Good Counsel To be had at a Cheap RATE.  
Wherein is contained many excellent matters which are very needful to be had in consideration amongst all sorts of people that are now living in England, Scotland, Wales and IRELAND.  
Note it well, and refuse not Good Counsel.  Rom. 11.33, 34. 
O the depth of the Riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out.  
For who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his Counsellor?  
Thou that to read this Title doth begin,  
Turn over leaf and see what is within.  
Printed for W. Gilbertson at the sign of the Bible in Gilt spur-street, 1663.   

To the READER.  

IF thou desirest good counsel for to learn,  
bestow some time this little Book to read,  
Here good from bad with ease you may discern,  
if in thy reading thou dost take good heed.  
This Book such excellent virtues doth contain,  
Hardly the like's in all the world again.   

It shows how first of all the world began,  
which wondrous matter is by Scripture proud,  
It shows why and wherefore the Lord made man  
and being made, how dearly God him loved;  
It shows of what man's soul was made at first,  
And how God breathed into the corpse of dust.   

Also good counsel here is laid up in store,  
of which most men are now in extreme need,  
Let every one make trial now therefore,  
the more you take the better you may speed.  
If friends and kinsfolks do forsake & ●eave thee,  
Good counsel is a friend will ne'er deceive thee.    

THE AUTHOR, To the READER.  
SPare not my Book,  
to tell what's to be done,  
Flatter no man  
but sound instruction give.  
Teach all men how  
Gods anger they may shun.  
And in a conscionable  
way to live,  
Speak truth to all  
there's no man will thee blame,  
But highly will commend thee  
for the same.   

