PREFACE. 317 M. Yet I must confess, I have been cautious of mingling such su- blime notions in divinity, as are utterly too hard for childron to understand : And for this reason in the prayers for infants andyoung children, &c. I have omitted some of thesethings which are mentioned in the other following composures ; for I am well satisfied, that the bestway of teaching children, both in matters divine and human, is to lead them into some tolerable idea and conceptionof all the things signifiedby the words they aretanghtto use, as soon as those words are taught them ; that they may not be accustomed, even in their younger days, to (lest in mere sounds, to talk wrthoútideas, and to speak words and syllables without a meaning. I hope no reader will be so unjust, as to suppose I would require in children a very distinct knowledge, and much less a perfect or comprehensive notion, of all.thosethings of reli- gion which go to compose aprayer: This is not attained by men, or Indeed attainable. All that I aim at, is to have children taught to frame some tole - sable conception ofWhat is meant by the words they pronounce, that they may not say any part of their prayers like young parrots, without any meaning at all, or as the Pater costoro and Are-Marys are used in the church of Rome, where they say their prayers in an unknown tongue. Perhaps some may think, I have transgressed this rule, io mentioning the mediation of Christ, in the prayers for infants, and the assistance of the holy Spirit, in those' which are composed for young children. But I was not willing to let child. ren pass several years of life, without some hints of those two most peculiar glories of our religion : And for this reason, I desire parents and teachers to acquaint children early, with the most easy and general notion of these things, that they may not use thesewords merely by rote. IV. I was desirous to frame all the expressionsin sogeneral a manner, as might not offend the spirits of good .christians of different opinions, nor savour of anarrow party -spirit, and betray children into a party-zeal in their early years. It is this lays the foundation of long uncharitableness, and sul- lies the beauty ofthe gospel, which is a lawof love. When the unnecessary phrases of the several sects of christians are mingledand made up with the prayers of children, they receive an earlyand lasting prejudice, that there is something very snored and divine in all the words they are taught to use : The little creatures are herebylisted intoa partyfrom theirinfancy, and grow up to contend with fury in their maturer age, for that which they prayed for almost as soon asthey could speak. I have endeavoured therefore to avoid those expressions, which would be offensive to pious mindson this account. By observing this caution also, I have reason to hope that these compo- sures may be made more extensively useful, because they are less offensive, to the various denominations of christians. As for those persons who will cavil at every sentence that expresses the sacred doctrine of the trinity, the corruption of our nature, the operations of God's holy Spirit, the atonement of Christ for sin, or.the necessity ofdivine grace, I am not solicitous to com- port with their schemes, nor confine myself to such models as would exclude the peculiar revelations, or the chief blessings of christianity òut.óf christian devotions. V. I have taken care to use various forms of doxology, according to the exrarplesof scripture: Not that I think a doxology is necessary in itself at the end of every prayer, for there are morescriptural prayers without itthan with it: But herein I have . complied with present practice, in whichit isgene- rally used, and especially, since it closes the prayer, which our Lord taught his disciples, commonly called the Lord's-prayer. When I use any of the doxologies of scripture in the prayers for children, which are not quitesoeasy to be understood bythem, I have paraphrased or explained same ofthe words. This leads me to the next particular : VI. It cost me much labour to express all the sacred sentiments of relì- pion, in the mostPlain, familiar and easy language : And I hope the plain- x 3
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