32O PRRFACR. persons were among them, who bad no inward spiritual relation to God, as their God and Father or Saviour? From all which we may infer, that these appropriativewords, our God, our Father, and our Saviour, do not neces- sarily imply a personal interest in the special love of God, or the salvation of Christ, but a general relation to God as his creatures ; or a general relation to Christ as a part of mankind, whose nature he assumed, and whom he came to save; or as parts of a nation professing the one God and the religion of Christ. But here I would observe once for all, that wheresoever any word, ex- pression or sentence, is not agreeable to the taste or sentiment of parents or teachers, or not suitable to the case or circumstances of the child, it is a very easy matter with a pen to blot it out, and to put in what they please instead of it in the margin Or if what I have written may but encourage and ex- cite them to compose other and better prayers for their children, I have attained my end and shall rejoice in it. Another objection isthis, viz. That several of these prayers are too long for children to learn by heart, at those respective ages, for which these prayers are designed ; and if they use them in worship, they can do nothing but read them for a great while at least. Answer I. i had a desire to insert into the prayers of every day, most of the necessaryand important things of practical religion, that 1 could sup- pose children of those different ages might apprehend; and though I ever kept my designed brevity in my eye, yet this desire has drawn them to such a length : But I am well persuaded, that almost all children of those ages, with a moderate share of capacity, may be taught by degrees to retain those different prayers in their memory,. if they are first taught to understand them well. I confess, if they must learn them merely by rote, without any un- derstanding, that is a hard task indeed, and what I would never imposeupon any man, woman or child. It ishard work to learn any set ofwords without ameaning to them : And there is as little religion in it, as there is reason, though the words, with their proper meaning, may carry never so much reason and religionLin them. II. If some ot" the prayers for children and youth be too long, it is easy for the parent tostrike out the sentences which are less necessary, or to in- clude them in two brackets, thus [ I and let the child omit them. And thus also in the prayers for young persons, which I am sensible are too long, every one may leave out what they please, for they are supposed by this time, at least, to be capable in some measure of determining, what is most suitable to their presentsentiments and circumstances. But I answer thirdly, Where would be the crime of it, if children and youngpersons should read over the prayers, seriously, in a way 5f worship to God every morning and every night, while they are learning them, by heart? Must there not be a time to learn their prayers, though they were never so shod.. And why maynot the serious and solemn repetition of them, morning and evening, with their hearts lifted up to God, assist their memory to retain them the sooner? Must they be bound to rise every morning and he down every evening without any acknowledgment of God, till they can say a .prayer perfect without book? There may be some few memories so very feeble, that perhaps, at seven years old, they could hardly retain and repeat with constancy and perfection the young child's, or even the infant's prayers for morning and evening : And is this a sufficient reason why they should never pray to God, or praise him, till they arrive at that age ? Iam verily persuaded, that the youngest child, that can he instructed to understand these prayers, might hear the father or the mother read the sen- tences over one after another, and without offence to God, might religiously fepeát them after their parents, in ä solemn manner addressing themselves
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