Autobiography of Peter Cartwright: The Backwoods Preacher, An American Methodist and Christian Revivalist of the Midwest

I would recommend this book to anyone. Your faith and courage to live for Jesus will be greatly expanded.

Born to a veteran of the revolutionary war and brought up by a devote mother in a log cabin, Cartwright was a prime candidate to be numbered among the early itinerate preachers of the Methodist church. He rode the western circuits for over fifty years through every kind of weather, facing the perils of the wilderness and the dangers of desperate men. To the far reaching borders of his newly formed republic he took the un-serachable riches of Christ to the perishing thousands who had settled outside the bounds of colonial civilization. Unwavering in style he confronted the false teachers and the defiant of his day with the truth of God's Word. Knowing that the ONLY way to ensure a `Sound Conversion' of the soul was to `lay bare' all the excuses & arguments of men and point them to the Cross of Jesus Christ. Only a steadfast enduring faith was acceptable evidence that the soul had been touched of God and set on the path to eternal life. This is the reason for the huge contrast between revival today and revival back then. Men like Cartwright understood that the Gospel had the power to transform men's hearts IF you didn't tamper with its content. Thus the convicting influence of God was often apparent in their work by men and women laying prostrate at the mourners bench & seeking mercy from heaven. Many prayed and weep all night and into the following day before they found peace in their souls. The `great deep' of their heart was broken up, Cartwright used say, pretense and false religion gave way to the Simplicity of Christ. Could you imagine anything like this happening today under the `User friendly' message so prevalent in our churches? How could anyone who claims to love God NOT see the heights from which we have fallen? Modern evangelism is a total bust! If a person does come to a saving knowledge of Christ, the false teachers quickly seal his doom by telling him that a single `moment' of faith is enough to keep him saved forever more. No wonder people continue in their sins and have no regard for a steadfast faith & purity of heart. People are told they can `deny Christ' and He won't deny them, that they can live like the devil and still inherit the kingdom. Is it surprising under this type of preaching that our country has become a decadent cease pool of immorality? Any so-called revival that is NOT accompanied by a Deep conviction of sin and a purpose of heart to CONTINUE in the faith, is certainly not of God. Read about the real thing in Cartwright's book and see for yourself how these men of old conducted business for God. Then compare their results with what's going on today under the guise of true Christianity. The `sinners prayer' has replaced the mourners' bench and instant faith the protracted meeting. People are TOLD they have salvation by repeating words and trusting in a doctrine, rather than `touching' the heart of God. No reality exists. The soul remains in bondage to sin and destitute of true holiness. Cartwright's story

Aside from the fact that this is a great buy (only $10), this book is an excellent resource for anyone interested in early Methodist or frontier religion and/or life on the frontier. Spanning more than 50 years of ministry in the first half of the 19th century, Peter Cartwright's autobiography provides a colorful, though sometimes biased, look at early Methodism. Descriptions of campmeetings, conversions, encounters with "rowdies", and worship practices abound. Cartwright's ministry covered Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, and Illinois. Local preacher, circuit rider, and district superintendent, Cartwright was a leading figure in the Methodist Episcopal Church. In Illinois he was also a politician, and the only man to have defeated Abraham Lincoln in an election. Cartwright provides insight (and opinions) into other denominations as well as social issues of the day, such as slavery and dissolution of the Union. Edited by the late Charles L. Wallis, a notable Methodist clergyman and prolific author/editor, there is also a brief biographical/historical sketch and information from Cartwright's later ministry.I highly recommend this book.