DAVID BRAINERD: REACHING THE LOST NO MATTER THE COST: The Eighteenth Century (pt.3)
In the Eighteenth Century, God used David Brainerd to reach the lost and to model for the church resolve to live for God’s glory even in the midst of great suffering.
VERSE. “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22).
QUOTE. “There is a God in heaven who overrules all things for the best; and this is the comfort of my soul” (David Brainerd).
DAVID BRAINERD: REACHING THE LOST NO MATTER THE COST
In the record events of Church history, few figures embody the fervor, sacrifice, and enduring influence of David Brainerd (1718–1747), a man whose brief life burned brightly for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. Born in the rugged Puritan colony of Haddam, Connecticut, on April 20, 1718, Brainerd emerged from a world shaped by discipline, devotion, and the stark realities of New England’s frontier. His father, Hezekiah Brainerd, a justice and deacon, and his mother, Dorothy Hobart, raised their son in a home steeped in piety, where the fear of God and the pursuit of holiness were paramount. Yet, tragedy marked Brainerd’s early years: his father died when he was nine, and his mother followed when he was fourteen, leaving the young David with a somber disposition and a soul that yearned for divine presence amidst life’s fleeting uncertainties.
Brainerd’s youth was a crucible of spiritual struggle, as he wrestled with the weight of his sinfulness and the awesome holiness of God. His diary, a testament to his inner life, reveals a heart tormented by its own failings yet captivated by the glory of the Almighty. Often retreating to the solitude of the woods, Brainerd poured out his soul in prayer, grappling with a Calvinist faith that both convicted and compelled him. This relentless pursuit of godliness defined his character, forging a resolve that would later sustain him through unimaginable hardships.
In 1739, at the age of twenty-one, Brainerd enrolled at Yale College in New Haven, immersing himself in theological study amid the revivalist fervor of the Great Awakening. The intellectual and spiritual currents of this movement, led by luminaries such as Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, stirred Brainerd’s soul, though his frail health and intense zeal frequently left him physically and emotionally depleted. That same year, Brainerd experienced a profound conversion to Christ, a moment he described with rapturous clarity: “My soul was so captivated and delighted with the excellency… of God, that I was even swallowed up in Him… I wondered that all the world did not see and comply with this way of salvation, entirely by the righteousness of Christ” (The Life and Diary of David Brainerd, p. 138). This encounter with divine grace transformed Brainerd, anchoring his life to the cause of Christ and setting the course for his future labors.
Yet, Brainerd’s time at Yale was not without conflict. In 1741, his fiery conviction led him to criticize a tutor’s lack of piety, famously remarking, “He has no more grace than a chair” (DB 54678). This indiscretion, born of his uncompromising zeal, resulted in his expulsion from Yale, shattering his hopes of formal education and ordained ministry. Humbled but undeterred, Brainerd sought God’s calling elsewhere, trusting that divine providence would guide his path. In 1742, he was licensed to preach by a New Light Presbyterian group, embarking on a ministry in Connecticut and Long Island. Despite frequent bouts of illness and melancholy, his passion for souls shone brightly, illuminating his sermons with an urgency that reflected his own encounter with eternity.
In 1743, Brainerd accepted a call from the Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge to serve as a missionary to Native Americans, beginning with the Mahican Indians near Stockbridge, Massachusetts. This decision thrust him into a life of hardship, as he embraced the privations of frontier mission work for the sake of the gospel. Loneliness and self-doubt plagued him, yet his diary reveals a heart ablaze for God: “I longed to be a flame of fire, continually glowing in the divine service” (The Life and Diary of David Brainerd, p. 491). This prayer, penned in the solitude of his wilderness retreats, encapsulated the driving force of his mission—a relentless desire to glorify God and advance His kingdom.
From 1744 to 1746, Brainerd ministered to the Delaware Indians in New Jersey, particularly at Crossweeksung, where his preaching sparked a remarkable revival. Dozens of Native Americans were converted, baptized, and transformed by the message of Christ’s cross. Brainerd’s approach was strikingly Christocentric, as he noted: “I never got away from Jesus and Him crucified… and when my people were gripped by this great evangelical doctrine… I had no need to giveinstructions about morality” (The Life and Diary of David Brainerd, p. 364). On October 9, 1744, he recorded a breakthrough moment when God’s Spirit descended upon his assembly “like a rushing mighty wind,” bowing dozens under the weight of divine conviction (The Life and Diary of David Brainerd, p. 280). Brainerd called this the sweetest moment of his life, a testament to the power of God to transform hearts through the simple proclamation of the gospel.