Dear friends, the beginning of my Bo●k is of Matters concerning the beginning of the WORLD, which if you will be pleased to peruse, and take good notice of it, may through God's blessing yield and procure consolation to the soul, satisfaction to the mind, and comfort to the body: and thus it gins.  
IN the beginning GOD created the Heaven & the Earth Gen. 1.1. And the Earth was without Form, and void and Darkness was upon the face of the deep and th● 〈◊〉 GOD moved on the sac●●● the waters, and said, Let there be Light, and there was Light. And God saw the Light that it was good. And God divided the Light from the darkness. And God called the Light Day, and the Darkness he called Night, and the evening and the morning was the first day, no it follows in the fifth verse.  
The second day God made the firmament, and divided the waters from the dry Land, and he called the Firmament Heaven, as it is in the 8 verse of the same Chapter.  
The third day God having divided the water, God made the Earth, that it should bring forth Grass, and the Trees that they should b●ing forth fruit whose seed was in itself; and God saw that all that was done was good.  
The fourth Day God made the two great Luminaries or Lights, which are called the Sun and the Moon. The great Light he appointed to rule by day, and the lesser by night. He made the stars also, and placed them in the Firmament of heaven, to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day, and over the night, that it was good.  
The fifth day God made the fishes of the sea, the Fowls of the air; the Beasts of the earth, and every creeping worm and Creature, that was then upon the ground, and God saw that it was good, ver. 25. but all this while man was not yet made. Then God the Father said, as we may conceive, to God the Son and the Holy Ghost, Let us make man in our own Image, after our own likeness, Gen 1.26. and so uhen the sixth day God created man, in his own Image and likeness created he them M●le a●d Female.  
Moreover, when the Lord had made man in that goodly form and fashion of his own Likeness, he loved him, and took such affection to him, that he made him Lord and ruler over all that he had made before, both of the Fishes of the Sea, the Fowls of the Air, the Beasts of the field and the like. And thus dear friends, have I expressed the manner of the beginning of the world, according as it was set down by Moses the Penman of the holy Ghost.  
And now let us draw into consideration, to know wherefore God made man, why thus certainly it is to be believed, that as God made all other Creatures to serve and obey man, so he made man to obey his Lord and Master.  
Therefore my counsel is this, that every man and every Woman that is living and breathing upon the face of the Earth, may with unfeigned hearts, and with all reverence and humility lift up their hands and eyes toward heaven, where God's throne is, and render him thanks for the manifold and numberless gifts that he hath already bestowed upon us, and to praise his Name for the Blessings which we enjoy at this present time; and withal, to make our continu ● prayers and supplications unto the Lord God of heaven & earth, that he will never be unmindful of no, and let his blessings be part from us, while the Sun, Moon and Stars give light and ●ill the whole world shall be dissolved. Furthermore we are to consider, that when God created man, be form him of the dust of the earth, and breathed in his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul, Gen. 2.7.  
Here is a plain and cast rule whereby to know what the Soul of man is, for before that the LORD had breathed into him the breath of life, man was not said to be a living soul, but after God had breathed in him the breath of life, man became a living soul; by which we may assure ourselves, that the soul of man is the breath of God in part, another thing to be considered, felloweth, and th●s it is, When God created Man he made him two ears to hear, two eyes to see, two hands to work, two feet to walk, or go upon: but one Soul, and that Soul of man is of more value than ten thousand Worlds. Therefore my counsel is to every one that they have a great care of that precious jewel which is held at so high a rate; I mean the Soul of man, it is the breath of God, therefore keep it safe. It is that which preserves thy body's life, whilst thou liv'st on Earth; therefore use it well, it is that which our Lord and Saviour jesus Christ shed his most precious blood to save us; therefore take heed thou lose it not. In a word, the Soul is that part of man and woman that first goes to Heaven, if ever they come there; therefore remember what is said and bear it in mind unto your lives end.  
Thus having in small time laid open part of my great purposes, I will with speed break off from my former discourse, and hasten the finishing of the rest of my exercises, which is called, Good Counsel, which are several yet all very useful and necessary: I doubt not but that they will give good content to them that will either read or hear them: and first of all I shall begin with Conscience.  
A clear Conscience said to be a continual ●e●st and so indeed it may very well be called, and ten times happy is that man or woman, that hath got a convenient Room to entertain so good a Guest. He that enjoys a good Conscience, although he be péer in the eye of the world, he is rich in the sight of God. A good conscience may be compared with the chiefest jewels that can be spoken of in the world. It is like the Tree in Arabia, which is called Melt which Tree affords Food for the belly, Raiment for the back, and weapons of Defence for the body. It is li e the Noble pine Tree, which was never known to be rotten-hearted, although it be never so old, neither can any poisonous Wasp, nor venomous Spider come near it, nor can any Canker eating worm once come near it. The very leaves whereof continueth fresh and green both Summer and winter, so that the scorching heat of summer burns them not, nor can the piercing cold and nipping Frosts of winter do them any kind of harm. Again a good conscience is like that excellent Adamant stone, which is so hard that it will cut glass, whom neither stroke of hammer nor heat of fire can pierce or dissolve.  
