The field of Missionary labour, originally proposed for him by the Correspondents, was among the Indians living near the Forks of Delaware in Pennsylvania, and the Indians farther westward on the Susquehannah. Owing to some contention subsisting, at the time of his appointment, between these Indians and the whites, concerning their lands, the Correspondents concluded to defer his mission among them until harmony was restored; and having received intelligence from the Rev. Mr. SERGEANT, Missionary to the Indians at Stockbridge, Massachusetts, that the existing state of the Indians at Kaunaumeek, a place in the woods between Stockbridge and Albany, promised success to the labours of a Missionary; they selected that as his first station. His labours at Kaunaumeek commenced April 1, 1743, and continued one year; when he prevailed on the Indians at that place to remove to Stockbridge and attend on the Rev. Mr. SERGEANT's ministry.

BRAINERD was ordained as a Missionary at Newark, N. J., June 12th 1744; and on the 22d of the same month, entered on his labours at Sakhauwotung, within the Forks of Delaware.

On the 5th of October, 1744, he visited, for the first time, the Indians on the Susquehannah, and commenced his labours at a place called Opeholhaupung.

On the 19th of June, 1745, he began to preach to the Indians at Crossweeksung, a place about twenty miles west of Amboy in New Jersey, and the scene of his greatest success. It is now called Crossweeks, and is on the road from Amboy to Bordentown.

On the 3d of May, 1746, he removed from that place, with the whole body of the Indians, to a place called Cranberry, fifteen miles from Crossweeksung. At these places he continued to reside until March 20, 1747; when, owing to the ravages of a pulmonary consumption, brought on by his exposures and hardships, his labours as a Missionary were terminated, and he bade farewell to his beloved Church and people at Cranberry.

The first communication, made by him to the Correspondents, was in a letter to the Rev. Mr. PEMBERTON, of Nov. 5, 1744; giving a succinct account of his residence at Kaunaumeek, and of the commencement of his labours of Sakhauwotung and Opeholhaupung. After this he regularly forwarded to them a copy of his Diary. They published extracts from his Diary, in two parts or numbers, with some variations in the titles. The First part, commencing with his residence at Cross

weeksung, June 19th, 1745, and reaching to Nov. 4th, 1745; was published early in the following year; and was entitled,

"Mirabilia Dei inter Indicos;

Or the Rise and Progress of a remarkable Work of Grace,
Among a number of the Indians,

In the Provinces of New Jersey and Pennsylvania;

Justly represented in a JOURNAL, kept by order of the Honourable Society in Scotland for propagating Christian Knowledge; with some General Remarks;

BY DAVID BRAINerd,

Minister of the Gospel, and Missionary from the said Society: Published by the Reverend and worthy Correspondents of the said Society; with a Preface by them."

The Second part, extending from Nov. 24th, 1745, to June 19th 1746, was published in the latter part of that year; and was entitled "Divine Grace Displayed;

Or the Continuance and Progress of a remarkable Work of Grace Among some of the Indians

Belonging to the Provinces of New Jersey and Pennsylvania; Justly represented in a JOURNAL kept by order of the Honourable Society in Scotland for propagating Christian Knowledge;

with some General Remarks;

To which is subjoined an Appendix, containing some account of sundry things, and especially of the Difficulties attending the Work of a Missionary among the Indians;

BY DAVID BRAINERD,

Minister of the Gospel, and Missionary from the said Society: Published by the Reverend and worthy Correspondents of of the said Society."

These two parts have always been called "BRAINerd's Journal;" and were published during his life.

BRAINERD died at the house of the Rev. JONATHAN EDWARDS, of Northampton, Oct. 9th, 1747; leaving all his papers in the hands of that gentleman," that he might dispose of them as he thought would be most for God's glory, and the interest of Religion." Of these, the most valuable was the Account of his early life and the original copy of his Diary. From these materials, Mr. EDWARDS prepared a Life of BRAINERD, an 8vo volume of 316 pages; which was published at Boston in 1749, with the following title;

"An Account of the Life

Of the late Rev. David Brainerd;

Missionary to the Indians,

From the Hon. Society in Scotland for the propagation of
Christian Knowledge;

And Pastor of a Church of Christian Indians in New Jersey;
Who died at Northampton, October 9th, 1747,
In the 30th year of his age:

Chiefly taken from his own DIARY, and other private writings, written for his own use; and now published,

By Jonathan Edwards, A. M.

Minister of the Gospel at Northampton."

