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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
state_n	good_a	great_a	time_n	3,744	5	3.2616	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02487	A comparison betvveene the dayes of Purim and that of the Powder treason for the better continuance of the memory of it, and the stirring vp of mens affections to a more zealous observation thereof. Written by G.H. D.D.	Hakewill, George, 1578-1649.	1626 (1626)	STC 12615; ESTC S103633	13,103	40

vpon the wealth and strength of their faction both at home and abroad Some of them offering horses and armour others to contribute money to the summe of two thousand or three thousand pound a peece Neere about the time when the deadly blow should haue beene giuen were their prayers and processions made throw Christendome by these of that profession for the prospering of some great enterprise then a foot for the good of the Catholique cause Their side here at home was at the same time very daring insolent as looking out for the neere approach of some suddaine and great change in the state and I can neuer beleeue that they entred vpon such a businesse without the benediction of the Balaam of Rome Once we are sure they had consulted with their Wisards the Iesuites well practised in figure flinging too if they be not belied These by their skill had allotted out a day for the fortunate deliuery of that monsterous birth by these were the actors born in hād that the fact was not only lawfull but religious and meritorious And as Haman gott the Kings letters for the destruction of the Iewes so had one of them gotten his holinesse Briefes though at last supposing they would come to an ill market he made no vse of them but sacrificed them to Vulcan Besides these our Conspiratours had bound themselues with a strict and solemne oath by the sacred Trinity and the Sacrament to thē the strongest obligation not to disclose the proiect by word or Circumstance directly or indirectly nor to desist from the prosecution of it till they had effected it or leaue were granted them from their Confederates Lastly they had Wrought the Mine and when that would not serue the turne they had hired a sellar the powder was laid in to the quantity of thirty sixe barrells great barrs of iron and massy stones and billets being layd on the topp of the barrells thereby to make the noise more hideous and the breachthe more dangerous the day of execution was now come the howre approched the match was ready so that nothing was wāting but the presence of that Venerable assembly and the setting of fire to the powder But then euen then that great God of heauen and earth who commands all things therein they obey who setts boūds and barrs to the raging waues of the Sea saith vnto them hitherto shall yee goe and no farther stopped the course of these bloody proiectors and stayed their hands as he did the hand of Ahraham when it was now lifted vp for the sacrificing of his son Which that it was his doeing and his alone will manifestly appeare in the discouery and preuention of the plott which is my next point of Comparison For Hamans plott there needed no discouery it was not carried so close but that Mordecay had gotten a copy of the Kings letters and sent them to Ester which in truth was no hard matter to doe considering the decree was publiquely made knowne by proclamation through the Provinces but in the preuention of it and the working of their peace by turning the Kings heart towards them and against Haman therein the finger of God cleerely appeared For howbeit in the effecting thereof much was to be ascribed to the watchfullnes and wisdome of Mordecai and no lesse to the care and industry of Ester yet if we deuly obserue the admirable concurrence of Causes ordained falling in together for the composing of it we shall find that vndoubtedly God was therein the principall agent As first in Vashtaies remouall and Esters succeeding in her roome when shee poore wench of obscure parentage and a Iewish by nation had small reason to dreame of a Crowne Then in Mordecaies discouery of a foule conspiracy against the person of the King Then in the Kings calling for the Chronicles when he wanted sleepe and in falling vpon that place wherein Mordecaies discouery was recorded and lastly in making Haman who was then comming in to begg Mordecaies life a chiefe instrument in his reward and advancement for that seruice by this meanes were the Kings letters reuersed and contrary written The same hand which had signed a decree in the opinion both of them that granted and of them that procured it irrevocable became the buckler of their preseruation that no one haire of their heads might be touched All which considered might they not iustly cry out with Pharaohs magicicians digitus Dei est hic the finger of God is here yet surely was Gods speciall prouidence more apparantly manifested in the discouery and preuention of our powder plott Curse not the King saith Salòmon no not in thy thought for that which hath wings shall declare the matter It was a quill a peece of a wing that reuealed it till when not a feather sprang to giue any suspition A quill sett a worke no doubt by one of those that had bound themselues to secrecy by the oath before mentioned one who had he presumed it would haue taken that effect would rather haue bitten off those fingers that vsed it but he was perswaded no doubt that either the letter should neuer come to light or if it did it was so darkly penned that the reader should gather nothing but confused generalities from it And herein was the construction thereof made by his Maiesty not a little strange as himselfe to the honour of God opēly confessed that holding suspition to be the sicknesse of a tyrant and being for the most so bent vpon the other extreame as hee rather contemned all other advertisements and apprehentions of practises then any way entertained them he at this time was so farr contrary to himselfe as vpon the first view of the letter he did presently interpret some obscure phrases therein contrary to the ordinary Grammar construction of them to be meant of that horrible forme of blowing vp that sacred assembly with powder whereas had he construed those ambiguous words to any other danger no earthly prouision could haue preuented their vtter destruction Now lay all these together and then tell me whether wee haue not as great reason as those Iewes to confesse and professe digitus Dei est hic the finger of God is here And yet is there one very remarkable Circumstance behind to note out Gods miraculous preuentiō of the mischiefe and deliuerance of vs from the danger which hung ouer our heades aboue and beyond that of the Iewes God vntwisted as it were the threed of mischiefe spunne against them when they were humbled by captiuity and had also cast themselues downe by fasting and prayer sackcloth and ashes as the Niniuites did at the preaching of Ionas Queene Ester herselfe euen in the Kings pallace with her waiting ladies fasted and prayed three whole daies for the turning of the Kings heart vnto them the turning away of that imminent perill which was threatned from them Their humiliation and teares God beheld and accepted their prayers and

