PETER CARTWRIGHT (PART 5)

A Wild Preacher Emerges: Peter Cartwright’s Calling

When they reached the clearing above the bank, the two boys tried to grab Peter. However, he ducked and, in an instant, flung one of them over the bank while wrestling the other to the ground.

The two boys had roughly equal strength and attempted to overpower Peter. However, they soon found themselves at the edge of the bank. Together, they tumbled over and plunged into the pool below.

The Boy Preacher Takes the Pulpit

Unhappy with his classmates’ abuse and convinced he would learn little in that academic environment, Peter set out to form the circuit. He returned to report his findings, as requested, in the fall of 1804.

Jesse Walker received the appointment to the circuit and rode it for the next two years. Meanwhile, Methodism continued to grow rapidly in the Western District.

Peter was eighteen when someone asked him to travel with another circuit rider and assist him in his work. Despite his father’s objections, his mother urged him to accept the opportunity, and her persuasion eventually prevailed.

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A Night of Tears and Conversions

Along the route, Peter received an invitation to conduct the evening service. He had no experience with evening services, nor was he certain that God had called him to conduct them.

He prayed fervently for God’s help. He also asked God to give him one convert that night as evidence that his call to preach was authentic and came from Him.

That night, his preaching stirred tears and sighs among the congregation. One young man, previously known as a heathen, gave his heart to the Lord and joined the church.

Through this experience, Peter became certain of God’s calling upon his life.

A Life of Ministry and Controversy

Peter travelled the circuit for three months and saw twenty-five more people converted. At the end of his service, he received a payment of six dollars.

People began to know him as the “boy preacher” or the “Kentucky boy.” He would continue riding circuits for the next sixty-seven years.

A Funeral Service Leads to Revival

Peter soon received a summons to conduct a funeral service at an old Baptist meetinghouse. During the service, the Holy Spirit fell, just as He had during the camp meetings.

Peter remained there for a while, ministering day and night. Every meeting witnessed a manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

Baptismal Battles and Church Growth

Peter saw twenty-three people saved. He wanted to receive them immediately into the Methodist Church, but he faced opposition from the local Baptist church, which also sought to receive the new converts.

To address this, Peter pretended to be a candidate for membership in the Baptist church. He attended their meeting, gave his testimony and received their acknowledgement that he was saved.

The Baptists then invited him to be baptised the following day in a nearby creek.

When they assembled at the creek, Peter made sure he was first in line. He declared that he had already received baptism through the sprinkling of water, to the satisfaction of his conscience, and did not need another baptism.

The Baptist minister refused to admit him into the church. However, Peter managed to draw the twenty-three new converts away from the Baptist congregation because of its strict adherence to this doctrine of baptism.

He then enrolled all twenty-three converts as members of the Methodist Church.