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The
Massachusetts State Seal is an Appeal for Help from God Massachusetts has the oldest functioning constitution in the world. Few places in this country can boast of the heritage that we enjoy in this state. Yet most citizens are unaware of exactly what that heritage is, and even the very purpose why this area was originally settled. One of the best ways of discovering more about it is to examine our Great Seal and Flag.  The Great Seal most of us are familiar with was designed a little over 100 years ago by Edmund Garrett. It has an Indian with bow in one hand and a single arrow in the other with the point down. Some have speculated that perhaps it is a rendering of Samoset, the native American who helped the Pilgrims. What most people do not realize is that the current Great Seal is based on the original Seal from 1629 --- the very first such signet in North America. In the original, there is one very significant difference. The 1629 version had words coming out of the Native American’s mouth. They were: “Come over here and help us.” Most people today who are steeped in the politically correct culture of our day will take a superficial glance at that fact and chock it up to the European paternalism of the day. However, it is much deeper than that. If you go through the Bible, you will find those same words uttered in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul was in Asia Minor, speaking in the cities as he went. It is recorded in the book of Acts 16:9, that Paul 
had a vision which changed the course of his life.
In thes vision he saw a man of Macedonia (Greece) saying “Come Over
here and Help us”. Paul immediately understood that this meant
he was supposed to preach the Gospel over there, so he embarked on a ship
headed west, to the continent of Europe.
Thus began the conversion of Europe. This symbolism was very important to the Pilgrims and other early settlers to this state. They were natives of Europe, but had a vision to go west and win an entire continent for Christ, in similar fashion to the Apostle Paul. They were gripped by the idea that God wanted them also to sail west to a foreign continent to bring the Gospel to a land that was yet unconverted, and establish a righteous nation. They saw their voyage as an answer to the heart prayer of those already on this continent. The Mayflower Compact begins thus: “Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a voyage...”. The primary aim for the founding of Massachusetts was to establish a society based on Godly principles, and to win the unconverted to Christ. When the Massachusetts Bay Colony was established, they stated in their charter that the conversion of the population was the “principal end of this plantation”. Consequently, the Native American uttering those words “Come over and Help us” is the only imagery which really encapsulates why the state was founded. Things, of course, are somewhat different today. We are not zealously trying to convert Native Americans. We are not trying to insert biblical injunctions into our law books. Yet there is something particularly tragic in the events that happened here over the last three years concerning the definition of marriage. The legislature broke the law and killed a legitimate ballot question which came from the citizens. The judiciary violated the constitution by legislating from the bench. And the executive largely ignored the whole thing. We have more than our fair share of wrongs that must be righted. Along that vein, it is fitting that we draw upon the imagery of the original Great Seal once again, with the man pleading to “Come over here and help us.” In this case, we are not in need of missionaries to come over from without, but people to pray for our predicament. We believe that with the sincere prayers of individuals across the country, and an investment of time made in raising peoples’ awareness, same-sex marriage will be vacated. Will you, like Paul, and the Pilgrims who originally settled here, answer the call? EditRegion3 |
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