Despite his lowly position in life and the priory, Brother Lawrence's character attracted many to him. He had a reputation for experiencing profound peace and visitors came to seek spiritual guidance from him.[9] The wisdom he passed on to them, in conversations and in letters, would later become the basis for the book, The Practice of the Presence of God. The conversations had been conducted and recorded by a notable cleric, the Abbé Joseph de Beaufort, who compiled this work after Brother Lawrence died.