they treated, in as full and intelligible a light as possible. I divided
the pages of my Note Books into two columns, placing the passages which
favored one view of a subject in the first column, and those which
seemed to favor a different view in the second. I placed in those Note
Books passages on matters of duty, as well as on matters of truth. In
this way I got nearly all the plainer and more important portions of the
Bible arranged in something like systematic order. Having done this, I
went through my Books, and put down in writing all that the passages
plainly taught, and marked the bearing of their teachings on the various
articles of my creed, with a view to bringing my creed, and the
teachings of Scripture, into agreement with each other.

6. To help me in these my labors, and to secure myself as far as
possible from serious error, I read a multitude of other books, on
almost every subject of importance, by authors of almost all varieties
of creeds. I read commentaries, sermons, bodies of divinity, and a host
of treatises on various points. To the best of my ability I examined the
Scriptures in the original languages, as well as in a number of
translations, both ancient and modern, including several Latin and
French versions, four German ones, and all the English ones that came in
my way. I had a number of Lexicons, and of Theological and Bible
Dictionaries of which I made free use. I went through the Commentaries
of Baxter, Wesley and Adam Clarke with the greatest care, as well as
through a huge and somewhat heterodox, but able and excellent work,
published by Goadby, entitled, _Illustrations of the Sacred Scriptures_.
I do not think I missed a single sentence in these commentaries, or
passed unweighed a single word.

I read and studied the writings of Wesley generally, and the works of
Fletcher, Benson and Watson. I read Hooker and Taylor also, and Wilkins,