AT A GENERAL COURT HELD AT Boston in New-England The second Day of October 1678.
IT having been presented and recommended unto this Court by the Commissioners of the united Colonies at their late Session at Hartford in September last, that the said Colonies might agree together to prostrate themselves joyntly before God for the obteining of the Lords gratious expression of himself unto, and continuance with us, as in the following Particulars by them is signified, viz.
1. That we may be suitably affected with, and humbled under all the many tokens of his great anger kindled against us.
2. That he will freely pardon all our manifold provocations, be reconciled to us, and heal our Land.
3. That as he was present with the blessed Generation of his pretious ones, the Leaders of his people into, and in this Wilderness, and did hear them when in their distresses they cried unto him: So he will still please to dwell in the middest of us, and not forsake us.
4. That he will not take away his holy Gospel, and if it be his good will, yet to continue our liberties Civil and Ecclesiastical to us, and to our Children after us.
5. That a Spirit of Conversion may be poured out upon our Children, that they may give up themselves and their Seed after them to be the Lords, willingly subjecting themselves to all his holy Rules and Government in his house.
6. That in our now low Estate (in very many respects obvious to all serious Spirits, whose eyes are open) his tender mercies may speedily prevent us.
This Court having a sense of the necessity of that duty of Humiliation and that they may joyn with the Neighbour Churches of the several Colonies to pour forth strong and unanimous cries unto God for the obteining of his Grace and Favour, accordingly trusting in his mercy, that in the things which we are agreed to [...] according to his will, he will gratiously hear, and be propitious to his Servants; Do accordingly appoint Thursday, the one and twentieth day of November next, being the day agreed upon to be solemnly kept as a day of Fasting and Prayer in all the Churches and Congregations throughout this Jurisdiction, strictly Inhibiting all servile labour by any of the Inhabitants of the Colony on that day.