28 History of Hingham. 



lowed the thief took the candle out of his dark lantern, stuck 

 it into the bundle of hay, and then retreated. In a moment the 

 hay was in a light blaze, and the fellow, throwing it from him 

 in utter consternation, ran away from his perishing booty. The 

 Doctor kept the affair a secret, even from his own family, and 

 within a day or two the thief came to him in great agitation, 

 and told him he wished to confess to him a grievous sin, — 

 that he had been tempted to steal some of his hay, and as he 

 was carrying it away the Almighty was so angry with him 

 that he had sent fire from heaven, and set it to blazing upon 

 his back. The Doctor agreed to forgive him on condition of his 

 never repeating the offence. 



A young minister having preached his first sermon in Dr. 

 Gay's pulpit, and having, as he thought, done it with considerable 

 eloquence, was anxious to obtain the approbation of his learned 

 brother. "Tell me sincerely what you think of this first effort 

 of mine." " I think it sensible and well written," replied Dr. 

 Gay, " but another text would have been more appropriate." 

 " What would you have selected, sir?" "When you preach it 

 again, I would advise you to prefix this text, ' Alas, master, for 

 it was borrowed.' " 



On one occasion Dr. Barnes, of Scituate, preached for Dr. Gay, 

 when he was at home to hear him. The manner of Dr. Barnes 

 was exceedingly drawling, and when the services were concluded, 

 and the two clergymen were on their way home, Dr. Gay said : "Dr. 

 Barnes, your discourse was excellent, but you spoil all you say by 

 your manner. Your method of drawling out your words is so in- 

 tolerable that you put nearly all my people to sleep." To which 

 frank testimony Dr. Barnes then and there made no reply. Now 

 it happened that Dr. Gay had an unusually large mouth. In the 

 afternoon Dr. Barnes again occupied the sacred desk, and after 

 going through the preliminary services, — putting the congrega- 

 tion, as usual, to sleep in the long prayer, he came to the sermon. 

 " My text, my brethren," he said, " may be found in the eleventh 

 verse of the fourth chapter of the Book of Exodus, and is in 

 these words," — he paused, and looking down over the high pul- 

 pit into the pew of Dr. Gay beneath, and upon the very top of 

 Dr. Gay's head, he proceeded with a drawl more pronounced than 

 ever, but with a manner most emphatic, " in these words : ' Who 

 — hath — made — man's — mouth.'' Dr. Gay had no occasion 

 then to complain of the drowsiness of his congregation, for they 

 all woke up and audibly tittered. 



The old Arminian and Calvinistic clergy, ere the bitter contro- 

 versy broke out, used to meet and criticise, in a friendly way, each 

 other's theology. In the same association met Dr. Gay and Dr. 

 Dunbar, — the former representing Arminianism, the latter Cal- 

 vinism. It fell to the lot of Dr. Dunbar to preach before the As- 

 sociation. He felt moved to be very positive, and make a very 

 distinct enunciation of Calvinism. With each of the five points 



