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Lives of Jonathan Edwards and David Brainerd LIVES OF JONATHAN EDWARDS AND DAVID BRAINERD. BOSTON: HILLIARD, GRAY, AND CO. LONDON: RICHARD JAMES KENNETT. 1837. THE LIBRARY OF AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. CONDUCTED By JARED SPARKS. VOL. VIII. BOSTON: HILLIARD, GRAY, AND CO. LONDON: RICHARD JAMES KENNETT. 1837. Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1837, byJiRED Sparks, in the Clerk's office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. CAMBRIDGE C STEREOTYPED AND PRINTED BT FOLSOM, WELLS, AND THURSTON, PRINTERS TO THE UNIVERSITY. or — - COSDITCTEB BY o JTSSWtf :iU\2T JKFBJBIB3) & . B DSTOJT, a» nsiri m 1 1 k i j b r 11 j m.tamd, bmat* c o . TafFIATSX) JA3J1C3 :K.K IT a J5TT. CONTENTS. P«ge. Lite of Jonathan Edwards, Bt Samuel Miller. CHAPTER I. His Birth. — His elementary Education. — His collegiate Course. — His early Piety. 3 CHAPTER II. His License to preach the Gospel. — His tem porary Residence in the City of New York. — His Tutorship in Yale College. — The further Developement of his Talents and Pi ety 23 CHAPTER III. His Settlement as a Pastor at Northampton. — Ministerial Habits. — Marriage. — His first Publication. — Ministerial Success. — Second and third Publications. — His Eu ropean Correspondence 50 VI , CONTENTS. CHAPTER IV. The Disorders which attended the Revival of Religion. — The Treatise on Religious Affec tions. — Memoirs of Brainerd. — European Correspondence continued. 85 CHAPTER V. Origin and History of his Troubles at North ampton. — Publication of his Work on Church Communion. — Dismission from his Pastoral Charge. — Invitation to settle at Stockbridge. 102 CHAPTER VI. His Removal to Stockbridge. — Difficulties and Trials there. — Indefatigable Labors. — New and important Publications. — His Election to the Presidency of New Jersey College. 126 CHAPTER VII. His Removal to Princeton. — Letter to the Board of Trustees. — Inauguration. — Sick ness and Death. — His Epitaph. — His Family 146 CONTENTS. CHAPTER VIII. Estimate of his Character. — Estimate of Dr. Chalmers. — Robert Hall. — Dr. Erskine. — Sir Henry Moncreiff. — Sir James Mackin tosh. — Professor Taylor. — Dugald Stew art. — Dr. Green. — Dr. Middleton. — Dr. Priestley. — General Statements. 171 CHAPTER IX. His Writings. — Remarks on his Style. — " Thoughts on the Revival of Religion." — "Treatise on Religious Affections." — " Me moirs of Brainerd." — "Essay on the Free dom of the Will." — "On Original Sin." — " History of Redemption." — "Qualifications for Communion." — " Last End of the Cre ation." — " Nature of True Virtue." — Ser mons. — Other Posthumous Works. — General Views. ; 214 APPENDIX. (A) Children and Descendants of President Edwards 252 (B) List of the Works of President Edwards. 254 Vlll CONTENTS. Life op David Brainerd, Br Willaim B. O. Peabodt. Preface. 259 CHAPTER I. The peculiar Character of Brainerd.— His Pa rentage. — Circumstances in his Childhood. — His Early Religious Impressions. — His Preparation for College. — His Conversion. — The prevailing Religious Excitement. — His Expulsion. — His Preparation for the Ministry. — His Appointment as a Missionary to the Indians 261 CHAPTER II. Act of Liberality. — Mr. Sergeant. — Sent to Kanaumeek. — His Weakness. — His Manner of Life. — His Success in Preaching. — Vis it to New Haven. — Failure to regain his Standing. — His Health unequal to his La bor. — His Charities. — Alarm of Invasion. — He studies the Indian Language. — His Removal from Kanaumeek. — Refusal of Invitations 282 CHAPTER III. He goes to the Delaware. — His Ordination. — His bodily Weakness. — His Influence with CONTENTS. IX the Indians. — Journey to New England. — Visit to the Susquehanna River. — Some Im pression made. — Journey to the East. — To Philadelphia. — To the Susquehanna. — Ori ginal Letter. — Difficulties in the Way of a Missionary to the Indians 304 CHAPTER IV. His Preaching at Crossweeksung. — His Suc cess. — The general Impression produced. — His enforcing the Marriage Law. — The Baptism of the Converts. — His Visit to the Susquehanna. — Festival at Juneauta. — Some peculiar Customs. — Singular Descrip tion of a Powow. — An Indian Reformer. — Brainerd's Return. — He relieves the Indians from their Debt. — Change in the Habits of the Community. — Their Removal to Cran berry. — His last Visit to the Susquehanna Indians 327 CHAPTER V. His increasingWealcness. — Quotation from Mr. Shepard. — His persevering Labor. — His Removal to Cranberry. — Communion Service. — His Sickness at Elizabethtown. — His Farewell to the Indians. — His Journey to Northampton. — President Edwards's Ac- CONTENTS. count of Him. — Miss Edwards. — His Visit at Boston. — Attentions paid Him. — His Return to Northampton. — Circumstances of his Death. — His Example 352 LIFE JONATHAN EDWARDS, PRESIDENT OF THE COLLEGE OF SEW JERSEY 5 SAMUEL MILLER, D. D., PROFESSOR OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY AND CHURCH GOVERNMENT IN THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY AT PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY. VOL. VIII. JONATHAN