Life And Works Of William Law

'Both as an effective (and entertaining) critic of worldliness, and then as a forceful exponent of Christian mysticism, William Law played a unique role in eighteenth-century English life and thought. This complete edition of his unusually rich and hugely influential writings will need to be consulted by all serious students of the period.'
- Dr Brian Young, author of Religion and Enlightenment in Eighteenth-Century EnglandReligion and Enlightenment in Eighteenth-Century England (1998)

William Law (1686-1761), controversialist, theologian and mystic, was (and is) considered one of the great intellectuals of his age. He took an anti-Lockean stance and came into confrontation with many of the leading theologians of his day. His works went through many editions, and he influenced, among others, Samuel Johnson, Edward Gibbon and John Wesley. His powerful and lucid writing style played a large part in this, the DNB describing it as 'transparently clear, vivid, and pungent, ....his portraits remind us that he was a contemporary of Addison, and a keener satirist'. He is most famous for A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy LifeA Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, which sided him with Berkeley and Joseph Butler, was partly responsible for slowing the spread of deism, and which continues to enthrall evangelical Christians today. Indeed, his mysticism is perhaps more understood today than it was in his lifetime. Other famous works include his Three Letters to the Bishop of BangorThree Letters to the Bishop of Bangor and Remarks upon a late Book entituled, the Fable of the BeesRemarks upon a late Book entituled, the Fable of the Bees.

This edition of Law's works, first published in 1892-3, features all his writings plus a memoir by G. B. Morgan. Added to these nine volumes is the first serious critical biography of Law, Overton's William Law, Nonjuror and MysticWilliam Law, Nonjuror and Mystic. The 10-volume collection thus gives eighteenth century scholars a complete archive for the study of this important man.

—the only modern edition of the complete works of William Law
—includes Overton's celebrated biography
—out of print and uncommon
—very influential and highly respected theologian and intellectual, still read today