THE

Evangelical Magazine,

FOR NOVEMBER, 1796.

BIOGRAPHY.

LIFE OF THE LATE REV. DAVID BRAINERD, OF NEW-ENGLAND,

MISSIONARY TO THE AMERICAN INDIANS.

[From bis Conversion to bis entrance on the Ministry.]

FEW

'EW lives are more interesting than that of Mr. Brainerd, whether we consider the depth of his experience, or the singularity of his labours. A brief account of each, we trust, will be peculiarly acceptable to our readers, especially at a time when so much concern is manifested for the salvation of the heathen. In him they will perceive how easily God can provide instruments for his work; and by the success which accompanied his labours, in circumstances the most discouraging, they will have the clearest demonstration that those difficulties which, to us, appear insuperable, instantly vanish at the presence of the Almighty.

This extraordinary man was born April 20, 1718, at Connecticut, New-England. His parents, who had lived in great reputation, died while he was young. From his childhood he experienced strong religious impressions. Being naturally of a melancholy disposition, and having some concern for his soul, when he was about seven or eight years of age, he was so terrified at the thoughts of death, that he relinquished his childish play, and was urged by his fears to the performance of religious duties. This concern soon abated, and though he sometimes attended secret prayer, yet he lived at ease in Sion, till he was thirteen; when a prevailing mortal sickness in the town, where he resided, rouzed him again from his security. He became so fervent in his devotions, and took such delight in the performance of them, that he sometimes began to hope he was savingly VOL. IV. 32 converted

converted to God. But another relapse soon manifested the deceitfulness of his heart, and the necessity of trusting to something better than those good frames, which, at different times, had yielded him much pleasure.

When he was about nineteen, he removed from Haddam, the place of his nativity, to Durham, where he worked on his farm for a twelvemonth; frequently longing for a liberal education, with a desire to devote himself to the ministry. With this view he placed himself under the care of Mr. Fiske, pastor of the church of Haddam, applied himself to study, and became very strict and watchful over his thoughts, words, and actions. At the advice of Mr. Fiske, he totally abandoned the company of young people, and associated himself with the grave and elderly. His manner of life was now exceeding regular---he read his Bible more than twice through in less than a year---daily spent much time in prayer and other secret duties---was very attentive to the word preached, endeavouring, as much as possible, to retain it in his memory. He spent the sabbath evening privately, with some other young persons, in religious exercises; and after their meeting ended, he used to retire, and repeat to himself as much as he could recollect of the discourse of the day; which sometimes deprived him of his rest till the night was far advanced. His outward conduct being blameless. he rested entirely on his duties, though he was not sensible of it; and sometimes, feeling his affections moved in the exercises of religion, he had thoughts of uniting himself to the Church.

The death of Mr. Fiske soon deprived him of the advantages He might have derived from the wisdom and piety of so good a man. He prosecuted his learning with his own brother, and still continued in the conscientious discharge of religious du'fies; often wondering at the levity of professors, and grieved to see them so careless and inconsistent. Thus," says he,

I proceeded, à considerable length, on a self-righteous foundation, and should have been utterly lost and undone, had not the mere mercy of God prevented."

In the beginning of the winter, 1738, as he was walking, on a sabbath morning, in a retired situation, for the purposes of meditation and prayer, it pleased God, on a sudden, so to impress his mind with a sense of his danger, and the wrath he had deserved, that he was struck with astonishment; and the pleasure arising from all his former good frames instantly vanished. He became so dejected from the view of his sin and vileness, that he kept much alone, envying the birds and beasts their happiness, because they were

not

not expose to eternal misery, as he evidently perceived himself to be. Mountains of dificulties obstructed his The work of conversion appeared so hopes of mercy. great, that though he almost despaired of being the happy subject of it, yet he prayed to God, and performed his religious duties with more earnestness than ever; hoping, by some means or other, to make the case better. Hundreds of times he renounced all pretences of any worth in his duties, confessing that he deserved nothing for the very best of them, but eternal condemnation; yet still he cherished a latent hope of recommending himself to God by the performance of them; for when he prayed affectionately, and his heart seemed, in some measure, to melt, he hoped God would hear such sincere cries, and be moved to pity him: And when he mourned for sin, he thought he could, in some measure, venture on the mercy of God in Christ; concluding, when he felt any enlargement in duty, that he had advanced Whatever qualificaa considerable step towards heaven. tions he supposed others possessed, before their reception of Christ, these he strove to obtain, in order to recommend Whilst he imagined there was himself to the divine favour. some appearance of goodness in his prayer and repentance, he was greatly encouraged, and thought he should soon be reconciled to God; but when he perceived the vileness of his nature, and his inability to deliver himself from the justice of a sovereign God, his distress revived, the discovery being too painful for him to endure.

When the fervour of his devotion became languid for any considerable time together, convictions of sin generally One night particularly, seized him with greater violence. when he was walking solitarily abroad, he had such a view of his sins, that he was apprehensive the ground would suddenly cleave asunder under his feet, and his soul quickly go down into hell. Though such distress was not uncommon when he had a lively sense of his own depravity, yet he greatly dreaded the loss of convictions, lest he should return to a state of carnal security and insensibility of impending wrath; which made him exceeding cautious not to stifle the But so deceitful is the human motions of the Spirit of God. heart, that when at any time he thought the degree of his convictions was considerable, it begat such confident hope that he should soon make some notable advances towards deliverance, as eased his mind, and soon generated that languor and insensibility he so much dreaded.

Frequently

Frequently he imagined himself humbled, and prepared for saving mercy, and no less frequently did his fancied hopes disappear. At length, repeatedly disappointed in his expectation, his corrupt heart was irritated; the frame of his mind became horrible; he entered into a contest with the Almighty, disapproving of his dealings with mankind, and quarreling with his holy law, that took cognizance of the thoughts and intents of the heart, as unreasonably rigid and severe. He found great fault with the imputation of Adam's sin to his posterity; and often wished there had been some other way of salvation than by Jesus Christ, or that God would have permitted men to obtain the blessings of it by sincere prayers and endeavours, which he thought they could perform, and not by faith alone, which he perceived was beyond the power of man to exercise, it being the gift of God, and which he only could bestow.

To the sovereignty of God he felt much opposition. Some passages in the ninth chapter to the Romans were a constant vexation to him. If they occurred to his mind, when he was in a comfortable frame, his pleasure vanished; and even when he thought he was almost humbled, and resigned to God's disposal, if he happened to read, or reflect on them, his enmity against the divine sovereignty was immediately excited.

The blasphemy that arose upon these occasions made him the more afraid of God, and drove him farther from all hope of reconciliation. At the same time, the Spirit of God was so powerfully at work with his soul, that the conviction of his Jost estate was sometimes so clear and manifest, as if it had been declared to him, in so many words, It is done, it is done, it is for ever impossible to deliver yourself! The greatest distress immediately followed. At the sight of his lost condition his soul recoiled: Yet he dared not venture himself, as a helpless sinner, into the hands of God, to be at the disposal of his sovereign pleasure. He trembled to contemplate this important truth, that he was dead in trespasses and sins: But when he had thrust away these views of himself, he was unhappy, and desired to have the same discoveries renewed fearing greatly lest God should give him over to final stupidity.

After a considerable time spent in such painful exercises of mind, while he was walking one morning, as usual, in a solitary place, he at once perceived that all his endeavours to procure deliverance were utterly in vain; and was now fully convinced that he was totally lost. Instead of blaming himself

that