Jonathan Edwards
In David Brainerd we behold a great degree of honesty and simplicity, sincere and earnest desires and endeavours to know and do whatever is right, and to avoid everything that is wrong; a high degree of love to God, delight in the perfections of His nature, placing the happiness of life in Him; not only in contemplating Him, but in being active in pleasing and serving Him; a firm and undoubting belief in the Messiah, as the Saviour of the world, the great Prophet of God, and King of God’s Church; together with great love to Him, delight and complacency in the way of salvation by Him, and longing for the enlargement of His kingdom; earnest desires that God may be glorified and the Messiah’s kingdom advanced, whatever instruments are employed; uncommon resignation to the will of God, under vast trials;
1An extract from Edwards’ “Reflections” in The Diary and Journal of David Brainerd.
great and universal benevolence to mankind, reaching all sorts of persons without distinction, manifested in sweetness of speech and behaviour, kind treatment, mercy, liberality, and earnest seeking the good of the souls and bodies of men.
And all this we behold attended with extraordinary humility, meekness, forgiveness of injuries and love to enemies; and a great abhorrence of a contrary spirit and practice; not only as appearing in others, but wherever it had appeared in himself; causing the most bitter repentance and brokenness of heart on account of any past instances of such a conduct. In him we see a modest, discreet and decent deportment, among superiors, inferiors and equals; a most diligent improvement of time, and earnest care to lose no part of it; great watchfulness against all sorts of sin, of heart, speech and action.
This example and these endeavours we see attended with most happy fruits and blessed effects on others, in humanising, civilising and wonderfully reforming and transforming some of the most brutish savages; idle, immoral, drunkards, murderers, gross idolaters, and wizards bringing them to permanent sobriety, diligence, devotion, honesty, conscientiousness and charity.
And the foregoing amiable virtues and successful labours, all end at last in a marvellous peace, unmovable stability, calmness and resignation, in the sensible approaches of death; with longing for the heavenly state; not only for the honours and circumstantial advantages of it, but above all for the moral perfection, and holy and blessed employments of it.