My dear Children, when Pharaoh could not hinder the people of God from going to serve the Lord in the Wilderness, he still objected against their therein having the company of, their little Ones; this is the desire, this the design which the Devil, is here with great fury managing; that so he may have his long enjoyed America, all return into his bloody hands. But you have now before you, some of our cares to engage our Little Ones with us, in the Service of our God; O that the Little Ones among us, might become greatly solicitous, to know the God of our Fathers, and serve Him with a perfect hearts, and a willing mind. It raised surely some Agony in the mind of David, when there befell him the disaster, whereof he afterwards gave that Report, Thy Servant kept his Fathers Sheep, and there came a Lion and took a Lamb out of the Flock. In like manner, when I understand that any of you are ignorant, or naughty and vicious Children, methinks I see the horrid Lions of Hell, fetching some of my poor Lambs away, and how shall I answer it, if I do not go out after them! The following pages are some of my Essays to pluck you out of your Eternal Perdition; and I hope you will read them seriously, frequently, very profitably. I have personally with more private ⟨p. 93⟩Addresses, notwithstanding the toil of my public Employments, treated with many scores of you; I have seen the tears, and heard the vows, with which many of you have declared, That you would be the Servants of God as long as you live; and I shall be a witness against you, if after this you be of them who draw back. But I do now before all the world, renew my Applications to you for your early Repentance and Obedience. Hence as I have studied in a Sermon to touch your Affections, I have laboured also to help your Understandings, by a Scriptural Catechism, annexed thereunto; and tho' I am far from not encouraging any of you to prize and learn those, excellent Catechisms which are now commonly used among us; yet I was willing to offer you one more, because it pretends to these few little Singularities.
My dear Children, when Pharaoh could not hinder the people of God from going to serve the Lord in the Wilderness, he still objected against their therein having the company of, their little Ones; this is the desire, this the design which the Devil, is here with great fury managing; that so he may have his long enjoyed America, all return into his bloody hands. But you have now before you, some of our cares to engage our Little Ones with us, in the Service of our God; O that the Little Ones among us, might become greatly solicitous, to know the God of our Fathers, and serve Him with a perfect hearts, and a willing mind. It raised surely some Agony in the mind of David, when there befell him the disaster, whereof he afterwards gave that Report, Thy Servant kept his Fathers Sheep, and there came a Lion and took a Lamb out of the Flock. In like manner, when I understand that any of you are ignorant, or naughty and vicious Children, methinks I see the horrid Lions of Hell, fetching some of my poor Lambs away, and how shall I answer it, if I do not go out after them! The following pages are some of my Essays to pluck you out of your Eternal Perdition; and I hope you will read them seriously, frequently, very profitably. I have personally with more private ⟨p. 93⟩Addresses, notwithstanding the toyl of my public Employments, treated with many scores of you; I have seen the tears, and heard the vows, with which many of you have declared, That you would be the Servants of God as long as you live; and I shall be a witness against you, if after this you be of them who draw back. But I do now before all the world, renew my Applications to you for your early Repentance and Obedience. Hence as I have studied in a Sermon to touch your Affections, I have laboured also to help your Understandings, by a Scriptural Catechism, annexed thereunto; and tho' I am far from not encouraging any of you to prize and learn those, excellent Catechisms which are now commonly used among us; yet I was willing to offer you one more, because it pretends to these few little Singularities.
