14 LIBRARIANS OP HARVARD COLLEGE.
While acting as Librarian, Gookin occasionally
preached from neighboring pulpits. Sewall in his
Diary, under date of 5 December, 1708, has this
characteristic entry concerning him: "Mr. Nathaniel Gookin preaches in the forenoon ; I think
every time he mention'd James, 'twas with prefixing Saint : about 4 or 5 times that I took notice
of. I suppose he did it to confront me and to
assert his own Liberty. Probably, he had seen
the Letter 1 wrote to Mr. Flint. Spake also of
Reverence in God's Worship; he may partly
intend being cover'd in Sermon-Time : It had
better becom'd a person of some Age and
Authority to hare intermeddled in things of
such a nature. Quædam Confidentia non est virtus, at audacia."
Early in the spring of 1710 the town of Hampton, N. H., voted "that Mr. Nathaniel Gookin shall be called to the work of the ministry in the town." The terms proposed, however, do not appear to have been satisfactory to Gookin, and it was not until 15 November, 1710, that he was ordained as the pastor. Under the final terms, the town agreed to pay the new minister ₤70 per annum, one half to be in money and one half in produce, to give him the use of the parsonage during his ministry, and also twenty cords of wood a year; moreover, when he should have a family, the ₤70 was to be increased to ₤80. In a little more than a month after his ordination he married (21 December) Dorothy Cotton, daughter of his predecessor in the pulpit at Hampton John Cotton (Librarian, 1681-90). The increase of ten pounds which he was thus able to claim so soon could not have availed him much, for his family grew rapidly, and no less than fourteen children were the result of this marriage.
Mr. Gookin's ministry was long and successful, and he greatly endeared himself to his people. In 1719, after the erection of a new meeting house, the town voted to sell the old one "for the use & benefitt of ye Reverd Mr. Nathl Gookin." The town also paid for the education of his son Nathaniel at Harvard (A.B. 1731); and after the death of their pastor amply provided for his widow during her life. The only matter of especial interest during his pastorate is perhaps his sermon preached on the afternoon preceding the great earthquake of October, 1727. For his text he took the words: "The day of trouble is near," and in his discourse said he felt a strong foreboding of some evil close at hand. It was but a few hours later that the shock of the earthquake was felt. From this incident Mr. Gookin, although disclaiming any such power, almost attained the reputation of being a prophet; at all events there followed upon this a great religious awakening in his church. This sermon, together with three others preached after the earthquake, "and an account of the Earthquake, in Hampton ; and something Remarkable of Thunder and Lightning, in 1727," Mr. Gookin had printed in Boston the next winter in a pamphlet of over eighty pages octavo. It forms his only publication.
Soon after this event, although he was still a young man, Mr. Gookin's health began to fail, mainly owing to throat trouble, and the town voted to secure an assistant for him. His death came on 25 August, 1734. At his funeral, which was at the charge of the town, the sermon was preached by Rev. Mr. Fitch. His colleague, Rev. Ward Cotton, wrote in the town records an obituary of him, from which the following is extracted: "He was justly esteemed by the most judicious, a well accomplished Divine, a judicious Casuist excellently qualified both to feed & guide the flock of Christ; an eminent preacher, excelling in the most correct phrase, clear method, sound scriptural Reasoning, a masculine style, manly voice, grave utterance, and a lively, close application to his hearers, with great affection, and yet free from affectation. . . . He was a zealous asserter of the civil Rights, and Religious liberties of mankind. His temper was grave & thoughtful, yet at times cheerful and free, and his conversation very entertaining. . . . He was much given to hospitality, and took great pleasure in entertaining such as he might improve [himself] by conversing with."
ACTHORITIKS : Allen, American biog. and hist, dictionary, 1832, p. 420. Dow, Historical address at Hampton, 1839, pp. 34-36. Dow, History of Hampton, 1893, pp. 187-189, 377-389, 735. Mass. hist. soc. Collections, 5th series, vi. 243; Proceeding*, 1862, p. 351. N. E. hist, and geneal. register, . 327-8, ii. 172. Sabin, Dictionary of books, vii. 339. 'Salisbury, Family memorials, 1885, pp. 450-452. Sav- age, Geneal. dictionary, 1860, i. 279. Shurtleff, Gospel ministers, 1739, p. 31.
1709-1712.
Edward Holyoke, who was born in Boston, 25 June, 1689, was the son of Elizur and Mary (Elliot) Holyoke. Entering College at the age of twelve, he received his bachelor's degree in 1705 and his master's degree in 1708. For three years (1709 to 1712) he was Librarian, and for four (1712 to 1716) tutor. He was during the last three years of his tutorship a fellow of the Corporation. In 1715 he and John Barnard (II. U. 1700) were rival candidates for the place of assistant pastor to the aged Mr. Cheever at Marblehead. Barnard was elected, but some of the parish were dissatisfied with the choice and withdrawing, organized a new church, over which Holyoke was ordained 25 April, 1716. The two pastors, however, remained close friends. After the death of President Wadsworth in 1737, there was difficulty in choosing his sue-
