From David Brainerd's Detached Papers: THIRD PAPER

Some signs of godliness.

The distinquishing marks of a true Christian, taken from one of my old manuscripts; where I wrote as I felt and experienced, and not from any considerable degree of doctrinal knowledge, or acquaintance with the sentiments of other in this point.

1. He has a true knowledge of the glory and excellency of God, that he is most worthy to be love and praised for his own divine perfection. Psal. cxlv. 3.

2. God is his portion, Psal. lxxiii. 25. And God's glory his great concern, Matt. vi. 22.

3. Holiness is his delight; nothing he so much longs for, as to be holy as God is holy. Phil. iii. 9-12.

4. Sin is his greatest enemy. This he hates, for its own nature, for what it is in itself, being contrary to a holy God, Jer. ii. 1. And consequently he hates all sin, Rom. vii. 24. 1 John iii. 9.

5. The laws of God also are his delight. Psal. cxix. 97. Rom. vii. 22. These he observes, not our of constraint, from a servile fear of hell; but they are his choice, Psal cxix 30. The strict observand of them is not his bondage, but his greatest liberty, ver. 45.

After the Dec. 21 entry

David Brainerd writes:

After this, having perhaps taken some cold, I began to decline as to bodily health; and continued to do so, till the latter end of January, 1747. Having a violent cough, a considerable fever, an asthmatic disorder, and no appetite for any manner of food, nor any power of digestion, I was reduced to so low a state, that my friends, I believe, generally despaired of my life, and some of them, for some time together, thought I could scarce live a day. At this time, I could think of nothing, with any application of mind, and seemed to be in a great measure void of all affection, and was exercised with great temptations; but yet was not ordinarily afraid of death.