As the JOURNAL had been published but two or three years, and was already in the possession of the religious public, Mr. Edwards carefully left out of the Life those extracts from the Diary which were contained in the Journal. The Diary begins in July 1740, and ends Oct. 2, 1747. The extracts from it in the Journal extend through one year, from June 19, 1745, to June 19, 1746. They do not, however, comprise the whole of the Diary for that year; but, usually, only a part of the diary for each day. Mr. EDWARDS, in the Life, supplies the diary for those days, and parts of days, of that year, which were omitted in the JOURNAL; and omits it for those days, and parts of days, which the Journal contained; regularly inserting a dash in his work, thus wherever an important extract from the Diary was omitted, to apprize the reader that he would find that omission under the same date in the JOURNAL. His delicate integrity would not allow him to subject his subscribers to the necessity of purchasing the same matter a second time. The consequence is, that the two publications include different portions of the Diary, during the most interesting year of his life, the year of his glorious success at Crossweeksung; yet neither contains the whole for that year. This fact, could the Life and the Journal be procured, would render it impossible to read the Diary in a regular connected series, according to the order of events. But both the LIFE and the JOURNAL are now, and for many years have been out of print.

The Life by EDWARDS was abridged by JOHN WESLEY, and published in England a few years after it appeared in this country. A still smaller Abridgment has since been made by JOHN STYLES; and frequently

republished both in England and America. The Abridgment by WESLEY, the editor has not seen. That by STYLES is a cheap 12mo. volume; made at a time, when the feelings of the British nation had not been roused to a deep interest in Missions and Missionaries; and when probably it was supposed, that the complete work would not sell. Beside omitting a very considerable portion of the Life and Diary, it leaves out the following Documents, viz: 1, BRAINERD's Letter to PEmberTON, giving an account of his residence at Kaunaumeek. 2. His account of the Doctrines, preached to the Indians at Crosweeksung, and their extraordinary effects. 3. His method of learning the Indian Language. 4. His method of instructing the Indians. 5. His account of the Difficulties which attend the christianizing of the Indians. 6. The Attestations of the neighbouring Ministers to the Grace of God displayed among the Indians. Several of the Remains of BRAINERD. 8. PEMBERTON'S Sermon at his Ordination. 9. EDWARDS' Sermon at his Funeral. 10. Two Letters of JOHN BRAINERD, his brother, and successor as Missionary to the Indians, giving an account of the Indian Converts after his death.

The knowledge of these facts, acquired, not without some degree of labour and research; and the conviction that the Church, both in America, and England, is now prepared to welcome a complete Life of BRAINERD, and that it is calculated to be eminently useful; have lead to the present Publication.

The state of the public feeling in both countries, is already extensively altered. The friends of Missions are now numerous, and are rapidly increasing. With their interest in Missions, is associated, of course, an interest in faithful Missionaries. That the Church at large feels this interest, the Memoirs of SWARTZ, BUCHANAN, HARRIET NEWELL, MILLS, and HENRY MARTYN, furnish abundant evidence. But this interest is not confined to the Missionaries of the present day; it extends to those of an earlier and a darker period, to Elliott and Mayhew. Those holy men stood the watch-lights of the age in which they lived. They burned with a flame which could not be extinguished; for it was kindled from the fires of Heaven. In their histories, they still shine with equal lustre, and shed the same effulgence on mankind. "The foundations of many generations," are beginning to be restored;" and the American Church will contemplate, with feelings of sa

cred pleasure, the Discovery thus elicited, that her own ELLIOTT was the first Protestant Missionary to the Heathen.

Before this alteration, the work of STYLES was of essential service to the christian world; for it preserved the remembrance of BRAINERD, and thus kept alive the spirit of Missions. But the whole Church now feel the deepest interest in the life of that man whom Henry Martyn made his model; and who would probably be selected by all denominations of christians as the holiest missionary, if not the holiest man, of modern times. His name is now extensively known throughout Christendom; and the time is near, when it will be more generally known, over this world, than that of ALEXANDER, CAESAR, or NAPOLEON. The veneration felt for his memory, by the Church, approaches that, with which they regard the memory of the early Evangelists and the Apostles; and nothing which is an effusion of his pen, a memorial of his life, or an illustration of his character, will now be regarded with indiffer

ence.

The Editor originally intended to have made this publication one of the volumes of a complete Edition of the works of President EDWARDS, which is now preparing for the press. Three considerations have induced him to publish it by itself. 1. The volume is almost wholly the work of BRAINERD. 2. The works of EDWARDS are very voluminous without it. 3. The subscribers to EDWARDS' Works can easily bind it as the last volume of these works.

It has been his intention to render this volume as a memoir of BRAINERD, complete. It contains the whole of the Life and Diary including the JOURNAL, together with all his letters, and other writings (so far as they are known to the editor) and the concluding Reflections on his Memoirs, by President Edwards; all arranged in a regular series, according to the order of events. In addition to these, it contains two letters of JOHN BRAINERD, and the Sermons of PEMBERTON and EDWARDS; both of uncommon excellence.

The Diary of BRAINERD, a single point only excepted, is probably the best manual of christian experience, ever yet published. The exception arises from the fact, that the native temperament of BRAINERD'S mind inclined him to melancholy. This, his biographer, and himself, towards the close of life, regarded as a serious unhappiness, not to say defect, in his character. If the requisite allowance be made for this constitutional infirmity, the diary will prove altogether useful to the