground. We hitched two span of horses on to the wagon, and yet we got mired on our way from the meeting. The interest was so great that the people requested us to hold meeting in the daytime while the roads were so bad.

Two ministers, Mr. and Mrs. Ramer, attended my meetings, and opposed. After the sermon they would 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, ''Elder Hill has a good memory, and can repeat scripture, but he doesn't know how to apply it correctly. If we only had opportunity to preach, we would soon overthrow this doctrine.'' The people told them they should have the opportunity. 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 heard. She made a strong impression on many minds. I replied in the church in the evening. The large church was filled. I never had better freedom in maintaining the Lord's precious truth.

After the discourse, Elder Ramer said, ''You did well for a law minister,'' implying I did not preach gospel, than which nothing could be farther than the truth. They held that Christ abolished His Father's law, and gave us a more spiritual one, requiring far more of 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