Two books by the English writer William Law (1686-1761) have found an enduring place in the great devotional literature of the Christian church. A Practical Treatise on Christian Perfection (published 1726) and A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life (1729) have inspired the lives of countless Christians. They continue to be reprinted in various editions.

Philip Dodderidge, John Wesley, and other English evangelicals expressed their gratitude for these two books. Wesley wrote in his journal: "But meeting now with Mr. Law's Christian Perfection and Serious Call, although I am offended at many parts of both, yet they convinced me more than ever of the exceeding height and depth and breadth of the law of God. The light flowed in so mightily upon my soul that everything appeared in a new view. I cried to God for help, and resolved not to prolong the time of obeying him..

These were the first devotional books that John Wesley reprinted when he began publishing books for the Methodists. He highlighted with asterisks "those passages which I apprehend to be peculiarly excellent, either with regard to sentiment or expres- sion."