A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life
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3.5 • 2 Ratings
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Publisher Description
"...We are to look wholly unto Him, and act wholly for Him; that we are only to pray in such a manner, for such things, and such ends, as are suitable to His glory."
A Serious Call provides a solemn injunction for Christians to live "lives worthy of their calling." Since God is considered the greatest good, what ought this mean for the Christian life? This text has made an indelible impression on generations of Christians; of this number are George Whitefield and the Wesley brothers.
This electronic edition features an active table of contents.
A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life is part of The Fig Classic Series on Post-Reformation Theology. To view more books in our catalog, visit us at fig-books.com.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
William Law, the 18th-century Anglican priest who heavily influenced the theology of John and Charles Wesley, lambastes pious hypocrisy and the corruption of the church in A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, the latest reissue in Vintage' s Spiritual Classics series. Law' s prose is fresh and vivid as he illustrates the holy Christian life as one lived wholly for God. His thoughts on prayer, personal holiness and service to the poor will resonate with many contemporary readers.
Customer Reviews
Wonderful...now, how do I live like that?
Probably 98% of what I read now is either the Bible or books by those who teach about God's word to us. I have found some wonderful, inspired, thought provoking and beautifully written works by people like Guyon, Fenelon, Chambers, Née, Sparks, Murray and a handful of others. There is a common thread in those works that captures me most, and that is the consistency in the message that "all things are possible...through Christ". I miss this aspect in this book by Law.
I'm a bit disappointed in this book. I believe that I was introduced to Law in a book by Andrew Murray, and that is why I picked this one up. Murray had a Holy Spirit inspired insight that can't be denied, and and I took his lead with Law. Maybe it is Law's writing style or that this was a style that was old enough to make it difficult for me to fully grasp, but something just didn't work for me.
Except for the sections on the Holy Spirit in Chapter 8, I found it difficult to see the relevance or practicality to my life. It wasn't that I didn't see the connection and the importance of living such a life of example in a perverse world. It is just that Law seems to lack to communicate that this life that he espouses so well can only be lived through the inspiration and guidance of the indwelling Holy Spirit. My understanding is that all our efforts will fail without the life of Christ within us doing the living. No amount of "imitating" will be found to be sufficient and lasting.
My best guess is that this book was written from the perspective of one who is either entering or has entered a life within the gates of a monastery and is writing to those following in that walk.
I believe that God has provided for us a life that reflects the life lived by Jesus, but He does this through a life that is guided by and through the Holy Spirit within us. It is a progressive walk that leads to unity and conformity to Christ but not through attempting to imitate Him or through a set of rules. It is a breaking down of all our own efforts to show us that we cannot do this on our own strength but through Him and Him only. And not amount of trying to live by rules of prayer or denial will suffice. We are told to rest in Christ and let Him rule.
Maybe I missed something?