The monument of matrones conteining seuen seuerall lamps of virginitie, or distinct treatises; whereof the first fiue concerne praier and meditation: the other two last, precepts and examples, as the woorthie works partlie of men, partlie of women; compiled for the necessarie vse of both sexes out of the sacred Scriptures, and other approoued authors, by Thomas Bentley of Graies Inne student.

A verie deuout and effectuall praier vnto Christ, for mer∣cie and grace, to be hartilie said, and often vsed, espe∣ciallie when ye fast, or prepare your selfe to receiue the Communion.

O Lord Iesu Christ, Sonne of the li∣uing GOD, which being vpon the Crosse, with thine hands spred a∣broad, for the redemption of all mankind, didst drinke the most bit∣ter cup of thy passion, I beseech thee that thou wouldest vouchsafe to giue me helpe this daie (or night) and euer. Lo, I a poore wretch come vnto thee, which art rich; a sinner vnto thee that art mercifull: let mee not returne home contemned, and despised with no∣thing; I begin an hungred, let me not leaue off fa∣sting; I come vnto thee, as though I were famished, let me not go awaie vnfed. Although before I eate, I sigh and sorowe: yet after my sorowe, giue me some∣what to eate.

First of all, good Iesu, I acknowledge before thy

Maiestie mine vnrighteousnesse towards thee. Be∣hold, O Lord, I was conceiued in sinne, and borne in the same; and thou diddest wash them off from me, and sanctified me; but I afterward defiled my selfe with bigger, and more greeuous sinnes. For I was borne in sinne of necessitie, bicause I could be borne none other∣wise: but afterward I rolled my selfe willinglie in sinnes. Neuerthelesse, thou O Lord, being mindfull of thy pitie, diddest take me out of the house of my carnall father, and out of the tents of the vngodlie, and hast inspired me, and put me in mind to followe thee with the generation of them that seeke thy face, of them that walke in the right path of puritie; of them that abide and continue among the lillies of virginitie and chastitie, and of them that sit downe togither with thee at supper of most scarsitie and least excesse.

But I an vnkind wretch, forgetting so manie great benefits, after that I was entered into thy seruice, haue committed manie vnlawfull things. I did offend woonderfull vngratiouslie, dooing manie a foule sinne. And where I should of right haue amended mine euil life, and left my sinnes, I heaped sinnes vpon sinnes. And these be the euils, wherewith I (whom thou didst create after thine owne similitude and likenesse) haue dishonoured thee, O Lord, and haue spotted and defi∣led my selfe: namelie, with idolatrie, superstition, pride, vaine-glorie, couetousnesse, and other manie euils and foule vices, wherewith mine vnluckie soule is vexed, punished, torne, and destroied.

Behold, O Lord, mine vnrighteousnesse is gone ouer mine head, and is like a sore burden ouer heauie for me to beare: and except thou, whose propertie is euer to haue mercie, and to forgiue, doo laie vnder mee the right hand of thy Maiestie: I shall be constrained miserablie to sinke into the deepe, and be drownd. Giue heed, O Lord God, and behold, bicause thou art holie:

looke how mine enimie assaulteth me, saieng; GOD hath forsaken him, I will persecute him, and catch him, bicause there is no man that will deliuer him; but thou, Lord, how long? Turne againe and deliuer my soule, oh saue me for thy mercies sake.

Haue mercie vpon thy daughter, whom thou hast brought foorth with no small sorowe and paine, and bee not so intentiue vnto mine euilnesse, that thou forget thine owne goodnesse. What father is there, but hee will deliuer his child? Yea, and what father is there, that will not correct his child, and chasten it? But with the rod of pitie. Therefore, O Father and Lord, al∣though I be a sinner, yet can I not choose but bee thy daughter, bicause thou hast made me, yea and made me againe when I was mard with sinne. Repaire and amend me now euermore, O Lord; but first of all, I being mended and chastised as thy child, with thy gentle scourge, deliuer me to thy Sonne.

Can a mother forget the child she bare of hir womb? And surelie although she sometime be forgetfull, yet thou, O Father, hast promised not to forget vs. Behold I crie, and thou dooest not heare me; I am vexed with sorowe, and thou comfortest me not. What shall I saie? Or what shall I doo most wretched caitife that I am? I being desolate of so great comfort, am cast out trō the sight of thine eies. Wo be vnto me! From how great goodnesse into how great a mischiefe am I fallen? Whither purposed I to go? And whither am I come? Where am I? And where am I not? Whom did I labour to attaine vnto? And what euils haue I obteined? I sought for good things, and behold I haue found trouble, anguish, & care. Behold now I am in a most miserable case, euen in the state of death and damnation. For Iesus is not with me; my Iesus is departed from me: and surelie it were better for me to haue nothing at all, yea no being at all, than to bee

without Iesu. It is better not to liue, than to liue without life.

