bare-chested woman holding a bow and arrow, with a speech bubble 
sigillum: gub: ET: SOCIET: DE: MATTACHVSETS: BAY: IN: NOVA: ANGLIA  COME: OVER: AND: HELP: us  
AT A COUNCIL Held at Boston, September the seventeenth 1675  
IT having pleased the HOLY GOD( all whose works are Truth, and his ways judgement) for our sins whereby he hath been provoked, in special by the under valuation of our pleasant things; great unthankfulness for, and manifold abuses of our wonderful peace, and the blessings of it in this good Land which the Lord-hath Given us; Ill entertainment of the Ministry of the precious Gospel of Peace: leaving our first Love, dealing falsely in the Covenant of the Lord our God: the apostasy of many from the Truth unto Heresies, and pernicious errors. Great Formality, Inordinate Affection, and sinful Conformity to this present evil vain World: and( beside many horrid and Scandalous Sins breaking forth among us, for which we have Cause to be greatly humbled before the Lord), our great unsensibleness of the displeasure of the Lord is suffering these abominations to be perpetrated, together with our Car●al Security, and unquietness under the judgements of God upon us, our abiding very much unreformed, notwithstanding all warnings, and Chastisements, whereby the Lord hath been, and is still debating with us; we having greatly Incensed him to stir up many Adversaries against us, not only abroad, but also at our own doors,( Causing the Heathen in this wilderness to be as thorns in our sides, who have formerly been, and might still b● a wall unto us therein; and others also to become a Scourge unto us) the Lord himself also more Immediately afflicting us by diseases whereof so many Children in some of our Towns have died this Summer. His not going forth with our Armies as in former times, but giving up many of our Brethren to the mouth of the devouring Sword, yea, showing himself angry with the Prayers of his people: threatening us also with Scarcity of Provision and other Calamities, Especially if this present war with the barbarous Heathen should continue; And that the Lord of Hosts himself withdraw not the Commission he hath given to the Sword and other Judgements to prevail against us;  
The governor and COUNCIL of this Jurisdiction therefore( being under the Sense of these evils; and also of the distressed state of the rest of the Colonies Confederate with ourselves, and of the Churches of Christ in other parts of the Christian World; in this day of trouble, rebukes, and Blasphemy: and fearing the sad Issue thereof, unless the Lord help us with our whole heart, and not feignedly, to turn unto himself) Do Appoint and Order the seventh day of the next month; to be a day of public Humiliation, with Fasting, and Prayer; throughout this whole Colony; that we may set ourselves sincerely to seek the Lord, rending our hearts, 〈…〉 our Garments before him, and purse the same with a through Reformation of wh●● 〈…〉, or is an Image of jealousy before the Lord to offend the eyes of his 〈…〉 Lord may turn from his fierce anger, that we perish not: We do thereso●● 〈…〉 ●●tants of this Jurisdiction to fo●bear Servile Labour upon that day, and 〈…〉 respectively to observe the same, as is Appointed.  
Py th 〈…〉 R●●son