Second edition of The Good and Heavenly COUNSEL by Mrs. Grace Smith, published in 1712. The only recognized religious book by a Puritan woman in Colonial America. Original Edition transcribed by Reverend Samuel Treat, Graduate of 1669 Class of Harvard University. Reverend Treat paid a visit to his congregant, Mrs. Grace Smith, who was ninety-six. She had been his faithful congregant for almost forty years, yet he discovered she had an entirely different approach to the same verses he had taught. This book is a collection of the COUNSEL Grace Smith wanted to leave for her children. These are moral lessons with concern for their souls. She had written two poems, which still have merit, as well as twenty teachings with correlating biblical verses. Reverend Treat carefully chose his descriptive words for her. The Good and Heavenly COUNSEL Of that Eminent and Pious Matron, Mrs. GRACE SMITH Late Widow to Mr. RALPH SMITH Of Eastham in New England. He made his own dedication and commitment clear by his declaration: "Left as a perpetual Monitor to her Surviving Children; as it was taken from her own mouth a little before her death, by the Minister of that Town where she died." He then chose the biblical passage that sets the context for her teachings as the moral authority of a mother, as differentiated from that of a father. Prov 1.8 My Son, Hear the Instruction of thy Father and Forsake not the Law of thy Mother Reverend Treat understood the lessons of this aged, alert woman had a gentle, loving approach. This was quite different from the hell, fire and brimstone teachings that were customary from the ministers of the time. She was concerned about the souls of her children. She had the moral authority. Timothy Green was the preeminent publisher of his time. Thus The Good and Heavenly COUNSEL had the approval and dedication of Reverend Treat and Publisher Green, who were highly respected authorities. The careful transcription has been done by Lynn Keller, her tenth generation descendant. This is an important tome for American history, religion in America, women's studies, and Cape Cod lore. The teachings are as relevant today as they were three hundred years ago. Indeed, the authority of wise old women is often the missing voice in our society. A bright and alert 96 year old, Grace had the perspective of living through the entire first century of America. She was a respected member of the generation that forged our society. Having come to America in 1635, she knew the changes in her tightly knit community and through her own family. Many of her great-grandchildren were teenagers when she died in 1710. This book represents the religious viewpoint of the mothers who pass on their moral teachings from one generation to the next.
About the Author: Lynn Keller, a graduate of Cornell University, is a dedicated family historian with several recognized contributions to genealogical information. Lynn has spent years working on spiritual projects including applications of the Tree of Life in science, technology and human evaluative systems. As she was completing her manuscript on the "Feminine Aspect of God," she found Mrs. Grace Smith, her tenth generation ancestor, had the very moral authority she recognizes and respects. As she carefully transcribed the microfiche facsimile, she recognized Grace Smith was not only the sole voice of a Puritan woman. She is also the voice so often missing in contemporary society, that of wise old women.