In South Carolina. 343 



William Gassaway, and against whom there was not 

 the shadow of an objection but that he had married a 

 wife who was in all respects a suitable person and of 

 an excellent family. Mr. Gassaway warmly espoused 

 the cause of the young brother, and urged with great 

 force in his behalf the authority of 1 Timothy iii. 12 ; 

 but Mr. Myers carried the Conference against him 

 with the following characteristic speech: "A young 

 man comes to us and says he is called to preach. We 

 answer, 'I don't know.' He comes a second time, 

 perhaps a third time, even a fourth time, saying, 'A 

 dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me, and 

 woe be to me if I preach not the gospel.' Then we 

 say to him, ' Go and try.' He goes and tries and can 

 hardly do it. We bear with him a little while and he 

 does better. And just as we begin to hope he may 

 make a preacher, lo! he comes again to us and says 

 'I must marry.' We say to him, 'If you marry, you 

 will soon locate; go and preach.' 'No, I must marry, 

 I must marry.' We say to him, 'A dispensation of 

 the gospel is committed to you, and woe be unto you 

 if you preach not the gospel.' 'But no,' he says, 'I 

 must marry.' And he marries. It is enough to make 

 an angel weep." 



Mr. Myers was a great economist in respect to both 

 time and money. He rose at four o'clock in the morn- 

 ing, and was busily and usefully employed the whole 

 day. His pecuniary expenditures also were regulated 

 by the strictest regard to economy. He never spent a 

 dime unnecessarily; and though it was not possible to 

 make large accumulations from the salary which Meth- 

 odist preachers then received, yet by rigid economy 

 he had acquired enough to settle himself snugly on a 

 little farm when he was compelled to retire from active 



