On this day in 1789, Andrew Broadus, a nineteen-year-old believer in Christ, was immersed and received into the membership of the Upper King and Queen Baptist Church in Caroline County, Virginia. He had been raised in the Episcopal church and forbidden by his father to associate with the illegal Baptists, but the Holy Spirit overruled his father’s wishes.
He was educated in front of his family fireplace, but he applied himself well, later becoming well-known for his ability to write. After the Lord called him into His ministry, Andrew pastored several small rural churches, sometimes five at a time. He was a very good preacher, and eventually his fame spread to as far away as Boston and New York. He was asked to candidate in several large churches, but he was so timid that he always refused. Even in the smallest churches, if a stranger walked in during a message, Broadus would sometimes become so distracted that he’d loose his train of thought and be forced to retire.
Most modern preachers could use a large dose of Andrew Broadus’ humility. When he was offered an honorary doctorate degree from Columbian College, he doubted the wisdom of the college officials and turned it down. How many today would do such a thing?