The Life of Rev. David Brainerd, Chiefly Extracted from His DiaryBrainerd, David
Religion
The Life of Rev. David Brainerd, Chiefly Extracted from His Diary
Brainerd, David
Indians of North America -- Missions -- Early works to 1800
2. “It is remarkable how God providentially, and in a manner almost
_unaccountable_, called these Indians together to be instructed in the
great things that concerned their souls: and how he seized their minds
with the most solemn and weighty concern for their eternal salvation, as
fast as they came to the place where his word was preached. When I first
came into these parts in June, I found not one man at the place I
visited, but only four women and a few children; but before I had been
here many days, they gathered from all quarters, some from more than
twenty miles; and when I made them a second visit in the beginning of
August, some came more than forty miles to hear me. Many came without
any intelligence of what was going on here, and consequently without any
design of theirs, so much as to gratify their curiosity. Thus it seemed
as if God had summoned them together from all quarters for nothing else
but to deliver his message to them; and that he did this, with regard to
some of them, without making use of any human means, although there was
pains taken by some of them to give notice to others at remote places.
“Nor is it less surprising that they were one after another affected
with a solemn concern for their souls, almost as soon as they came upon
the spot where divine truths were taught them. I could not but think
often, that their coming to the place of our public worship, was like
Saul and his messengers coming among the prophets; they no sooner came
but they prophesied; and these were almost as soon affected with a sense
of their sin and misery, and with an earnest concern for deliverance, as
they made their appearance in our assembly. After this work of grace
began with power among them, it was common for _strangers_ of the
Indians, before they had been with us one day, to be much awakened,
deeply convinced of their sin and misery, and to inquire with great
solicitude, ‘What they should do to be saved?’
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