A Catechism for the Spiritual Food of Children (Puritan Writings Series)

Milk for Babes by John Cotton (also known as Spiritual Milk for Babes), a catechism for Christian children and youth, was first published in the 1640s and printed continuously for over 200 years. In a series of 64 questions and answers, it reviews sin and the law, the Ten Commandments, the role of the church, the nature of grace, the covenant, salvation, the sacraments, and the final judgment. It is annotated with 203 marginal biblical references on which Cotton based his assertion of fundamental Puritan creed. In its 13 small pages [in the original], Cotton's catechism covers the Reformed Protestant faith in simple, succinct, and eloquent language that came into general use and, eventually, into the subconscious of New England. The oldest surviving copy of Milk for Babes was published in London in 1646.