FOOTNOTE TO COTTON MATHER POST

William Law (1686 - 1761) was perhaps the greatest 17th Century English theologian and his 1728 book, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, influenced prominent religious teachers who were part of the Great Awakening, including George Whitefield and John Wesley.

Like Cotton Mather, Law also was concerned about social justice:

William Law paid traditional attention to the concept of the spiritual life, demanding pious prayer, humility, and self-denial. Then he turned his attention to society. All man's activities, he argued, must be conducted with social concern. (Ibid, p. 34)