342 History of Hingham.  

good citizens.   At length he took for his text that verse of the fourth chapter to the Philippians: 'Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, or of good report, if there be any virtue, or any praise, think on these things,' and I imagined, in a sermon on such a text, we could not miss of having some morality.   But he confined himself to five points only, as meant by the apostle: 1. Keeping holy the Sabbath Day; 2. Being diligent in reading the holy Scriptures; 3. Attending duly the public worship; 4. Partaking of the Sacrament; 5. Paying a due respect to God's ministers.   These might be all good things; but as they were not the kind of good things that I expected from that text, I despaired of ever meeting with them from any other, was disgusted, and attended his preaching no more."

   JOHN ANDREWS [II. 13] was the son of Joseph and Hannah (Richmond) Andrews, and was born in Hingham, March 3, 1764.   When quite a lad he was apprenticed to a Mr. Fleet, a printer in Boston; but his earnest desire to obtain a liberal education induced his father to consent to his leaving Mr. Fleet at the end of the second year of his apprenticeship.   He was fitted for college with Dr. Howard, afterwards of Springfield, but at that time a teacher in Hingham.   He was graduated from Harvard College in 1786, studied theology at Cambridge, and resided for two years in the family of Chief Justice Dana.   He soon accepted a call to settle as colleague with the Rev. Thomas Cary over the First Church in Newburyport, and was ordained Dec. 10, 1788.   Mr. Cary died Nov. 24, 1808, and Mr. Andrews retained the sole charge of the parish until May 1, 1830, when he resigned his office.
   After his resignation he preached occasionally to one or two societies in the vicinity of Newburyport.   His death took place Aug. 17, 1845, in his eighty-second year.   In 1824 he received the degree of S. T. D. from Harvard University.   Dr. Andrews, in his opinions, would be classed among those known as Unitarians.   He abhorred all exclusiveness, and owned no creed but the Bible.   Until the close of his professional life he freely exchanged pulpit services with all the Congregational ministers in Newburyport and its vicinity.   He seldom touched upon controverted subjects, preferring to confine himself to those of a more practical nature.   He preached the Dudleian Lecture, and several of his occasional discourses were published.   For fifty years he was a trustee of Dummer Academy and for half that time its faithful treasurer.   He was one of the delegates in the convention for revising the constitution of Massachusetts.
   NICHOLAS BAKER [II. 17] came to Hingham in 1685, and was one of those who had grants of house-lots in that year.   He was a delegate to the General Court in 1636 and in 1638.   He left Hingham at an early date, and after living in Hull for several years, was ordained as pastor of the church in Scituate, in l660.   He died Aug. 22, 1678.   Cotton Mather, in his "Magnalia," speaks of him as "honest Nicholas Baker; who, though he had but a private education, yet being a pious and zealous man, or, as Dr.

 

Previous  General Contents  History Contents  Genealogical Registers  Next

Copyright © 2008 by Dale H. Cook. All rights reserved.