The Life and Diary of David Brainerd: With Notes and Reflections - Softcover

Brainerd, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 161104331X ISBN 13: 9781611043310

Publisher: ReadaClassic.com, 2010

Synopsis

David Brainerd (1718–1747) lived only twenty-nine years, yet his legacy has shaped centuries of Christian devotion, missions, and spiritual courage. As a missionary to the Native Americans—especially among the Delaware tribes of New Jersey—Brainerd’s ministry was marked by deep compassion, relentless perseverance, and extraordinary faith under crushing hardship.

Jonathan Edwards recognized the spiritual power of Brainerd’s life and, setting aside his own major theological work, compiled and edited Brainerd’s journals into the now-classic biography first published in 1749. Edwards believed Brainerd’s example would strengthen the church for generations, and history has proven him right. His account became an instant spiritual landmark—read by preachers, missionaries, and ordinary believers who found in Brainerd a model of sincerity, humility, and unwavering dedication to the gospel.

From William Carey and Henry Martyn to Jim Elliot and Adoniram Judson, some of the most influential missionaries in history have pointed to this book as one of their greatest sources of inspiration. They saw in Brainerd a man willing to pour out his life for the sake of Christ, even through illness, loneliness, harsh conditions, and profound personal struggle.

What continues to move readers today is not Brainerd’s success, but his steadfast faithfulness—his willingness to trust God wholly, even when results were unseen and strength seemed gone. His story speaks to anyone longing for deeper devotion, renewed courage, and a life anchored in eternal purpose.

More than a biography, this book is a spiritual companion—one that has never gone out of print and continues to awaken conviction, humility, and holy resolve in every generation.

About this title

About the Author

David Brainerd (1718–1747) was an American missionary to the Native Americans who had a particularly fruitful ministry among the Delaware Indians of New Jersey. During his short life he was beset by many difficulties. As a result, his biography has become a source of inspiration and encouragement to many Christians, including missionaries such as William Carey and Jim Elliot, and Brainerd's cousin, the Second Great Awakening evangelist James Brainerd Taylor (1801–1829). Much of Brainerd's influence on future generations can be attributed to the biography compiled by Jonathan Edwards and first published in 1749 under the title of An Account of the Life of the Late Reverend Mr. David Brainerd. Edwards believed that a biography about Brainerd would have great value and set aside the anti-Arminian treatise he was writing (later published as Freedom of the Will) in order to create one. The result was an edited version of Brainerd's diary, with some passages documenting Brainerd's despair removed. It gained immediate recognition, with eighteenth-century theologian John Wesley urging: 'Let every preacher read carefully over the Life of David Brainerd. The most reprinted of Edwards's books, it has never been out of print and has thus influenced subsequent generations, mainly because of Brainerd's single-minded perseverance in his work in the face of significant suffering. Clyde Kilby summarised Brainerd's influence as being based on the fact that, 'in our timidity and our shoddy opportunism we are always stirred when a man appears on the horizon willing to stake his all on a conviction'. From the eighteenth century, missionaries also found inspiration and encouragement from the biography. Gideon Hawley wrote in the midst of struggles: 'I need, greatly need, something more than humane [human or natural] to support me. I read my Bible and Mr. Brainerd's Life, the only books I brought with me, and from them have a little support'. Other missionaries who have asserted the influence of Jonathan Edwards's biography of Brainerd on their lives include Henry Martyn, William Carey, Jim Elliot. and Adoniram Judson.

Edition details

• Publisher: ReadaClassic.com
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 161104331X
• ISBN 13: 9781611043310
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256
• Editor: Edwards Jonathan