LIVING CHRISTIANITY

DELINEATED

IN THE

DIARY and LETTERS

OF

Mr. HUGH BRYAN,

O F

SOUTH-CAROLINA.

Extract of a Letter from the Rev. Mr. William Hutfon of South-Carolina to Mr. Dennis De Berdt, Merchant in London, relating to the Life and Character of Mr. Bryan.

'T

South-Carolina, May 21, 1755.

HE author of the enfuing papers was Mr. Hugh Bryan, a gentleman of character in civil life, having been honoured with commiffions both in the magiftracy and militia, of this province. He was born in the year 1699, and died the last day of December, 1753. 'Tis a circumftance I recollect with pleafure, that he was my particular friend, one with whom I have 'taken fweet counfel, and indeed one of the dea

C cons of our church. His manner of life from his youth up, you have fome little hints of in the letter which gives the account of his converfion. • Though I have heard him fpeak frequently and freely of the divine difpenfations towards him, both in a way of providence and grace, yet I ⚫ cannot recollect any material paffages except one, which relates to his being taken captive by the • Indians, and even of this I am not able to give such • a circumftantial account as I could wish. The truth of the fact I can however affert, and the • circumstances, which perhaps are the moft material, that I can recollect are as follow.

It happened in that Indian war, which broke ⚫ out in the year 1715, and was fo memorable as

to the events of it, that it ftands for one of the grand æras of Carolina, that he was taken, I think, at the beginning of the war, and was • difpofed of as a flave to one of the party that took him by the king of that people to whom ⚫ the party belonged. He was in captivity among them in the whole near a year; during which time, the providence of God remarkably appeared in his favour in feveral inftances. I have only two or three in my memory, which may ferve as a fpecimen of the reft. His Indian, or rather half Indian master, (for he was what they call a mixed breed) was killed in an engagement with the white people, by which means, though ftill in captivity, he got more freedom. The Indian king always ftood his

⚫ friend

'friend when the Indians under him folicited for • his death, which was very common for them to 'do, when they heard of any fuccefs of the Carolinians against them, and they were particularly • earneft upon the point, when they heard of the ' death of one of their great men's fons. But the 'Indian king always interpofed on his behalf, and would not fuffer them to hurt him, out of regard to his father, who was a very hofpitable man, and had been very kind to the Indians; though it is not very common with them to remember favours, especially in a time of war, and there were inftances often in this war, of perfons who • had been very kind to them, and yet were very 'cruelly treated by them. A circumftance which 'I the rather take notice of to fhow how much providence was concerned in his prefervation. You might be furprized to hear that he met with a Bible among the Indians, yet fo it was; • his Indian mistress gave him one, and a volume • of bishop Beveridge's private thoughts, both which the Indians had taken from fome white family

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they had killed. Mr. Bryan endured many hardfhips while among the Indians, and though his 6 good behaviour gained him fo much favour, that ⚫he fared no worse than their own Indian boys, yet you may eafily imagine, that at beft his cafe was bad enough. At length, thro' the good providence of God, he was brought by them to the Spanish fettlement at St. Augustine on the coaft, and from thence, being releafed by the • Indi

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Indian king, who had always been fo friendly to him, he returned again to his own land in peace, to the great joy of his father, family, and friends; and here, as he advanced in years, he grew in fa

vour with all who knew him, and at length by his integrity and industry, attended with the divine ⚫blefling, he obtained a good report, and a good

fortune; though the latter afterwards, by a vaC riety of loffes and disappointments, became much • encumbered, an event which however might be wifely ordered for his fpiritual good, and was perhaps a mean of fending him the oftner to that ⚫ fountain from which, as appears by his journal, he frequently received fuch large fupplies of divine refreshment. He was always a friend and a ⚫ credit to religion, though, as you will find by the first letter which gives an account of his converfion, he built upon a wrong foundation; the cafe, 'tis to be feared, of too many, who, because they are not here fuffered to run into the fame excefs of riot with others, blefs themfelves in their hearts, faying, they shall have peace. Mr. Bryan, after having been convinced of his dangerous miftake, and brought into the light and liberty of the gospel, continued steadfast in faith, joyful through hope, and a pattern of humility, piety and patience, through the whole of his chriftian courfe, till the happy time came when he exchanged this life for a better. I heard of his illness juft after my arrival in Charles-Town,

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