Though he did not live to age 30, David Brainerd became one of the most influential missionaries in American history. Born in 1718, Brainerd was headed toward a life of farming in his native Connecticut when he was converted at age 21. After studies at Yale College, he was ordained a Presbyterian missionary in 1744 and began serving Native Americans in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
In 1745, while Brainerd was preaching among the Delaware tribe, a revival began. Here, condensed from his Journal, are Brainerd’s descriptions of his own inadequacy and the Spirit’s remarkable work. As they reveal, God often works after many days and months of preaching seem to have borne nothing. And when God moves, one evidence is that people are given a genuine concern for their spiritual condition.
Lord’s Day, January 27. Had the greatest degree of inward anguish that almost ever I endured. I was perfectly overwhelmed and so confused, that after I began to discourse to the Indians, before I could finish a sentence I sometimes forgot entirely what I was aiming at. I know it was a degree of distraction occasioned by vapory disorders, melancholy, spiritual desertion, and some other things that particularly pressed upon me with an uncommon weight this morning, the principal of which respected my Indians.
This distressing gloom never went off the whole day, but was so far removed that I was enabled to speak with some freedom and concern to the Indians, at two of their settlements. I think there was some appearance of the presence of God with us, some seriousness and seeming concern among the Indians, at least a few of them.
June 19. Not having had any considerable appearance of success dampened my spirits and was not a little discouraging to me. I preached to those few I found, who appeared well disposed and not inclined to object and cavil, as the Indians had frequently done elsewhere.
August 3. The Lord, I am persuaded, enabled me, in a manner somewhat uncommon, to set before them the Lord Jesus Christ as a kind and compassionate Saviour, inviting distressed and perishing sinners to accept everlasting mercy. A surprising concern soon became apparent among them. They were about twenty adult persons together and not above two that I could see with dry eyes.
August 6. They all, as one, seemed in an agony of soul to obtain an interest in Christ; and the more I discoursed of the love and compassion of God in sending His Son to suffer for the sins of men; and the more I invited them to come and partake of His love, the more their distress was aggravated, because they felt themselves unable to come. It was surprising to see how their hearts seemed to be pierced with the tender and melting invitations of the gospel, when there was not a word of terror spoken to them.
August 8. In the afternoon I preached to the Indians; their number was now about sixty-five persons, men, women, and children. I discoursed from Luke 14:15-23 and was favored with uncommon freedom in my discourse. There was much visible concern among them while I was discoursing publicly; but afterwards when I spoke to one and another more particularly, whom I perceived under much concern, the power of God seemed to descend upon the assembly “like a rushing mighty wind,” and with an astonishing energy bore down all before it.
I stood amazed at the influence that seized the audience almost universally, and could compare it to nothing more aptly than the irresistible force of a mighty torrent, or swelling deluge, that with its insupportable weight and pressure bears down and sweeps before it whatever is in its way. Almost all persons of all ages were bowed down with concern together, and scarce one was able to withstand the shock of this surprising operation. Old men and women, who had been drunken wretches for many years, and some little children, not more than 6 or 7 years of age, appeared in distress for their souls, as well as persons of middle age. And it was apparent these children (some of them at least) were not merely frightened with seeing the general concern; but were made sensible of their danger, the badness of their hearts, and their “misery without Christ,” as some of them expressed it.
The most stubborn hearts were now obliged to bow. A principal man among the Indians, who before was most secure and self-righteous and thought his state good because he knew more than the generality of the Indians, and who with a great degree of confidence the day before told me he “had been a Christian more than ten years,” was now brought under solemn concern for his soul, and wept bitterly. Another man advanced in years, who had been a murderer, a powwow (or conjurer) and a notorious drunkard, was likewise brought now to cry for mercy with many tears.
They were almost universally praying and crying for mercy, in every part of the house, and many out of doors, and numbers could neither go nor stand. Their concern was so great that none seemed to take any notice of those about them, but each prayed freely for himself.
It seemed to me there was now an exact fulfillment of that prophecy, Zechariah 12:10, 11, 12; for there was now “a great mourning, like the mourning of Hadadrimmon”; and each seemed to “mourn apart.” Methought this had a near resemblance to the day of God’s power, mentioned in Joshua 10:14. It was a day wherin I am persuaded the Lord did much to destroy the kingdom of darkness among this people today.
Those who had been awakened any considerable time complained more especially of the badness of their hearts. Those newly awakened, of the badness of their lives and actions past; all were afraid of the anger of God and of everlasting misery as the desert of their sins. Some of the white people who came out of curiosity to “hear what this babbler would say” to the poor ignorant Indians were much awakened, and some appeared to be wounded with a view of their perishing state.
Those who had lately obtained relief were filled with comfort at this season. They appeared calm and composed, and seemed to rejoice in Christ Jesus. Some of them took their distressed friends by the hand, telling them of the goodness of Christ and the comfort that is to be enjoyed in Him, and thence invited them to come and give up their hearts to Him. I could observe some of them, in the most honest and unaffected manner (without any design of being taken notice of) lifting up their eyes to heaven as if crying for mercy, while they saw the distress of the poor souls around them.
A young Indian woman, who, I believe, never knew before she had a soul nor ever thought of any such thing, hearing that there was something strange among the Indians, came to see what was the matter. On her way to the Indians she called at my lodgings, and when I told her I designed presently to preach to the Indians, laughed, and seemed to mock; but went however to them.
I had not proceeded far in my public discourse, before she felt effectually that she had a soul. Before I had concluded my discourse, she was so convinced of her sin and misery and so distressed with concern for her soul’s salvation that she seemed like one pierced through with a dart, and cried out incessantly. She could neither go nor stand, nor sit on her seat without being held up. After public service was over, she lay flat on the ground praying earnestly, and would take no notice of, nor give any answer to any that spoke to her. I hearkened to know what she said, and perceived the burden of her prayer to be Guttummaukalummeh wechaumeh kmeleh Ndah, that is, “Have mercy on me, and help me to give You my heart.” Thus she continued praying incessantly for many hours together. This was indeed a surprising day of God’s power and seemed enough to convince an atheist of the truth, importance and power of God’s Word.
-compiled by Kevin A. Miller
editor, CHRISTIAN HISTORY
Copyright © 1991 by the author or Christianity Today/Leadership Journal. Click here for reprint information on Leadership Journal.
