PRAYERS

COMPOSED FOR THE USE AND IMITATION OF

CHILDREN,

SUITED TO THEIR DIFFERENT AGES AND THEIR VARIOUS OCCASIONS:

THE PREFACE.

I HOPE there is no need to make an apology for composing little prayers, in order to teach children this first and necessary part of practical religion.

As soon as they are capable of learning any thing concerning that great and glorious God, who created them, they are capable of being taught to address him in a way of prayer, for the good things they want, and to make their acknowledgments to him in a way of praise, for the daily blessings they receive. Yet our own experience teaches us, that in the younger years of life we are incapable of framing our own addresses to God, so as to honour him according to his perfections. We are not only unacquainted with our own various wants, but we are unable to express ourselves in any of the parts of prayer in a proper manner. Therefore such assistances as may be derived from forms and patterns of devotion, are necessary to lead children into the most early and easy practice of their duty. Our blessed Lord himself gave his disciples a form of prayer, when, in the younger years of their christianity, they desired him to teach them to pray; Luke xi. 2, 3. When ye pray, say, Our Father, &c.

I could never approve of confining persons, and binding them down to a constant set form of prescribed words, especially when they are capable of adding, leaving out, and altering a prayer with judgment and discretion, because the temper of our spirits, the occurrences of life, and our occasions of converse with God, are infinitely various: And it may be easily proved, that our Saviour never intended so to confine his disciples; yet I am persuaded there may have been a superstitious abhorrence of all forms of prayer, as though they were sinful on the one hand, as well as a superstitious fondness for them, and imposition of them, as though they were necessary on the other: For superstition consists in making that a sin, which God has not made so, as well as in making that necessary, which God has not appointed.

I verily believe that many persons, grown up to mature years, through an unreasonable prejudice and aversion to all forms of prayer from their childhood, have suffered some disadvantage in their private devotions; their spirits have been early contracted and

*Here it may be observed, that not only by the writers of the church of England, but by the protestant dissenters also, this is expressly called, "The Form of Prayer which Christ taught his Disciples." See "The Assembly's Lesser Catechism," answer ninety-ninth.

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bound up within too narrow a circle of pious thoughts, for want of those greater enlargements, which might have been attained by a prudent and pious use of books of devotion. There is an excellent improvement to be made of such religious composures, without confining ourselves to the whole matter, form and order, to all the words and syllables of those devotional writings. Many sentences may be changed, put in, or left out, according to various cases that occur in daily life; and patterns of prayer may be of considerable service, where they are not expressly used as forms of worship.

Among the most zealous writers against the imposition of liturgies and forms of prayer, I know not any one who has declared all forms to be unlawful. The reverend and learned Dr. Owen himself, who, perhaps, was as zealous as any man in this matter, has freely expressed himself in these words, viz. To compose and write forms of prayer, to be directive and doctrinal helps unto others as to the matter and method to be used in the right discharge of this duty, is lawful, and may in some cases be useful: And that, To read, consider, and meditate upon such written prayers, or to make use of expressions set down in them, where the hearts of those that read them are really affected, because they find their state and condition, their wants and desires declared in them, is not unlawful, but may be of good use unto some.

And as the private religion of some persons has suffered for want of such assistance, so I am well assured, that one reason why there are so many prayerless families in the nation, even where the governors of those families are truly religious, is because they find they are not capable, or have not courage to express themselves in morning and evening prayer, in the midst of their families, in a proper and edifying manner; and yet, through some mistaken principles in their education, they have been taught to abandon all the assistances they might derive from such religious composures. I would not willingly believe that any wise and pious person would abhor and censure all manner of forms of prayer when used in a pious and prudent way. What if the master of a family took some well-written prayers, as directive in the matter and method for the right discharge of this duty (as Dr. Owen expresses it), and made use of the expressions set down in them, where the state and condition, wants and desires, of his family were declared, and then added and altered, or omitted or enlarged, according to present occasions? I am sure this practice would be far better than to let families go on from year to year, without any prayer in them at all. I wish all serious minds would take this matter into further consideration.

But to pass this by at present: Let the case stand as it will with regard to grown persons, yet it is certain that most of the children, who have never been taught any little prayers in their younger years, grow up too far in life void of practical religion, and without a serious and particular acknowledgment of God, our Creator and our Saviour. It has been certainly the case of some children, and perhaps of multitudes, that they would fain have begun more early to address the great God in prayer, if they had known what to say. Whereas those who have been trained up in the use of