Produced by Joshua Hutchinson and PG Distributed Proofreaders
"God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in time past untothe fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us byHis Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things."—Heb. i, l,
"Yes; so it was ere Jesus came—
Alternate then His Altar flame
Blazed up and died away,
And Silence took her torn with Song,
And Solitude with the fair throng
That owned the festal day;
For in earth's daily circuit then
Only one border
Reflected to the Seraphs' ken,
Heaven's light and order.
But now to the revolving sphere
We point and Say, No desert here,
No waste so dark and lone
But to the hour of sacrifice
Comes daily in its turn, and lies
In light beneath the Throne.
Each point of time, from morn till eve.
From eve to morning,
The shrine doth from the Spouse receive
Praise and adorning."—Lyra Innocentium.
In drawing up this little book, at the request of several friends, theAuthor has been chiefly guided by experience of what children require tobe told, in order to come to an intelligent perception of the scope ofthe Scripture narrative treated historically. Since a general view canhardly be obtained without brevity, many events have been omitted inthe earlier part, and those only touched upon which have a peculiarsignificance in tracing the gradual preparation for the work ofRedemption; and though one great object has been the illustration ofProphecy, the course of types has been passed over, lest the plainnarrative should be confused, since types are rather subjects ofdevotional contemplation than of history, and they should be perfectlycomprehended as facts, before being treated as allegorical.
The next portion is little save an abridgement from Prideaux'sConnexion, taken in connection with the conclusions drawn by moderndiscoveries, as detailed in Mr. G. Rawlinson's valuable edition ofHerodotus. It is hoped that by thus filling up the interval betweenthe New and Old Testaments, that children may thus be fairly able tounderstand what they read in the Gospels of the Roman dominion, therelation to Herod, the mutual hatred of the Pharisees and Sadducees, andthe enmity to the Samaritans.
The concluding lessons are offered with great diffidence, and with manydoubts whether the absence of detail may not prevent them from beingeasily remembered; but it has been felt important that the connection ofthe actual Church with that of the Apostles and Martyrs, should be madeevident to the general mind, and the present condition of the Churchaccounted for. The choice of subjects has been very difficult; but itis hoped that those selected may be those most needful to be known asevidence that our present Church has every claim to the promise of HimWho will abide with her for ever.
If older and more critical persons than those for whom the little workis intended should cast an eye over it, the author hopes that they willbear in mind how the need of being both brief and clear is apt to renderstatements apparently bolder, and sometimes harsher, than where there isroom for qualification or argument; and that they will not always accusethe work of unthinking boldness of assertion, wh