By George R. Knight.  Quick Overview: "Those who knew Bates longest and best,esteemed him most highly." –James White. Shanghaied by the British in 1810, Joe Bates spent the next five years as a British sailor and prisoner, surviving the Dartmoor massacre. Soon he was captain of his own ship, forcing his sailors to swear off liquor and talking pirates out of their prey. Scrupulously honest, he once turned his ship around to return money overpaid him.
In 1824 Joseph was converted and signed "a solemn covenant with God." He found "the pearl of great price which was . . . worth more than all the vessels and cargoes I have ever commanded." After amassing a small fortune, he retired at age 36 and joined the Christian Connexion, who took the Scriptures as their "only rule of faith and practice."
Then his life began to get interesting. A hero who stood for truth against the majority, Bates once cut a hole in three feet of ice to baptize seven converts when it was 30 degrees below zero.