supplications hee heard and granted and yet herein it must be acknowledged that mercy was shewed them But alas that mercy towards vs farr exceeded this For the Lord wrought our deliuerance when we were so farr from sackcloth and ashes as we dreamed not of any danger approching but were rather puffed in pride and wantonnesse promising to our selues by the entrance of his maiesty and his royall issue a setled continuance of peace plenty and prosperity Euen then when wee were lulled a sleepe in the depth of security and yet our enormious sinnes were crying alowd in his eares for vengeance and vrging his Iustice to poure downe the full viols of his wrath vpon vs euen then did the eye of his speciall prouidence and mercy watch ouer vs and for vs and deliuered vs from the very brinke of the graue from the iawes of death which had opened her mouth wide to haue swallowed vs vp quicke Herein God setteth out his loue towards vs that while wee were yet sinners Christ died for vs saith the Apostle surely herein if euer God shewed the riches of his mercy towards vs that when wee were in the hight of our sinnes he so wonderously deliuered vs when wee had no will to desire much lesse meanes to deserue it And for our enemies their owne tongues as the Psalmist speakes or rather their owne penns made them fall insomuch as who so considereth ●t shall laugh them to scorne and all men that see it shall say this hath God done for they shall 〈◊〉 that it is his worke But yet much more if we consider the issue which is the next point of Cōparison the issue I meane as well in regard of the end of the Conspiratours as the consequences of the Conspiracyes had they taken effect Touching the end of the Conspiratours for Haman himselfe wee know he 〈◊〉 on the same gibbet that he prouided for Mordecai as Catesby the first inuenter of the powder treason was scortcht and 〈◊〉 and likely to haue beene slaine by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 about the time that they intended the acting of their plott Hamans sonnes went the same way that their Father did before thē Garnet the ghostly Father of these powder men went the same way his sonnes had gone before him The end of them all being a like Vpon the same day that the innocent bloud of the Iewes should haue beene poured out by their Enimies and the friends of Haman the Iewes slew of them thorowout Assuerus his dominions and in Susan the Imperiall Citty seuenty sixe thousand And I haue often wondred that the people of this land vpon the first discouery of this damnable Conspiracie being knowne to be vndertaken wholly by Romish Catholiques and for the advancement of the Catholique cause had not violently run vpon the knowne professors of that religion But that God restrained both their hearts their hands that our mercy might remaine as an argument of the goodnesse of our religion as their Cruelty shall to the Worlds end of the badnesse of theirs It was a short but a sufficient answere returned by a Professor of ours to one of theires demaunding what reason he had not to bee of their religion why quoth he because you eate your God and kill your King And as their cruelty is a sufficient reason to keepe vs from them so me thinkes it should worke somewhat specially this most bloudy and barbarous conspiracy to bring them to vs. Wee reade in the last verse of the eight chapter of this booke of Ester that when the people of the land saw the vnexpected downefall of Haman and his adherents and the wonderfull deliuerance of the Iewes many of them became Iewes that is made themselues Proselites conforming themselues to the Iewish religion And I haue many times not a little marueiled that the manifest detection and knowledge of this foule Conspiracy had not turned the hearts of many Romish Catholiques to our profession But againe when I call to minde that of our Apostle Because they receaued not the loue of the truth that they might be saued God shall send them strong delusions that they should beleeue lies I cannot but therein acknowledge the iust iudgement of God in their Wilfull obstinacy Now for the consequences of these conspiracies had that of Haman taken effect it would doubtlesse haue beene very grieuious to behold but worse to feele the children should haue beene slaine in their Parents sight the poore infants haue beene drawn from their mothers breasts and dasht against the stones It must needs haue giuen a great blow and a deepe wound to the Church of God yet not so deepe but the body of the Iewish nation and the life of their religion the state of their gouernment would still haue beene preserued there being at that tyme a great number of that people liuing in their owne countrey of Iudea But if this of ours had taken effect Lord what a marueilous confusion must needes haue suddainely followed through out the whole kingdome both in religion and ciuill gouernment as well in Church as state affaires what bitter outcries and lamentation what sheeding of teares and wringing of hands in euery quarter of the land sonnes and daughters mourning for their slaughtered fathers fathers and mothers for their sonnes brothers and sisters for their brothers wiues for their husbands and seruants for their masters that such masters such husbands such brothers such sonnes such fathers as were both for nobility in bloud ability in estate and sufficiency in wisdome the pict choice men of the land of whom they could neither take their leaues aliue nor interr their bodies being dead It is precisely noted in the ●●ve of the eighteenth and ninteenth chapters of the booke of Iudges that in those daies there was no King in Israell and thereupon follow those abominable outrages there after recorded What then was our case like to haue beene when wee should haue had neither King nor Queene neither Prince for this present King they intended presently vpon the blow to haue made away nor great officer of the Kingdome nor Counsellor of state nor Bishop nor Iudge what publique exercise of religion what administration of Iustice could any where haue taken place what cutting of throats what rifling what rauishing should wee haue seene in euery corner by rogues ruffians without any check or controll Wee should neither haue lyen quietly in our beds nor haue sate quietly at our tables nor haue walked quietly in our streets nor haue trauelled quietly in our waies much lesse haue mett quietly in our temples but euery place would haue beene full of feare and danger and horror and bloud and surely I am perswaded that in such a generall confusion of all things the Cōspirators themselues could not haue promised security to their owne goods and houses to their owne sonnes and daughters to their owne wiues and persons and if this should haue beene our case in the countrey what would