5. Early Months at the Forks of Delaware
A further part of a longer version of a paper given at last year’s Theological Conference. Last month’s instalment saw Brainerd move to a new missionary work among the Indians at the Forks of Delaware.
On 28 May 1744, Brainerd set out from the Forks of Delaware for Newark for his ordination. He spent some time in Elizabethtown and was present at the administration of the Lord’s Supper there on the Sabbath, where he felt “enlivened, refreshed and strengthened”. The following Sabbath, in Newark, though he “was much concerned how I should perform the work of the day, and trembled at the thoughts of being left to myself,” yet, in the event, he “enjoyed very considerable assistance in all parts of the public service. . . . And through divine goodness was refreshed in [the Lord’s Supper]: my soul was full of love and tenderness towards the children of God, and towards all men; felt a certain sweetness of disposition towards every creature” (p 119).
The next day, the Presbytery met in Newark for Brainerd’s ordination. He felt “very weak and disordered in body; yet endeavoured to repose my confidence in God. Spent most of the day alone, especially in the forenoon. At three in the afternoon preached my probation sermon, from Acts 26:17,18: ‘Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles . . .’” – the text prescribed for the occasion. Brainerd did not feel well, physically or mentally, yet he felt that God carried him through as he preached. He likewise passed the examination that followed. Not only was he tired, but his “mind was burdened with the greatness of the charge I was, in the most solemn manner, about to take upon me: my mind was so impressed with the weight of the work incumbent upon me, that I could not sleep this night, though . . . in great need of rest” (pp 119-20).
The next morning, Brainerd was further examined, on his Christian experience, and afterwards a sermon was preached by Ebenezer Pemberton, a minister in New York, on Luke 14:23: “And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled”. Brainerd felt the solemnity of the occasion, but “was composed and solemn and without distraction”. He added his hope that “I gave myself up to God, to be for Him and not for another. O that I might always be engaged in the service of God and duly remember the solemn charge I have received in the presence of God, angels and men.” Pemberton wrote to the society in Scotland that employed Brainerd: “We can with pleasure say that Mr Brainerd passed through his ordination trial to the universal approbation of the Presbytery, and appeared uncommonly qualified for the work of the ministry. He seems to be armed with a great deal of self-denial and animated with a noble zeal to propagate the gospel among” the heathen (p 120).
The morning after his ordination, Brainerd seems to have expected to leave for the Forks of Delaware but was delayed by a headache, but in the afternoon the headache became much worse and he was forced to take to his bed. During the night he was troubled by the headache and sickness; he even felt that he was on the verge of losing his reason because of the severity of the pain. He was somewhat better on the Saturday but still felt feeble. He notes, “I often admired the goodness of God, that He did not suffer me to proceed on my journey from this place where I was so tenderly used, and [instead] to be sick by the way among strangers. God is very gracious to me, both in health and sickness, and intermingles much mercy with all my afflictions and trials. Enjoyed some sweetness in things divine, in the midst of my pain and weakness. O that I could praise the Lord!” (p 121).
Five days later, Brainerd set out for the Forks of Delaware. His journey occupied three days, but he still felt very weak physically; yet he experienced comfort in his soul, and this continued for the rest of the week. On the next Sabbath, he was still very feeble and scarcely able to walk. But he visited the Indians and tried to instruct them, including those who were “much disaffected to Christianity”. He comments, “My mind was much burdened with the weight and difficulty of my work. My whole dependence and hope of success seemed to be on God; who alone, I saw, could make them willing to receive instruction. My heart was much engaged in prayer, sending up silent requests to God, even when I was speaking to them” (p 121).
The next evening, during a time of prayer, he notes, “My faith and hope in God were much raised. To an eye of reason everything that respects the conversion of the heathen is as dark as midnight; and yet I cannot but hope in God for the accomplishment of something glorious among them. My soul longed much for the advancement of the Redeemer’s kingdom on earth. Was very fearful lest I should admit some vain thought, and so lose the sense I then had of divine things. O for an abiding heavenly temper!” (pp 121-2).
The next day again, the missionary spent a lot of time translating prayers into the language used by the Delaware Indians. The difficulty was increased by his interpreter’s lack of understanding. He noted, “Though I was much discouraged with the extreme difficulty of that work, yet God supported me; and especially in the evening gave me sweet refreshment. In prayer my soul was enlarged . . . was enabled to cry to God for my poor Indians; and though the work of their conversion appeared impossible with man, yet with God, I saw, all things were possible” (p 122).
