194 History of Methodism 



the following: When he contemplated going to an ap- 

 pointment, he retired in secret to commune with God ; 

 he first sought to know whether it was the will of God 

 that he should preach there. That being settled affirm- 

 atively, he next humbly and earnestly asked of the 

 Lord a suitable text, and then light and power to 

 preach from it; and it appears that when he thus 

 sought the Divine guidance and help he was never dis- 

 appointed. He read scarcely any book but the Bible, 

 but this he studied closely and with much prayer, and 

 he was accordingly a mighty man in the exposition of 

 scriptural truth, He repudiated all commentaries on 

 the holy Scriptures, so far as his own practice was 

 concerned, on the ground that God had said, " If any 

 of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to 

 all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and he shall re- 

 ceive the needed wisdom." He therefore preferred to 

 go directly to the great source or inspiration for light 

 on the divine word, deeming that the God who first in- 

 spired the sacred word was his own best expounder. 

 He condemned not others, however, for consulting com- 

 mentators, but judged the course he pursued the best. 

 While it is true he may have erred in this instance, as it 

 is no doubt proper to get all the help we can in studying 

 the sacred record, and not to refuse the aid of commen- 

 tators, yet is there no danger of relying too much on 

 them ? and do not many of our talented and critical 

 preachers, in their reliance on these uninspired sources 

 of wisdom, to a great extent ignore that divine illu- 

 mination which comes in answer to devout and humble 

 prayer ? Mr. Gassaway gained such an influence over 

 Bishop Capers in his earlier days — who speaks of him 

 as " that most godly man and best of ministers " — as to 

 induce him to lay aside his classical studies, which he 



