David Brainerd Quotes

This coming week, I'll be writing a short paper and an 8-minute presentation on the Life and Diary of David Brainerd. The book is a biography of David Brainerd interspersed with what parts of his diary that he allowed the author of the biography to include.

Brainerd was a missionary to the Native Americans, and he lived between April 20th, 1718 – October 9th, 1747. I'm not even half-way through the book yet, but already I know that he is a man who experienced the same emotions and fears that I've felt, which has me sympathizing with him and feeling what I need to feel and think for my coming assignment.

Here are some quotes I've come across that I quite like.

"All I want is to be more holy, more like my dear Lord. O for sanctification! My very soul pants for the complete restoration of the blessed image of my Saviour; that I may be fit for the blessed enjoyments and employments of the heavenly world."

– David Brainerd

"Farewell, vain world; my soul can bid adieu;

My Saviour's taught me to abandon you.

Your charm's may gratify a sensual mind;

Not please a soul wholly for God design'd.

Forbear to entice, cease then my soul to call;

'Tis fix'd through grace; my God shall be my all.

While He thus lets me heavenly glories view,

Your beauties fade, my heart's no room from you."

– a poem by David Brainerd

"Lord, I'm a stranger here alone;

Earth no true comforts can afford;

Yet absent from my dearest one,

My soul delights to cry, my Lord.

Jesus, my Lord, my only love,

Possess my soul, nor thense depart;

Grant me kind visits, heavenly Dove,

My God shall then have all my heart."

– a poem by David Brainerd

I find it fascinating that he wrote a couple poems in his diary...

My Thoughts on The Princess Bride

It's been a while since I've watched this movie, and suffice to say, I really wasn't in the mood to watch a romantic-comedy. I was more in the mood for just a romance. But oh well.

The main characters of this film are Buttercup and Wesley (the farm boy). How Wesley met Buttercup is simple: he met her when he signed up to be her farm hand (not shown in the film, obviously happened before the beginning of the film). Buttercup loved nothing more to order him around when she wasn't riding her horse around her property or doing whatever she did with her farm that she could do without Wesley's help.

The film is rather quite vague about the early events of their relationship, but what I do like is that it does make it clear that their attraction with one another wasn't instantaneous. Wesley was the first one to fall in love, and I guess that it was apparent enough that Buttercup knew, but I feel that she didn't immediately reciprocate. In fact, as it shows, Buttercup doesn't realized she's fallen for Wesley until Wesley leaves to go and "seek his fortune", since he had nothing for Buttercup. He wanted to marry her, but he needed the money.

Unfortunately, during his boat-ride to wherever he was going to find work, the ship he was on was attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts, and he was seemingly lost at sea. Buttercup learned of this, and fell into a great depression.

Now, I know this doesn't sound like much of a comedy - yet - but this is because this movie, and the book it was adapted from, were very well done. In various writing curriculum I've gone through, The Princess Bride has been mentioned at least once due to its beautifully-done plot. If this movie started out as a comedy right from the get-go, I believe it wouldn't be as much of a cult-classic as it is regarded as today.

What I like most about this film is the fact that it is different from the average movie-adaption. Instead of dumping us right into the world of the story, it starts out in the "real world". There's a young boy (not named), and he's down with a bad cold or the flu. There's only so many comics or 8-bit video games one can play before they become utterly and all-consumingly bored. His grandfather comes over with an early-Christmas present in hand, knowing exactly how to break his grandson's boredom, even though the boy might not be so willing to sit and listen to what he might think is a "sappy love-story".

I loved how Wesley looked as the Dread Pirate Roberts/The Man in Black (I have something for men with British accents wearing bandit masks, apparently).

The only thing I didn't like about the movie is that the grandson used Jesus' name in vain (like, was that exactly necessary?!), and the fact that Inigo used the b-word while fighting the six-fingered count at the end of the film.

And why, oh why, did I keep hearing the word "indigo" instead of "Inigo"?? Their accents kept making me insert a "D" into the name!

Despite all that, these are my two most favourite quotes:

Shortly after Wesley saved Buttercup after she was kidnapped:

"Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says otherwise is selling something."

And when Inigo was fighting the six-fingered count:

"My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die!"