The next morning, about 9 o’clock, Brainerd went out to his “usual place of retirement” in the woods and experienced God’s help in prayer. He writes, “My great concern was for the conversion of the heathen to God, and the Lord helped me to plead with Him for it. Towards noon rode up to the Indians, in order to preach to them; and while going, my heart went up to God in prayer for them; could freely tell God He knew that the cause was not mine, which I was engaged in; but it was His own cause, and it would be for His own glory to convert the poor Indians. And blessed be God, I felt no desire [for] their conversion that I might receive honour from the world, as being the instrument of it. Had some freedom in speaking to the Indians” (p 123).
July 1 was a Sabbath, and the day began for Brainerd with miserable feelings. When he preached to the Indians in the morning, he did not feel that his heart was in it. He felt the same during the first half hour or so of the afternoon service. But then, he noted, “I found in myself a spirit of love and warmth and power to address the poor Indians; and God helped me to plead with them ‘to turn from all the vanities of the heathen to the living God’; and I am persuaded the Lord touched their consciences, for I never saw such attention raised in them before” (p 124). Later in the day he preached to the white people. He believed that God helped him greatly, especially in prayer. Some of the Indians were sufficiently moved to come to that service too, “and one appeared much concerned” (p 125). Brainerd rode the three miles back to where he was staying, praising God and praying.
By the middle of that week, Brainerd was ill and suffering pain, but he spent most of the day in prayer. He had a sense of the greatness of his work, his need of God’s help, a sense of the extreme danger of self-confidence and a longing for holiness and humility.
Around 10 days later, he felt “greatly oppressed with a sense of inward vileness and pollution”, and he went out to the woods to pray. In the evening he felt his burden about his work among the Indians increasing, after hearing various things about them, particularly their intention to hold an idolatrous feast and dance the next day, which was a Sabbath. He felt it his duty to try to break up the gathering, but he did not know how to go about it. So he went to pray and, he noted, “my soul was as much drawn out as ever I remember it to have been in my life, or near[ly so]”. He explained, “I knew they were met together to worship devils, and not God; and this made me cry earnestly that God would now appear and help me in my attempts to break up this idolatrous meeting”. He prayed that he would not depend on himself but completely on God. Nothing appeared to be of any great importance to him “but holiness of heart and life, and the conversion of the heathen to God” (pp 128-9).
When he wakened on the Sabbath morning, Brainerd began to pray about the matter that was so much on his mind. As soon as he dressed, he went out to the woods to pray, asking especially for God’s help in opposing the idolatrous feast; he could scarcely think of anything else. Amazingly, if we do not take into account the fact that God answers prayers, Brainerd was able to persuade the Indians to leave off what he calls “their frolic” and listen to him preaching. Yet there did not appear to be any special power from heaven accompanying the truth. He preached to them again in the afternoon, when the Indians were more sober, but his words had no particular effect on them.
Later in July, on a Monday, Brainerd rode to a settlement of Irish people about 15 miles to the south west. As he rode on, he spent his time in prayer and meditation. In the evening he preached on Matthew 5:3: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit . . .’. He notes, “God was pleased to afford me some degree of freedom and fervency. Blessed be God for any measure of assistance.” The next day he rode about 17 miles to the west over what he calls, “a hideous mountain”. He gathered together a congregation of nearly 30 Indians; he preached and spent the night among them. He felt weak and somewhat depressed but he knew he could not feel at ease in any other kind of activity. He adds, “All my desire was the conversion of the heathen, and all my hope was in God”. The following day he preached to the Indians and then, after returning to the Irish settlement, he preached to a large gathering. He reports, “There was a considerable appearance of awakening in the congregation” (p 130).
Thursday saw the missionary reach home again feeling very tired. He wrote, “I have felt this week more of the spirit of a pilgrim on earth than perhaps ever before, and yet so desirous to see Zion’s prosperity that I was not so willing to leave this scene of sorrow as I used to be” (pp 130-1).
On the first Sabbath of September, he spoke to the Indians with much concern and earnestness. He believed that God enabled him to exercise faith while he was preaching. He realised that some of them were afraid to embrace Christianity lest they should be enchanted and poisoned by the powwows, Indian sorcerers. Brainerd pled with them not to be afraid of the powwows, whom he challenged to do their worst on him first. He told the Indians that he was a Christian and asked why the powwows did not bewitch and poison him. He did want his life to be preserved at this time – not for selfish reasons, but as a testimony to God’s power and goodness and to the truth of Christianity. Obviously, Brainerd was preserved; while Satan had great power over the heathen, it was God’s purpose to preserve His servant from the evil intentions of sorcerers and from every other kind of danger.