PREFACE. 319 supposing that as persons are grown up to maturer years, they are capable of understanding the common forms of speech, which are used in scripture, and in the language of our public worship, which is chiefly adapted to the under- standing of grown persons, rather than of children. In the shorter forms of occasional confession, petition or thanksgiving, &c. I have endeavoured so to contrive them, that they may be wrought into the body of other prayers, it may be used alone at 'viper seasons. X. Since I have in all this work aimed at brevity and plainness, I hope my friends will excuse me,:. that I have not drawn out any of.tbe devout sec.. timents, here expressed, into large and pathetic thrms of expression : This I confess would have added more lite and spirit to each composure, and, per- baps, might have had its use to awaken the pious passions into a warmer exercise. But then every prayer must have been much longer, and I consi- dered for whose use they were written. Children must not be over-burdened and tried, when we would allure them to the practices of early piety. If any person desire to see patterns of devotion, wherein pious senti- ments. are drawn out into more copious and affecting language, they may find something of this kind, in the devotional writings of Bishop Patrick, Mr. Dorrington, Mr. Meriton, Mr. Jenks, and the author of the Christian Mo- nitor, and'several others, which may he of excellent use to teach younger christians what to pray for, and in 'what manner to express themselves. And above all, I. would recommend to them the late Mr. Henry's Method of Prayer, where the devout expressions of the holy men of God, in scripture, are ranged undera variety of heads or common places, suited to the several parts of prayer, and the different occasions of the christian life : On this occa- sion also I would' recommend Mr. Bennet's Christian Oratory, an excel- lent work ; and Mr. Murrey has given good examples of closet devotions on the principal heads of divinity in the expressions of scripture. But for me to have dwelt long on each devout sentiment, would have been inconsistent with my design in this book. It would be endless, to give a fall account of all the reasons that inclined me to frame and express the particular parts of every one of these composures, in the manner in which I have done it. There is scarce one word, in all these forms, which I have not set down, and reviewed with some care, and committed to the perusal of some of my friends. Yet after all my diligence and solicitude to serve the interests of religion, in the best manner I could, and to please all pious persons in this part of the education of their children, I foresee some scruples which will arise, a few of which it may notbe improper to relieve, -or at least to attempt it. Perhaps, some persons may object and say, That children should not be taught to use the words, Our God, our Father, our Saviour, lest it raise in thema notion of'theìr own personal interest in God and Christ, as their God, their Father, their Saviour, without due grounds, and before they have any thing of serious religion begun in their hearts. To this I answer there is a very good sense wherein these words our God, our Father, our Saviour, may be used without implying that peculiar interest in God or Christ, which belongs only to real inward christians. Is not God our God, and our common Father, as we are creatures and the works of his hands ? Is he not the God of the spirits of all flesh? as well as the Father of spirits? Num. xxvii. 19. Heb. xii. J. Is henot our God, whomwe own and adore by prayer andpraise, and all divine worship, inop- position to idols, and to the gods of other nations? Ps. cxv. 3. Is not God the Saviour of all mot, but especially, of those wits believe ? 1 Tim. iv. Ill. Was not Judas, among the rest of the apostles, taught to say, Our Father which art in heaven? Are not Moses and the prophets full of such express sinus ? Do they not tell all the nation of the Jews, that God is their Father and their God, their Saviour and Redeemer, though thousands of vicious
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=