On March 20, 1747, a twenty-nine year old David Brainerd said goodbye to his congregation of Delaware Indians for the last time. His long battle with tuberculosis ended in Northhampton, Massachusetts, on a bed in the home of Jonathan Edwards. He passed away October 9, 1747.
Brainerd had been a missionary for only four years.
He’d only seen a handful of converts.
He had only been a believer for eight years.
During the two years following his death, Jonathan Edwards compiled Brainerd’s diaries and journal and published them as An Account of the Life of the Late Rev. David Brainerd. It has been in print ever since. John Wesley insisted it was a must read for every preacher. William Carey called it “almost a second Bible.” Robert Murray M’Cheyne would write: “Oh, to have Brainerd’s heart for perfect holiness.” The book would become the best-selling religious book in 19th century America and Jonathan Edwards’s most read work.
Learn why this man’s weakness has demonstrated the power of God to generation after generation of missionaries, pastors, and Christians.
Here are some further resources:
- Calhoun, David B, “David Brainerd: ‘A Constant Stream’, accessed 21 Apr 2019.
- Howard, Philip E. Howard, Jr., The Life and Diary of David Brainerd, edited by Jonathan Edwards, Baker Books, 2006.
- Piper, John, David Brainerd: May I Never Loiter on My Heavenly Journey!, Desiring God, 2012, accessed 21 Apr 2019.