LESSONS and PRAYERS FITTED TO THE UNDERSTANDING O F LITTLE CHILDREN. Question. W HO made you? Q. Who gave you every thing you have? A. I must love God moft, and be a good child. Q. What will God do for you, if you love him moft, and be a good child? A. If I love God moft, and be a good child, then he will bless me, and give me every thing that is good for me: And when I die, he will take me to heaven, where I fhall have all the best things. B 4 Q. What Q. What will God do if you be naught? A. If I be naught, then God will not blefs me: And when I die, he will fend me to hell, where I fhall be tormented in fire. As foon as children can fpeak, their only Prayer is to Ask bleffing: which the Father and Mother ought to give Reverently Standing. If there be a Grandfather, or a Grandmother in the family, their bleffing ought to be ask'd first. As foon as thy children can be made to underftand any praying to God, teach them fuch short a. John iv. Thanksgiving and Prayer, as they can understand a, and fay heartily, fuch as thefe. 24. A Thanksgiving and Prayer for a little Child. I thank God for making me. I thank God for giving me every thing I have. I thank God for keeping me from hurt. I pray God bless me, and make me a good child. I pray God bless (my Grandfather, and my Grandmother, and) my Father, and my Mother, and my Brothers and Sifters, and every body. Or thus. My Father in heaven, I thank thee for making me. I thank thee, &c. I pray thee to bless me, and &c. As foon as thy children can be made fenfible that their faults difplease God, let them be carefully taught to be forry, and very forry for difpleafing God, their Beft Father. And teach them the anfwers to thefe queftions. Q. What Q. What must you do that God may forgive your faults? A. I must be very forry for difpleafing God, my Beft Father. And I muft tell all my faults to him with a fad heart, and beg of him to forgive me. And I must do all I can to be good. Q. What else muft you do that God may forgive you P " A. For my faults against my Father, or my Mo-Be not over ther, or against any body elfe, I muft ask them fcrupulous forgiveness. If I have ftollen any thing, I muft in triflesbring it again. If I have told a lie of any body, I' muft tell the truth. And I must forgive every. body that has done me any wrong. Q. When you have done all that God may forgive you, what must you do then? A. I must be fure that God will forgive me for b. Mark Jefus Chrift's fake b. Q. Who is Jefus e. As he is man. And he is God in heaven, and every where, as Great as his Father, Phil. ii. 5 to 12. Q. Why will God forgive you for Jefus Christ's fake? d. As he is man.. e: Matt. xxvi. 28.. f. Rom. viii. 34. Heb. vii. 25. A. Because Jefus Christ was kill'd d. for our faults, to fave us from God's anger e; and because he prays to God to forgive us and bless us f. When thy children have learn'd to be forry for difpleafing God, their Best Father; then let them before their Thanksgiving and Prayer, forrowfully confefs their faults to God. A Con xvi 15,16. Luke xxiv. 47: g. Matt. xv. 36. Als A Confeffion for a little Child. I have been a naughty child. I have (Here let bim confefs bis faults) I pray God forgive me, and help me to do fo no more. Or thus. My Father in heaven, I have been a naughty child. I have—I I pray thee forgive me, and help me to do so no more. And with his Thanksgiving let him fay, I thank thee most of all for giving thy own Son to be kill'd for our faults, to fave us; and for helping us to do what thou wilt have us do; and for bringing all that love thee to heaven. When they receive any particular bleffing, let them give thanks for it. And let them pray for any bleffing they want. Be fure let them understand, and be fenfible of every thing they speak to God. To this end, let children always ufe childrens language. By no means fuffer them to prate before God any thing that they do not understand, how common foever it be. The custom of the world is no excufe for fuch rudeness. As they know what they say, when they ask their Father or Mother for any things fo they may be taught to understand what they fay, when they pray or give thanks to God, Their Graces may be these. I thank God for our meat and drink g. After meat. I thank God for our (my) breakfast, dinner, fupper. Remember who it is that we speak to, when we pray. Therefore take care that both thy felf, and thy children, and thy fervants fpeak unto God with all Decency and Reverence. And abhor every thing that is otherwise. In the morning, when thou art drefs'd and wash'd, and the room where thou prayeft is set in as decent order as it may be; and in the evening, before thou art drowfie, or haft begun to undress thy felf, kneel Decently upon thy knees b, without b. Luke any thing under them, except there be a neceffity xxii. 41. for it. And humbly offer up thy Prayers to Almighty God. And fee that thy children and fervants do the fame: But withall take care, that thou and they be fit and prepared for Prayer i. See i. Heb. xii. 24 Question of the following Catechifm, and the 28, 29. Commandments 18, 19, 20 Questions. Such Leffons, and Prayers, and Graces, as are here for little children, may be taught to fuch ideots of any age, as have no more understanding than they. And the following Catechifm may be an Expofition of the Church Catechifm for the weakest fort of riper years, of vulgar understanding. All forts of little ones, whether in age or in understanding, have furely a right to the Commandment of our Saviour, Matt. xviii. 10. Take heed that ye defpife not one of these little ones. Therefore all fuch must be taught with all Diligence and Tenderness, all they are capable of learning and doing for the Service of God, and the Salvation of their Souls. |