Token for Children

A collection of true narratives from 17th-century England documenting the deaths of remarkably devout children. James Janeway, a Puritan minister, recorded the final words and bedside wisdom of boys and girls who died in grace, their innocent souls 'caught away to heaven' while still like 'flowers in the bud.' These are not morbid tales but testimonies to a faith that saw children's deaths as gathering rather than loss. The children speak with startling theological clarity about their readiness to meet God, offering comfort to grieving parents and serving as models of early piety. The language is archaic, the theology strict, the emotional weight immense. For readers interested in the history of childhood, Puritan spirituality, or how earlier generations processed the death of children through faith, this remains a singular document. It asks us to consider what it meant to see the very young as 'unfledged angels' temporarily sent before their families.