feature section | pioneers of mission c h r i s t i a n u n i o n : : t h e m a g a z i n e
12 full enjoyment and possession of the heavenly inheritance . Oh , that I may never loiter in my heavenly journey !
His spiritual appetite simply outstripped his instinct for self-preservation — for better and for worse .
CU : What was the relationship and commonalities between Edwards and Brainerd ?
DS : Edwards spent much of his ministry trying to help people understand the difference that the Holy Spirit makes in one ’ s life when one is truly close to God . Sometimes , he did this with teaching from the Bible . At other times , though , he preferred to use everyday Christians as examples . He used his own wife Sarah as an example of God ’ s love at work in ordinary people . He used several others , too . But the example over whom he spilled the most ink was Brainerd .
Partly due to his pride as a young man at Yale , Brainerd served Edwards well as an example of transformation by the power of the Spirit . And partly because of his reckless abandon as a missionary — living alone in the wilderness , with little food or shelter — he served as an example of what it means to bear the cross and follow Christ through death to resurrection .
So Edwards and Brainerd shared the same priorities . But Brainerd also lived in Edwards ’ house at the very end of his life ( for about five months ). He and the family grew close . As they did , Brainerd inspired them with his faith . Edwards wrote in his Life of Brainerd ,
But now I had opportunity for a more full acquaintance with him [ as he lived and died in Edwards ’ house ]. . . We enjoyed not only the benefit of his conversation , but had the comfort and advantage of hearing him pray in the family , from time to time . His manner of praying was very agreeable ; most becoming a worm of the dust , and a disciple of Christ , addressing to an infinitely great and holy God , and Father of mercies ; not with florid expressions , or a studied eloquence ; . . . at the greatest distance from any appearance of ostentation , and from everything that might look as though he meant to recommend himself to those that were about him , or set himself off to their acceptance ; free too from vain repetitions , without impertinent excursions , or needless multiplying of words . He expressed himself with the strictest propriety , with weight , and pungency ; and yet what his lips uttered seemed to flow
from the fullness of his heart , as deeply impressed with a great and solemn sense of our necessities , unworthiness , and dependence , and of God ’ s infinite greatness , excellency , and sufficiency , rather than merely from a warm and fruitful brain , pouring out good expressions . . . In his prayers , he insisted much on the prosperity of Zion , the advancement of Christ ’ s kingdom in the world , and the flourishing and propagation of religion among the Indians . And he generally made it one petition in his prayer , that we might not outlive our usefulness .
I have long been fascinated with passages like this . They say a lot , I think , about what a public religious figure like Edwards found attractive in Brainerd .
CU : Why has Edwards ’ book , The Life of David Brainerd , impacted so many for such a long period ?
DS : It ’ s hard to communicate this to those who ’ ve not read the book , but Brainerd ’ s commitment to the love of God and neighbor is astounding and inspiring . Even when readers have decided that they disagree with Brainerd , or have wished that Brainerd would have taken better care of himself ( both physically and emotionally ), they have usually concluded that they want to be more like him in his willingness to sacrifice his own creature comforts for the sake of other people .
Thoughtful , sensitive readers who get dispirited by the glib faith of self-confident Christians also cheer Brainerd ’ s honesty
Partly due to his pride as a young man at Yale , Brainerd served Edwards well as an example of transformation by the power of the Spirit . And partly because of his reckless abandon as a missionary — living alone in the wilderness , with little food or shelter — he served as an example of what it means to bear the cross and follow Christ through death to resurrection .
about his shortcomings and insecurities . The apostle Paul emphasized that “ God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise , and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong , and the base things of the world and the despised , God has chosen , the things that are not , that He might nullify the things that are , that no one should boast before God ” ( I Corinthians 1:27-29 ). Brainerd ’ s c . v . shows this message to be true . He was a privileged man , a prodigy , who learned this lesson the hard way , an Ivy League student who died to self and found everlasting love in Jesus Christ . Despite his flaws , he joined the ranks of those of whom the writer of Hebrews said “ the world was not worthy ” ( Hebrews 11:38 ). Kindred spirits still thrill to his story today . | cu