TWO WILLIAMS

And their Contemporaries

William Cooke 1806 - 1884

William Booth 1829 - 1912

By Peter W. Collins

The Two Williams wee bon a generation apart, but in he mid - 1850's their lives interacted through an association with the Methodist New Connexion.

They were boh dedicated Christians, who gained inspiration from John Wesley, Fletch of Madeley and the spiritual emphases of the Non-Conformist Chuches. By nature, William Cooke was a theologian, author, orator, and an evangelical preacher, who was an esteemed pesonality in the Methodist New Connexion. He was a tutor to William Booth, however the two men had contrasting gifts.

Booth was an ardent revivalist, who preached an urgent gospel; a visionary, whose purpose in life was to "reach the masses for Christ". His close association wih Cooke ended in 1861, however there is evidence hat much goodwill and mutual esteem continued until Cooke passed away in 1884. By that time Booth, together with his exceptional wife, Catherine, was leading The Salvation Army, which had spread around the world from a small but vibrant Christian Mission in the East End of London.

The governance, compassion, evangelism and doctrine of that Mission stemmed from the legacy of John Wesley, the influence of the Methodist New Connexion, and the spiritual depth of Dr William Cooke and his associates.