Moravian Lives @ Moravian U

1

Peter Hyland, died May 1846

Our late brother was born in this at Fulnic place Septr 12th 1774, & baptised in this chapel a few days after his birth. He was brot up here & recd all his education at the Boys’ Day School, which was, however superior in point both of instruction & discipline, to most other day schools & he was apprenticed to his father, a baker by trade at the proper age, afterwards entered into partnership with him & took the whole concern into his own hands at his fa ther’s decease in the yr. 1818. Thus he was born, educated, spent his whole life died & is buried in one & the same place, & he has been heard to say that he never spent more than a week together out of Fulnec. He was twice married, first in 1802 or 3 to Ann Birkby by whom he had 4 children all sons; the oldest, Joseph, died several years ago. leaving 3 sons, & the youngest, Peter, died departed soon after his birth, the other John & Thomas survive & by them he has seen 12 grand Children 7 Boys & 5 Girls in all. His first wife departed happily in Octr 1811, & in the yr. following he was united to his second partner, Mary Wheatley, but had no children by that marriage. She likewise preceded her husband to a better world in Augt. 1838. Our later brother’s family, at the time of his birth, occupied the house adjoin

2

ing that in which my parents resided & dwelt there for many years afterwards hence, tho’ he was many years my senior I have known him intimately from my earliest childhood, & am the better able, therefore, to give a sketch of his character. He was naturally of a very agreeable temper, had a shred of good-natured drollerry & humour about him (which however was never indulged to excess or led him into that jesting “foolish talking & jesting, which are not convenient”). was kind-hearted, & almost uniformally cheerful; he was a most industrious man & ??? strict integrity & uprightness of character, both as a tradesman & as a private character, & hence no doubt, the blessing of God that rested on his “faithfulness in business;” never, too, the respect & esteem in which he was held by all connected with him, whether in the way of trade & business, or as neigh bours, acquaintances, or friends; & hence the affection felt for him by his relatives & Christian friends. He was a kind & loving husband, father & grand father, & tho’ he had attained to a good old age, nearly 72 years, he is sincerely regretted by many & will long be held in affectionate remembrance. He became a member of the Brns church & was admitted by confirmation to the Lords table in his youth, probably abt the age of 16, tho’ we cannot mark the

3

precise date. Being He was from his infancy brot. up in the knowledge of the truth in the nature & ??? of the Lord, & in the bosom of a Christian Congn & connected with a peo ple of God, going in & out among them, & enjoying all the means of grace with them: nor were these inestimable privileges thrown away upon him; no doubt, his spiritual course was chequered & he had seasons of compa rative coldness & indifference of heart & of consequent unfruitfulness; but he had a correct & clear views of evangeli cal truth & especially of the all-important point, that Jesus Christ is made ??? us of God wisdom & righteousness, sanctificat; & redemption & that naught else avails to save lost sinners; & tho’ he was not one of those who are called to go down to the battle, but rather to carry it by the staff & to occupy an humble & comparatively obscure sphere all the days of his life; altho, so far being forward to converse on spiritual subjects, he was rather the very reverse, &, until the last 2 or 3 days of his life, more close & reserved their night have been desirable, yet, his consistent conduct, his Christian spirit, his evident love of the Lord’s house & value of the means of grace, the faithfulness & pleasure with which he, for many years, attended to to duties of various offices entrusted to him in this Congn; as well as the more open communications on spiritual matters, which marked his last days, & the peace in which he at last fell asleep, assure us that he knew whom he had believed & was in Christ Jesus, as his

4

refuge & fortress, his robe & his life-supplying stream. He was, for a long series of years, probably 30 or many a member of the committee of this Congn, &, for a still more lengthened period of its council; & in the performance of his duties in these capacities, his consecreations, principles, & his faithfulness integrity, plain sound sense, & practical wisdom were both conspicuous & useful. He was also, for the unusual period of 52 years & until quite lately, a chapel-servant, & in the discharge of this gratuitous services connected with that office formerly for more onerous than they are now, he showed not only exemplary faithfulness & dili gence, but an untiring interest, & even delight. Our late Br was blessed with a good constitution & generally robust health; he seems, however, to have been rather subject to rheumatic affections, & in the yr 1818 suffered severely from rheumatic fever. He was however, hole & active until he had completed his 71st year. but in the course of last winter his strength began visibly to decline, & the more rapidly as the spring advanced; he was, however, to the last, quite free from pain, his whole ailment being a breaking off of nature & con sequent decline of strength; increasing drowsiness was the most marked symptom of his complaint, if complaint it may be called, & he mentioned it as a great mercy, that he enjoyed sound & undisturbed sleep the night thro’, to the very last. It was a source of regret to him that, owing to his increasing weakness, he was but rarely able to come to the house of God in the evening meetings last winter; but because as often as it was at all in his power & to was even present.