And thou, O Lord Iesu, where be thine old mercies? Wilt thou absent thy selfe for euer? Wilt thou bee angrie towards me a wretch for euermore? O be pa∣cified I beseech thee, and haue mercie vpon me! Be pa∣cified I saie, and turne not thy face awaie from me, which to the intent thou mightest redeeme me, didst not turne awaie thy face from them that rebuked thee, scorued thee, and spitted vpon thee. I confesse and acknowledge that I haue sinned, and my conscience deserueth damnation, and the penance that I am able to doo, is not sufficient to make amends for mine iniquitie: but sure and certaine I am that thy mercie exceedeth all offences that a man can doo.

Oh doo not I be seech thee, most pitifull Lord, write my heinous sinnes against me, that thou shouldest en∣ter into iudgement with thy seruant; but according to the multitude of thy mercies now haue mercie vpon me, and crosse and blot out all mine iniquities, before I depart hence, and shall be no more seene in this world. For else, wo be vnto me wretch that I am, when the daie of iudgement commeth, and the bookes of con∣sciences shall be laid wide open: when it shall be said of me, Lo, looke vpon this woman and hir works, how wicked she is, and abhominable they are. What shall I doo then, I saie, O Lord my God, when the heauens which I haue offended, shall reueale and shew foorth mine iniquitie; and the earth which I haue polluted, shall arise vp and testifie my manifold misdeeds against me? Behold, I shall be able alas to giue neuer a word to answere, but to stand in thy presence, trembling, quaking, vtterlie confounded, and holding downe my head for shame, as condemned also by the testimonie of mine owne giltie conscience, vnto eternall damnation.

Alas wretch that I am, what shall I saie? I will

crie vnto thee O Lord my God. Why am I consumed and fretted with holding my peace? But if I should speake, my greefe would not cease: and if I hold my peace, I shall be most bitterlie vexed within. Go to therefore O my soule, moorne and lament as a widowe for hir husband that she had in hir virginitie. Howle wretch and crie out with weeping, because thy spouse Christ hath forsaken thee. O caitiffe crie alowd in the eares of thy God, and saie, O God almightie, let not thine anger fall vpon me. Deale not with me after my sinnes, neither reward me after mine iniquities, because that if thou laie so much to my charge as is due for my sinnes, it is so much that I cannot receiue it; surelie Lord, my power is not able for to suffer or beare it.

Wherefore, O Lord, haue mercie vpon me, least I despaire: but in despairing I will take hart to me, and be somewhat comforted. For although I haue com∣mitted so much, that thou maist condemne me woorthi∣lie, yet thou hast not lost that, wherewith thou wast woont to saue sinners: neither dooest thou reioice at the destruction and losse of them that die. Yea to the in∣tent that dead men might liue, thou thy selfe didst die, and thy death did kill the death of sinne: and if they were reuiued againe, and did liue by thy death, I be∣seech thee let not me die now that thou liuest. Send downe thy hand and power from high, and deliuer me out of the hands of mine enimies, that they reioice not ouer me and saie, Let vs deuoure him.

Who euer, O good Iesu, needed to mistrust of thy mercie, which when we were thine enimies, didst re∣deeme vs with thy bloud, and reconciled vs vnto God? Behold therefore, I being hid vnder the shadowe of thy mercie, doo come vnto the throne of thy glorie, re∣quiring: and I doo runne crieng and knocking, vntill thou take pitie vpon me. For if thou didst call vs to

pardon and forgiuenesse before we laboured for par∣don, how soone shall we obtaine forgiuenesse when wee aske it? Doo not remember, O most bountifull Iesu, thy iustice towards a sinner; but thinke vpon thy libe∣ralitie and gentlenesse toward thy creature. Doo not remember thine anger toward the giltie, but remem∣ber thy pitie and mercie toward a wretch. Forget me, in that I proudlie did prouoke and mooue thee vnto wrath, and looke vpon a wretch that calleth vpon thee. For what is Iesus but a Sauiour? Therefore O good Iesu, for thine owne sake, arise and helpe me: and saie vnto my soule, I am thy health and thy safegard.

Thus I presume much, and am verie bold of thy goodnesse, O Lord, because thou dooest teach vs to aske, to seeke, and to knocke: wherfore, I being admonished by thy word, doo aske, seeke, and knocke. And thou O Lord, that commandest vs to aske, make mee able to receiue. Thou that giuest counsell to seeke, grant that I may finde. Thou that teachest vs to knocke, open to me when I knocke, and confirme me which am vn∣stable and wauering. Restore me that am lost, raise me that am dead: and vouchsafe to direct and gouerne in thy fauour, all my senses, my thoughts, and dooings, that from hencefoorth I may serue thee, I may liue to∣ward thee, and that I may commit my selfe vnto thee. I knowe, O my Lord, that through this that thou hast made me, I owe and am in debt vnto thee euen mine owne selfe: and because thou hast redeemed mee, and wast made man for my sake, for this I owe vnto thee more than my selfe. Lo, I haue no more, neither can I giue that which I haue vnto thee, without thee; but doo thou take me, and drawe me vnto thee, that I may be thine in following and louing thee, like as I am thine in condition and creation, which liuest and reignest one God in blessed Trinitie, worlds without end,

Amen.