26 History of Hingham. 



tion of Rev. Jonathan Dorby, at Scituate : " And 'tis pity any man, at his 

 entrance into the ministry, should, in his ordination vows, get a snare to 

 his soul by subscribing, or any ways engaging to preach according to an- 

 other rule of faith, creed, or confession, which is merely of human prescrip- 

 tion or imposition." 



He was a warm friend of the celebrated Dr. Mayhew, of Boston, whose 

 biograpber thinks tbe latter was indebted to Dr. Gay for the adoption of 

 the " liberal and rational views " which he embraced. 



President John Adams, in a letter to Dr. Morse, dated May 15, 1815, 

 remarks as follows : '• Sixty years ago my own minister, Rev. Lemuel 

 Bryant, Dr. Jonathan Mayhew, of the West Church, in Boston, Rev. Mr. 

 Shute, of Hingham, Rev. John Brown, of Cohasset, and perhaps equal to 

 all, if not above all, Rev. Dr. Gay, of Hingham, were Unitarians." 



By some, who fully understand the position of Dr. Gay after the mid- 

 dle of the last century, he has been claimed to have been the father of 

 American Unitarianism. This must be conceded, that his discourses will 

 be searched in vain, after that point of time, for any discussions of contro- 

 versial theology, any advocacy of the peculiar doctrine regarded as ortho- 

 dox, or the expression of any opinions at variance with those of his 

 distinguished successor in the same joulpit, the Rev. Dr. Ware. 



But I cannot leave Dr. Gay without adverting to his political opinions, 

 for our traditionary information concerning them finely illustrates his char- 

 acter. He was opposed to the measures which preceded the American 

 Revolution and Declaration of Independence. His sympathies were not 

 with the Whigs. Yet, such was his discretion that he maintained his po- 

 sition at the head of fa large and intelligent parish, comprising all shades 

 of political opinion, but in the main Whigs, without alienating the affec- 

 tion of his people or impairing his usefulness. On one occasion he and 

 his friend and neighbor, Dr. Shute, who was an ardent Whig, were in- 

 vited to address the people in town-meeting on a political question, and 

 they both succeeded so well that the town gave them a vote of thanks. 

 Still, Dr. Gay's political sentiments were well understood, and were a 

 cause of occasional uneasiness among his parishioners during the period of 

 the Revolution. We have this anecdote from an authentic source : It 

 was a part of the duty of the Committee of Correspondence, Inspection, 

 and Safety to call upon suspected citizens, and those known to be loyalists, 

 to demand a search for arms. It was proposed that the Committee should 

 call upon Dr. Gay and demand his arms, probably not because they sup- 

 posed he had any of which he would make improper use against the new 

 government, but because the opportunity was a good one to give him a 

 sort of official admonition that he held obnoxious sentiments, in which 

 some of the most influential of his people did not share. That the thing 

 to be done was a little aggravating did not take away the zest of doing it ; 

 it would have been ungenerous also, had there not been a very perfect 

 accord between Dr. Gay and his parish, as pastor and people, on all sub- 

 jects save politics. The Committee presented themselves before the Doc- 

 tor, who received them in his study, standing, and with entire calmness 

 and dignity, when he inquired of them, " What do you wish with me, 

 gentlemen ? " 



"We have come, sir, in accordance with our duty as the Committee of 

 Safety, to ask you what arms you have in the house." 



He looked at them kindly, perhaps a little reproachfully, for a moment 

 or two before answering, and then said, laying his hand upon a large 



