First published in 1471, the year of the author's death, The Imitation of Christ is a highly influential Christian text. A celebration of God's mercy, holiness and love, The Imitation is a devotional guide in which Christians are urged to trust fully in God and submit to the circumstances of the life which we are given by God. Although Thomas a? Kempis spent 70 years of his life in the confines of a monastery, this work shows a complete comprehension of human nature. St Thomas More commended the work as one of the three books that everyone ought to own, while John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, called it the best summary of Christian life that he had ever read.