Online Resources
A primary purpose of this website is to provide additional resources for study of the writings of John Wesley. These resources fall into three major categories.
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Additional Works by Wesley as Editor -
In the early planning of The Wesley Works Project it became clear that there was not room to include all of John Wesley’s manuscript materials and publications, particularly given the number of printed works by other writers that he abridged and republished. It was decided to devote the printed volumes of The Bicentennial Edition mainly to prose items that were largely original to Wesley. While understandable, much can be gained from studying not only Wesley’s selection of materials by others to republish, but also his editorial practices in abridging them. Thus one section of this site will be devoted to transcriptions, with essential annotation, of Wesley’s edited publications that are not included in the printed volumes. Major groupings planned include the following:
- The Arminian Magazine
- The Christian Library
- Abridgement of Jonathan Edwards’s Treatise Concerning Religious Affections (pdf)
- Poetry and Hymn Collections: The Bicentennial Edition includes (vol. 7) a critical edition of John Wesley’s magisterial Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodist (1780). Through the agency of the Center for Studies in the Wesleyan Tradition at Duke Divinity School there is now access to transcriptions of John Wesley’s other edited poetry and hymn collections (as well as a full set of Charles Wesley’s verse).
- Survey of the Wisdom of God in Creation
- Other edited works
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Background Texts -
It is essential to study Wesley’s manuscript and published writings within their larger context, including correspondence that he received and published items critical of him or the Methodist movement. Many of these background texts are readily available to scholars, but some are quite rare, including many manuscript items. A second section of this site will focus on transcriptions of the most important background material. The first major set is:
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Research Aids -
A third section of this site is dedicated to databases, bibliographies, and the like that are created as part of the work in preparing The Bicentennial Edition but are not planned for inclusion in the printed volumes. The initial resources include:
- Baker’s Union Catalogue of the Publications of John and Charles Wesley (2nd edn., 1991) (pdf)
- The Bicentennial Edition of the Works of John Wesley includes more items than any previous edition, and utilizes a new numbering of each of the items published by John and Charles Wesley. This full list will become available in vols. 34–35, but scholars may want access to the working list. Frank Baker published an initial working list in 1966, and an expanded version in 1991. Since this published list is rare, we provide a pdf scan. Please note carefully the two portions of the volume, and that the numbering now used in the Bicentennial Edition is that at the front, as revised in 1991.
- Bibliographic Aids on John Wesley’s Library and Works He Read
- Biographical Guide for John Wesley’s Correspondence – Recurrent Persons (pdf)
- A collection of short biographies, for quick reference, of contemporary persons who appear repeatedly in John Wesley’s correspondence—whether as authors, recipients, or just mentioned in letters.
- Comprehensive List of Persons (pdf)
- A list of all persons that appear in John Wesley’s letters or in-correspondence. The list is confined to contemporary persons (not ancient authors cited), and to where more than just first and last initials are known. If a biography of the person is included in the recurrent person file, this is indicated. Otherwise, the first appearance of the person is noted, as that is where one can find whatever biographical information is known. This list covers only volumes published and transcriptions posted to date. It will be updated with each new volume.
- Cumulative Lists of John Wesley’s Letters
- Foundery Band Lists, 1742-1746 (pdf)
- John Wesley’s Sermon Register
- John Wesley’s Sermons – Comparative List of Collections (pdf)
- This list, compiled by Greg Van Buskirk, gives the comparative location of Wesley’s sermons in the Bicentennial Edition, Edward H. Sugden’s edition, and Thomas Jackson’s edition.
Citation Guidelines (pdf)
The Center for Studies in the Wesleyan Tradition at Duke Divinity School maintains an up-to-date set of links to other research centers and resources in Wesley studies.