The Life And Diary Of David Brainerd by Jonathan Edwards - Last Journey

David Brainerd was a missionary consumed by an unwavering zeal for the expansion of Christ’s kingdom, particularly among Native Americans, despite enduring chronic and ultimately fatal illness, likely consumption. His physical state was marked by extreme fatigue, coughing bloody matter, and nervous headaches, often rendering him scarce able to walk or sit up. These trials frequently triggered periods of deep melancholy, dejection, and a pervasive sense of his own unworthiness and spiritual barrenness. He often longed for death as a release from earthly toils, yet simultaneously wished to remain to serve God.

Paradoxically, his profound weakness became a crucible for his faith, forcing a complete reliance on divine grace. Brainerd experienced remarkable spiritual highs, characterized by "sweet composure" and "enlargement" in fervent, often incessant, secret prayer, which served as his primary source of strength. He chronicled periods of tremendous success, especially the spiritual awakenings among the Indians at Crossweeksung, where his preaching was attended by the "power of God." Even when his body failed, God frequently renewed his strength, enabling him to speak with uncommon freedom and power in the pulpit.

Brainerd’s core motivation was a total, disinterested surrender to God's will. He passionately renounced all thoughts of worldly comfort, declaring his willingness to be a "pilgrim or hermit" in the wilderness or face "death itself" if it promoted the Redeemer’s cause. He navigated harsh living conditions, dangerous travel, and external opposition, including being falsely accused of instigating Indian insurrections. Through it all, his goal remained fixed: to live wholly for God, trusting that conversion was entirely God's work, not dependent on his own strength or ability. His final journey to Susquehannah, though marked by extreme physical suffering, solidified his absolute dedication to his mission.

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