To be brief, this good Conscience is like unto the bright shining splendour of the Sun when he is to full glory, whom no mortal eye is able to behold; so fare it exceeds all other Lights. On the other side an avid and corrupt conscience is over at war within itself, and can never be at rest sleeping or waking, it is always plodding to do mischief, always doubting what will follow, but never intending to amend. Dissimulation and greedy Desire are the Ringleader of his Enterprise. Wrath and Revenge are his Waiting-men. Pride and Malice are babes of his breeding, Sedition and Double dealing are the staves he walks by, which when they once begin to fall, he is like to have such a dangerous fall that he will be never able to recover.  
This evil and guilty conscience may be fitly compared to a Rotten hedge, placed on a piece of false hallow ground, which although it seems fair in the outside, the inside affords nothing but ugly Snakes, Toads, Adders, and such diperous Creatures which are ready every hour to eat, throw the very bowels of that Dam that gave them suck.  
Such a conscience had Pharaoh when he opposed himself against the Commandments of God and would not let the children of Israel pass, Exod. 5.2.  
Such a Conscience had Absalon, when he sought to destroy his own Father, Samuel 2 ●8.  
Such a conscience had Jezabell the Queen who for lucre sake and thirst of gain, bore false witness against her righteous Neighbour Naboth, as you may read in the first book of Kings 19.2.  
Such a Conscience hsd Judas, which after he had betrayed the Innocent went and hanged himself.  
And such a Conscience had the Rich glutton, which denied poor Lazarus the Crumbs that fell from his Table, and after, being in hell torments, cried out for one drop of water to cool his Tongue, Luke 16.  
By these Examples dear Friends, my counsel is, that you take notice, and in the Name of God the Father and the Son, and the holy Ghost, let every man strive to keep a good conscience: for Conscience is that Pilot that will divert you either to eternal bliss or everlasting destruction.  
The next matter that I am to put you in mind of, is to beware of Cursing, Swearing, and Blaspheming Gods holy Name.  
Our blessed Lord and Saviour jesus Christ in his New Testament, Gave us a new Commandement, which was to love one another, and withal, he gives us a strict charge to pray for our Enemies, and them that hate us. And furthermore he says. Bless them that curse you. But how many in these our times do we see that are willing to do good for evil: why surely the greater sort of people now a days will rather repay evil for good, then do good for evil, and will rather curs● their Friends, then pray for their Enemies: but the fruits of Cursing and Swearing are as followeth. A Curse proceeding out of the mouth of an ugly Creature, is like an Arrow shot against a plate of Steel, which having no power to enter, reboundeth back and woundeth him that shot it unto the very heart; and as for swearing, be that rays out a needless Gath, displeaseth God to please the Devil.  
Therefore dear Christians, my Counsel is to every one, That you forbear Cursing and Swearing, and all other  qualities whatsoever. And with the New Year begin a New Life. And as the days do wax every day longer than other, so let us Endeavour to be every day better and better, and let Pride be Exchanged into Humility, Envy into Love, and Covetousness into Bounty, and Wrath into Patience: and as you begin the year well, so I desire you to continue, For blessed are they that continue to the end.  
There are many, and too many that are now living, that never think of death, as may appear by their lives and conversations. Do we not see many Young men and others, given so much to Riot, that they spend that in their youth, which should keep them when they are old: Who having wasted all, and spent their whole patrimony, are afterwards glad to Feed with the Swine, like the prodigal child, Luke 15.  
My counsel therefore is this to all men, That they take Example by wise Joseph, who in the time of seven years' plenty, laid up in store for seven years of scarcity. By which means through the blessings of God, he preserved the life of his good old Father Jacob and the rest of his brethren, and many thousands more besides, which else had perished through want, as you may read in the book of Genesis.  
Patience is the gift of God, and Armour of Proof, He that can obtain this gift, is sufficiently armed against all the fiery darts and Trials, which the world, the Flesh, and the Devil can throw at him. But if the Armour of patience be wanting, he is a lost man. For no sooner comes the smallest blast of persecution that can be spoken of, but presently it pierceth through the very Brainpan of the Skull, and Rankles to the Heart and Reins, and at last it will destroy the whole body and endanger the Soul.  
Therefore my Counsel is, That you do make patience one of your chief companions, whether your company be many or few, and to follow the Apostles rule, who saith, Be ye patiented brethren until the coming of the Lord. James 5.4.  
There are many that are become Market-makers for the Devil; and withal persuades the simple sort of people, that there is no hell. Others there are that desire to know where hell is, but I think there's done desire to go thither.  
But this I am persuaded, That they that are most diligent to inquire for it, may the soon know where it is. The Lord in his mercy keep all good Christians from it.  
Is it not Impudent madness in People, to seek after such a place which was prepared for none but the Devil and his Angels, Matth. 13. And where there is nothing but weeping, and howling, and gnashing of teeth.  
Good Christians, my Counsel is, that you employ all the faculties of your Souls and Senses to seek after Heaven and Heavenly things, and remember the words of our Saviour, who saith, Seek, and ye shall find. To which place of endless joys, the Lord that made our Souls, receive and bring us to his everlasting Kingdom. Amen.  
FINIS.