Practical Treatise Upon Christian Perfection
William Law's treatise emerged from his conviction that the Church of England had grown comfortable with nominal Christianity, satisfied with external conformity rather than pursuing the radical transformation that the gospel demands. Writing as a nonjuring Anglican priest who had forfeited his academic career rather than swear allegiance to the Hanoverian monarchy, Law addressed Christians who sensed that their faith should penetrate more deeply into daily life but lacked clear guidance for spiritual advancement.
Law argues that Christian perfection is not an impossible ideal but the ordinary calling of every believer, requiring a systematic reordering of one's entire existence around divine love. He demonstrates how perfection manifests not in sinlessness but in the complete surrender of self-will to God's will, expressed through specific practices of prayer, self-denial, and charity. The treatise methodically dismantles common excuses for spiritual mediocrity while providing concrete direction for growth in holiness. Law insists that perfection begins with recognizing one's absolute dependence on God, proceeds through disciplined attention to interior motives and exterior actions, and culminates in a love so purified that it seeks nothing but God's glory in all circumstances.
This work established Law as one of Anglicanism's most penetrating spiritual directors and profoundly influenced John Wesley's understanding of sanctification, shaping Methodist theology for generations. Law's uncompromising vision of Christian transformation continues to challenge believers who have settled for respectability rather than holiness, offering both diagnostic precision about spiritual self-deception and practical wisdom for those genuinely committed to spiritual progress.
Who should read this: Christians frustrated with surface-level faith who are prepared for Law's demanding vision of total surrender to God. This is not for those seeking comfort in their current spiritual state, but for readers ready to have their assumptions about "normal" Christianity thoroughly examined and likely overturned.