He was ordained as a Southern Baptist minister at the age of 14 and began his evangelical work by preaching to Native Americans in Georgia.
and Ann Seward along with William and Effie Sears and Laura Barton were the only missionaries that remained loyal to Lottie Moon during a doctrinal dispute with Tarleton Perry Crawford that led to dividing the Southern Baptist North China Mission.
Crawford believed missionaries should be self-supporting, but received criticism for spending excessive amounts of time in subsequent business ventures.
considered his greatest achievement to be the translation of his influential teacher John Broadus' Commentary on Gospel of Matthew from English into Chinese.
and Anna Seward were the parents of Ida Pruitt, an influential writer involved in Chinese financial aid and development.