an higher, as a more eminent and emphatical Expreffion of their Regard, of their Zeal and Affection, and to give the greater Weight and Authority, by letting their Hands, by subscribing their Names, to them, that Pofterity, as well as the prefent Generation might fully know, might fully fee, the Senfe they had of this great, this ufeful, generous, diffusive, and extensive Charity. But, as no good Defign was ever fet on Foot without Oppofition, as nothing was ever propofed for the Public Good, but fome through Ignorance, Covetousness, or Pride, would be found to oppose it; fo this among the many good Designs for the Honour of God, the Advancement of Religion, and the Good of Mankind, has had its Enemies to struggle and contend with.' Infidelity, that used only to fneak in Corners, to lurk privately in Difguife, now pulls off her Mafk, and appears open and bare-faced: What fhe could not bring about by fecret Whispers, and artful Infinuations, fhe now endeavours to accomplish by open-Violence and Innovation. Confcious that you are a Bar in her Way, the raifes all her Force and Artillery against you, proudly difplaying the Banners of Satan, and bidding Defiance to all that is Sacred and Civil. But (bleffed be God!) by your wife and fleady Management her Defigns are fruftrated; and that the Charity-Schools, however obnoxious to Infidels and their Abetters, are, by all who truly wish well to their Country, ftill countenanced and encouraged; and that, notwithstanding the unfair, the ungenerous Treatment of thofe who fpare not A 3 Chril Chriftianity ittelf, they are happily continued wifely fupported, and fuccefsfully carried on, not to promote the Views of a Party, nor to infule the Notions of Bigotry, as thefe Gentlemen with their ufual Art and Sophiftry infinuate; but to promote the great Ends of Religion, to infule the Principles of Piety and Virtue into the Minds of our Youth, and to propagate, to enforce and recommend thofe holy Doctrines, thofe evangelical Truths, and divine Precepts, recorded in the facred Writings, particularly thofe of the New Teftament, which, to the Glory of God, you so pioufly, fo unweariedly inculcate, in Oppofition to Popery on the one Hand, and to Ignorance, Blafphemy, and Infidelity, on the other. Go on, therefore, Gentlemen, in your laudable, in your Chriftian Defign. You have the Wishes of all good Men, the Prayers of the Diftreffed, the Widow and the Fatherlefs, on your Side: But, above all, by perfevering in this ufetul, in this glorious Defign, you will have the Favour and Bleffing of Heaven, the Reward of thofe, who, after having converted many to Righteoufnefs, that is promoted the Glory of God, in a diffolute, profane, and wicked Age, fhall fhine as the Brightness of the Firmament, and as the Stars, for ever and ever: Which is the Prayer of, GENTLEMEN, cur fincere and hearty Well-wisher, HENRY DIXON. THE PREFACE. A XXXS the Knowledge of Letters is of great Importance to Men, both in their Civil and Religious Capacities; fo their Advances in it depend very much upon the firit Steps, and a right Inftruction of them in the initiatory Part of Reading. But we daily fee how much it is neglected or mifmanaged, while this weighty Affair is either committed to the Care and Direction of many, who, thro' Ignorance, are incapable of difcharging it; or, on account of the low Rewards, are difcouraged from attempting it. Thefe Confiderations induced me to draw up the following Inftructions, which, I humbly conceive are a more easy, natu ral, and regular Method of grounding Children in their English, than any I have met with. The great Objections to Books of this Nature, is, That they either abound with Niceties too high for the Apprehenfions of Children on one Hand, or Abfurdities too low or prepofterous on the other; That they either perplex Children, at their firft Entrance into Letters, with Diftinction of Vowels and Confonants, or with Syllables of no Signification, ufelefs to the Learner and foreign to the Method of Inftruction. To obviate which, I have referved the Difficulties relating to Vowels and Confonants till Children are more capable of thofe Diftinctions, till they have made fuch Advances as may be judged proper to prepare them for that Sort of Inftruction; and among the Words of one Syllable, after a few, very few, fhort Syllables, previous to my Defign, I have inferted fach Words as are ufeful and fignificant, fuch as are obvious to the Apprehenfions of Children, of which they can form fome Idea, and fuch as are proper to ground them in the Knowledge of our Tongue, and in the Doctrine of Letters. And here I would beg Leave to caution the Teacher against that ill Habit of Toning, Whining, or Canting, which Children: are apt to contract. Let me therefore defire you to guard against his Error, to fupprefs the firft Inclination that Way. Teach hem to pronounce their Letters and Words with great Exactnefs, audibly and diftin&tly, without any Stammering, or dif.. agreeable Tone, because both are apt to increafe and grow up with them. In the Chapter of Two Syllables I have omitted every Thing that has the leaft Appearance of Difficulty, and in the Tables exemplified the Rules of Spelling, being proper on all Occafions for the Learner to have recourfe to. The Variety of Exercises on this, as well as the fubfequent Chapters, will contribute much to the Children's Pleafure and Delight; it will make them advance in their Learning with greater Cheerfulnefs, and render the Inftruction of them more eafy to the Teacher. I might obferve feveral other Things from the Particulars contained in this Part of the Book, but, to avoid Tediousness, fhall refer them to the Reader; only this I defire, that, in the Praxis or Exercifes of each Chapter, he will confider how much I have been cramped, what Difficulties I have been at fo: Words of proper Meafure, and make thofe Allowances for the Confinement I have been under, and the Nature of the Thing calls for. The SECOND PART is defigned chiefly for Children of an higher Clafs, fuch as are able not only to spell and read, but to apply the Rules I have laid down. To fuck it would be of excellent Ufe to exercise themselves upon the Rules of Orthography, by fome little Compofitions of their own, or Tranfcripts out of good Books. Would they employ their Evenings in this Manner, it would be of admirable Ufe, not only to ground them in our Mother Tongue, but, what is of infinitely greater Concern, to inftruct them in the Knowledge and Practice of our holy Religion. Accordingly, I have, through the Whole, endeavoured to lay before, and prefs upon them the Principles of Religion; to fix in their Minds a Senfe of their Duty, and, by early Impreffions, to fortify them against the Corruptions of a degenerate Age; and, while I have been thes laying the Foundation of bare Letters, have endeavoured to ground them in what is infinitely more important, more worthy their Concern, and infinitely more conducive to their eternal Happiness. That God's Biefling may attend this Defign, and that Parents, Schoolmasters, and Children, may reap the Fruits of thefe Endeavours, is the Prayer of H. D. |