A Wild Preacher Emerges: Peter Cartwright’s Calling
When they reached the clearing above the bank, the two boys tried to grab Peter, but he ducked and, in an instant, flung one of them over the bank and wrestled the other to the ground. The two boys, being of roughly equal strength, had attempted to overpower Peter’s efforts, but they soon found themselves at the brink of the bank, which they proceeded to tumble over together before plummeting into the pool.
The Boy Preacher Takes the Pulpit
Not appreciating his classmates’ abuse, and feeling he would learn little in this academic environment, Peter went out to form the circuit and reported back as had been requested of him in the fall of 1804. Jesse Walker was appointed to the circuit, and he rode it for the next two years. Methodism was growing rapidly in the Western district. Peter was eighteen when he was asked to travel with another circuit rider to aid him with his work. In spite of his father’s objections, his mother urged him to accept help, and her exhortations prevailed.
A Night of Tears and Conversions
Along the route, Peter was asked to give the evening service. Peter had no experience with evening services, let alone assurance that he was called to conduct them. He prayed fervently for God to help him, asking God to give him one convert that night as evidence that his call to preach was authentic and God-given. His preaching that night was met with tears and sighs, and one young man who had been known as a heathen gave his heart to the Lord and joined the church. Peter then felt the certain calling of God on his life.
A Life of Ministry and Controversy
He travelled the circuit for three months, saw twenty-five more people converted, and received a six-dollar payment at the end. Peter became known as the “boy preacher” or the “Kentucky boy,” and would ride a circuit for the next sixty-seven years. A Funeral Service Leads to Revival: Peter was soon summoned to conduct a funeral service in an old Baptist meetinghouse. During the service, the Holy Spirit fell, just as He had during the camp meetings. Peter stayed a while in order to minister night and day, and every meeting saw a manifestation of the Holy Spirit.
Baptismal Battles and Church Growth
Peter saw twenty-three people saved, and would have immediately had them join the Methodist Church, but he had to contend with the local Baptist church for its members. In order to do this, he pretended to be a membership candidate at the Baptist church. He attended their meeting, gave his testimony, and was acknowledged as being saved. The Baptists invited him to be baptized the next day in a nearby creek. When they had assembled at the creek, Peter made sure he was first in line. He proclaimed that he had already been baptized, through sprinkling of water, to the satisfaction of his conscience; he did not need to be baptized again. When the Baptist minister refused him church membership, he managed to draw the twenty-three new converts away from the Baptist church because of its strict adherence to this doctrine of baptism. Peter then signed twenty-three people into membership in the Methodist Church.
Tale Tuesday 061
Date: 24th October, 2023
Title: : PETER CARTWRIGHT part 5
Source: God’s Generals: The Revivalists
Author: Roberts Liardon
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