Divine and Moral Songs

The greatest part of this little book was composed several years ago, at the request of a friend who has been long engaged in the work of catechising a very great number of children of all kinds, and with abundant skill and success, so that you will find here nothing that savours of a party: the children of high and low degree, of the Church of England or Dissenters, baptized in infancy or not, may all join together in these songs. And as I have endeavoured to sink the language to the level of a child's understanding and yet to keep it, if possible, above contempt, so I have designed to profit all, if possible, and offend none. I hope the more general the sense is, these composures may be of the more universal use and service.