November 14, 2021

 Life of David Brainerd.

Thursday, August 4. Was enabled to pray much, through the whole day; and through divine goodness found some intenseness of soul in the duty, as I used to do, and some ability to persevere in my supplications: Had some apprehensions of divine things that were engaging, and that gave me some courage and resolution. 'Tis good, I find, to persevere in attempts to pray, if I can't "pray with perseverance", i.e. continue long in my addresses to the divine being. I have generally found that the more I do in secret prayer, the more I have delighted to do, and have enjoyed more of a spirit of prayer: and frequently have found the contrary, when with journeying or otherwise, I have been much deprived of retirement. 

A seasonable steady performance of secret duties in their proper hours, and a careful improvement of all time, filling up every hour with some profitable labor, either of heart, head, or hands, are excellent means of spiritual peace and boldness before God. "Christ" indeed is "our peace", and "by him we have boldness of access to God"; but a "good conscience, void of offence", is an excellent preparation for an approach into the divine presence. 

There is difference between self-confidence and a self-righteous pleasing ourselves (with our own duties, attainments, and spiritual enjoyments) which godly souls sometimes are guilty of, and that holy confidence arising from the testimony of a good conscience, which good Hezekiah had when he says, "Remember, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart" parenthetical. "Then" (says the holy Psalmist) "shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect to all thy commandments". Filling up our time with and for God is the way to rise up and lie down in peace.

...

There were sundry persons of the Indians newly come here, who had frequently lived among Quakers; and being more civilized and conformed to English manners than the generality of the Indians, they had imbibed some of the Quakers' errors; especially this fundamental one, viz., that if men will but live soberly and honestly, according to the dictates of their own consciences (or the light within) there is then no danger or doubt of their salvation, etc. 

These persons I found much worse to deal with than those who are wholly under pagan darkness, who make no pretenses to knowledge in Christianity at all, nor have any self-righteous foundation to stand upon. 

However, they all, except one, appeared now convinced that this sober honest life, of itself, was not sufficient to salvation; since Christ himself had declared it so in the case of the young man; and seemed in some measure concerned to obtain that change of heart which I had been laboring to show them the necessity of.

November 7, 2021

 Mr. Williams says (p. 8b, c), "'Tis a received rule among mankind […] in all public judgments […] to interpret words in the most extensive and favorable sense, that the nature of the words or expressions will bear." 

I know not what he means: but if he means (as he must, if he means anything to the purpose) that 'tis a received rule amongst mankind, to trust, or accept, or at all regard any professions or declarations that men make, with professed design, in words of double and indiscriminate meaning, without any marks of difference by which their meaning can be known, for that very end that they may be used with a safe conscience, though they have no dictates of their own consciences, that they have that which others are to believe they have; I say, if this be a received rule among mankind, 'tis a rule that mankind has lately received from Mr. Williams. 

Heretofore mankind, societies or particular persons, would have been counted very foolish for regarding such professions. Is this the way in earthly kingdoms, in professions of allegiance to temporal princes, in order to their admission to the privileges of good subjects? 

Do they choose equivocal terms to put into their oaths of allegiance, to that end that men may use 'em and speak true, though they are secret enemies? 

There are two competitors for the kingdom of this world, Christ and Satan; the design of a public profession of religion is, to declare on which side men are. 

And is it agreeable to the custom of mankind in such cases, to make laws that no other than ambiguous words shall be used, or to accept of such in declarations of this kind? 

There are two competitors for the kingdom of Great Britain, King George, and the Pretender: is it the constitution of King George and the British Parliament, that men should take oaths of allegiance, contrived in words of indeterminate signification, to the end that men who are in their hearts enemies to King George, and friends to the Pretender, may use them and speak true? And certainly mankind, those of 'em that have common sense, never in any affairs of life look on such professions worth a rush. 

Would Mr. Williams himself, if tried, in any affair wherein his temporal interest is concerned, trust such professions as these? If any man that he has dealings with, should profess to him that he had pawned for him, in a certain place, an hundred pounds, evidently, yea professedly using the expression as an ambiguous one, so that there is no understanding by it, what is pawned there, whether an hundred pound in money, or an hundred weight of stones: if he should inquire of the man what he meant, and he should reply, you have no business to search my heart, or to go to turn my heart inside out; you are obliged in charity to understand my words in the most favorable sense; would Mr. Williams in this case stick to his own received rule? 

Would he regard such a profession, or run the venture of one sixpence upon it? 

Would he not rather look on such a man as affronting him, and treating him as though he would make a fool of him? 

And would not he know, that everybody else would think him a fool, if he should suffer himself to be gulled by such professions, in things which concern his own private interest? 

And yet it seems, this is the way in which he thinks he ought to conduct himself as a minister of Christ, and one intrusted by him in affairs wherein his honor and the interests of his kingdom are concerned.