Yet, Brainerd’s physical frame could not sustain the rigors of his calling. Tuberculosis, a constant companion throughout his adult life, ravaged his body, worsened by relentless travel and exposure to the elements. He often coughed blood, yet pressed on, driven by an unyielding love for the lost and a conviction that suffering was his appointed path to glorify God. In 1746, too ill to continue fieldwork, Brainerd returned to New England, spending his final months in the homes of friends, including that of Jonathan Edwards in Northampton. There, he dictated reflections that would resonate across generations, pouring out his soul in words that captured his unwavering devotion.
On October 9, 1747, at the age of twenty-nine, David Brainerd died in Edwards’ home, his body frail but his spirit radiant. His life, though brief, left an indelible mark on the church and the world. Jonathan Edwards, recognizing the profound significance of Brainerd’s example, edited and published his diary as the first missionary biography, declaring: “Few men have so far imitated the life of Christ in love and suffering as Mr. Brainerd, whose heart was a flame of zeal for the salvation of the Indians, enduring hardships that would have broken lesser souls” (The Life and Diary of David Brainerd, p. 7). Brainerd’s diary, meticulously kept not for fame but to trace God’s hand in his fleeting life, became a beacon of inspiration, igniting the hearts of countless believers and missionaries.
The theological legacy of David Brainerd is as profound as his historical impact. First, Brainerd taught by his example that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God, echoing the words of the Apostle Paul in Acts 14:22. Despite constant suffering and battles with depression, Brainerd finished his course, embodying the resolve of Acts 20:24: “But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” His life stands as a clarion call to believers, assuring them that, though they will suffer, fixing their eyes on Christ and bending their knees in prayer will sustain them to the end.
Second, Brainerd’s perseverance was fueled by his love for God. As he wrote, “I longed to be a flame of fire continually glowing in the divine service and building up of Christ’s kingdom to my last and dying breath” (The Life and Diary of David Brainerd, p. 491). This love, rooted in the psalmist’s cry, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you” (Psalm 73:25), drove Brainerd to fill his days with reading, meditation, and prayer, even amidst labor. His example challenges believers to cultivate a deeper love for God, making it their lifelong prayer to burn ever brighter for His glory.
Third, Brainerd’s love for the lost propelled him to endure unimaginable hardships. He declared, “I care not where I go, or how I live, or what I endure so that I may save souls. When I sleep I dream of them; when I awake they are first in my thoughts” (The Life and Diary of David Brainerd, p. 242). This passion aligns with Paul’s mission in 1 Corinthians 9:22: “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.” Brainerd’s life poses a sobering question to every believer: If no one shares the gospel with the lost, how will they be saved? Yet, it also offers hope, affirming that faithful proclamation will bear fruit, as God works through His people to redeem many.
Finally, Brainerd’s influence extended far beyond his earthly life, fulfilling the truth of Hebrews 11:4: “Through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.” Despite only eight years as a Christian and four as a missionary, and despite being expelled from Yale and never becoming a pastor, Brainerd’s legacy inspired the founding of two colleges—Princeton University and Dartmouth College—which trained Calvinist pastors to minister to Christ’s people. Moreover, his example catalyzed the Modern Missions Movement, emboldening countless missionaries to take the gospel to the unreached. Brainerd’s trust in divine providence, expressed in his words, “There is a God in heaven who overrules all things for the best; and this is the comfort of my soul” (The Works of President Edwards, p. 491), continues to inspire believers to labor faithfully, trusting that God may use them both in life and long after death for His glory.
In the eighteenth century, God used David Brainerd to reach the lost and to model for the church an unwavering resolve to live for His glory. His life, though marked by suffering and brevity, was a flame of zeal that illuminated the path of devotion, sacrifice, and love for Christ and His kingdom. Let us, therefore, heed the memory verse of that era, “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22), and cling to Brainerd’s enduring conviction: “There is a God in heaven who overrules all things for the best; and this is the comfort of my soul.” May his example stir our hearts to burn brightly for God, to love the lost, and to trust in His sovereign hand, that we, too, may finish our course and glorify Him forever.