EDWARDS. CHAPTER I. His Birth. — His elementary Education. — His collegiate Course. — His early Piety. We owe scarcely any debt to our generation more obvious, or more important, than to record, for the benefit of coming times, the lives of men eminent for their talents, their intellectual culture, and their pure and elevated virtue. We owe to the dead themselves the duty of commemorating their actions, of cherishing their reputation, and of perpetuating, as far as possible, the benefits which they have conferred upon us. This is especially the case, when their eminence is of such a peculiar character as to present, at every step, an example adapted not to dazzle, but to in struct, to guide, and to animate. It was quaintly said by one of the kings of Aragon, " Dead men are our best instructers." With living men, and passing measures, there is, ordinarily, connected so much prejudice and passion, that we are often 4 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. insensible to their most impressive lessons. But, when death has set his seal upon the character of a departed worthy, and the din of conflict has passed away, we are prepared to receive the full benefit of his example. Hence it is that the character and the works of some men become more precious to the com munity every year that we recede from the period of their departure from the scene of action. No one can doubt that this is the case with regard to the life of the great and good man whose history and portrait there will now be an attempt to ex hibit. The writer of these pages, in undertaking the task assigned to him, of compiling the follow ing memoir, felt that he was venturing on the per formance of a duty as arduous as it was honora ble. He considered himself as called upon, not to be the apologist of a party, but faithfully to exhibit one of the greatest of men just as he was, atid to endeavor to render his history and char acter useful to the great cause to which he con secrated his life. Whatever may be the measure of his success, this is his great object. For the same purpose, the view taken will be more ex tended and minute than, in ordinary cases, is deemed proper for the present work. In taking this course, the .supposition can scarcely be ad mitted that it will be regretted by intelligent readers. JONATHAN EDWARDS. 5 Jonathan Edwards was born at East Wind sor, Connecticut, on the 5th day of October, 1703. His parents were, the Reverend Timothy' Edwards, for sixty-four years the beloved and venerated pastor of the Congregational Church of East Windsor ; and Esther Stoddard, daughter of the Reverend Solomon Stoddard, who was, for more than half a century, pastor of the church of Northampton, Massachusetts, and, in his day, one of the most eminent ministers of New Eng land for piety, talents, pastoral fidelity, and useful ness. The families of Edwards and Stoddard were both of English descent, and had been both distinguished, for several generations, for piety, intellectual vigor, and commanding influence in their respective spheres of duty. William Ed wards, Esquire, the great-grandfather of Jonathan, was the first of his family who came to America, about the year 1640, and settled in Hartford, as a respectable merchant ; and Anthony Stoddard, Esquire, the grandfather of Esther Stoddard, ap pears to have emigrated from the West of Eng land, about the same time, and to have taken up his abode in Boston ; in what profession is un known. The character of Esther Stoddard, the mother of the subject of this memoir, was no less emi nent than that of her husband. She is repre sented, by tradition, as a woman of distinguished 0 AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY. strength of mind, of superior education, peculiarly fond of reading, and of ardent piety ; and, of course, as well adapted to adorn and to bless the large domestic circle committed to her care. She was the mother of eleven children. The subject of this memoir was the fifth child of his parents in order, and their only son. Young Edwards received all the early part of his education under his paternal roof at East Windsor. His father was eminent among his clerical brethren as a Latin, Greek, and Hebrew scholar, and was, for many years, in the habit of receiving under his tuition, and preparing for college, a number of young men destined for the learned professions. He also instructed his daughters in the same branches of knowledge, as are usually required in candidates for admission into the college classes. Under the direction of this enlightened, pious, and affectionate parent, aided by his elder sisters, who had preceded him in these branches of instruction, the subject of this memoir commenced the study of the Latin language at six years of age. Of the character or history of these early studies, little is known, excepting that it may be inferred, from the accuracy and maturity of his attainments in classical literature, and in Hebrew, in after-life, that the foundation, in these depart ments of knowledge, was now carefully and skil JONATHAN EDWARDS.
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