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 fruitfull Praier, verie necessarie to be hartilie said at the appearing of monsters, and in anie earthquake, or other plagues, that God would turne awaie his ven∣geance hanging ouer vs for our sinnes.

OH Lord God, strong and mightie, great and dreadfull; which dwellest in the heauens, and workest great woonders: we thy miserable children here, prostrate vpon the earth, doo most humblie beseech thee to be mer∣cifull vnto vs, to pardon our offen∣ces, and to forgiue vs all our sinnes. O Lord enter not into iudgement with thy seruants; for if thou doo, there shall no flesh be saued in thy sight. We confesse and acknowledge, O Lord, that it is our sinnes which haue mooued thee to wrath, and to shew such fearefull tokens of thy displeasure towards vs in these our daies. First with fire from heauen, betoke∣ning thy hot burning indignation, and wrathfull dis∣pleasure for sinne, which aboundeth at this daie: and then with such horrible and monstrous shapes against nature, as it was neuer seene here in our daies, nor in anie time before vs; which betoken to vs none other thing, but thy plagues to come vpon vs, for our dege∣nerate and monstrous life and conuersation: and of late, by the strange & terrible earthquake that shooke, or rather that euen vomited vs with fearfull trem∣bling harts, and amazed spirits out of our houses, which we so shamefully haue polluted and defiled with our vile sinnes and wickednesse: and now last of all, by the long and great mortalitie, plague and pestilence,

thou doost & hast terribly threatened vs, fatherlie war∣ned vs, and mercifullie called vs to repentance. The axe is set to the roote of the tree, and if we be not as rotten members, without all sense and feeling, we may perceiue our fearefull destruction and desolation to be at hand, vnlesse we speedilie repent and turne to thee: bicause we haue beene so long taught out of thy most holie and sacred word, and yet no fruits of true repen∣tance or Christian life will appeare.

Wo and alas to these our daies, that neither prea∣ching by word most comfortable, nor preaching by monsters most ouglie, nor preaching by fire most strange, nor preaching by earthquakes most terrible, neither yet by plagues and pestilence most horrible, will stirre vp our stonie harts, and awake vs from our sinnes.

We feare, oh Lord, that the Turks, with all the rest of the vnbeleeuing will condemne vs in the last daie, which if they had beene so long instructed by the com∣fortable preaching of thy word, and sweete promises of thy Gospell; or thy woonders both in heauen and earth, which we haue seene, no doubt their righteous∣nes would haue shined at this day to our great shame and confusion. Thou hast no lesse warned vs, oh Lord, of thy fearefull displeasure, & heauie plagues at hand for our great wickednesse; than thou didst the Israe∣lits of the horrible destruction, which came vpon them, whom thou first in mercie didst call to repentance by the preaching of thy word: but when no warning would serue, thou didst send them monstrous and fear∣full signes and tokens, to declare that thy visitation was not farre off. But they, like vnto vs at this daie, did alwaies interpret these things after the imagina∣tion of their vaine harts, promising to themselues peace, when destruction was ouer their heads.

Which things, when we doo call to mind, (for as

much as they are written for our learning, example, & warning) it maketh vs to tremble and quake for feare of thy iust iudgments. For if thou hast thus dealt with thine owne deere and chosen children, in token of thy great wrath against sinne: what shall we looke for, who doo no lesse deserue thy fearfull scourge; (and of mercie it is, that thou dooest thus long forbeare vs:) but liue as though there were no God at all to be re∣uenged vpon our sinnes? It maketh vs to feare and crie unwardlie in our soules; Come Lord Iesu, holie and true in all thy dooings, and shorten our daies: bring this our pilgrimage to an end: suffer vs not to heape sinne vpon sinne vnto the daie of vengeance, least we be caught vp amongst the number of the wic∣ked and reprobate, which shall neuer see thy louing countenance.

It maketh vs to crie to thee, O Lord, let thy king∣dome come, and end this our sinfull life, wherein we doo nothing but prouoke thee to wrath. Correct vs not, O Lord, in thine indignation; neither chasten vs in thine heauie displeasure. And though to vs belongeth nothing but shame and confusion; though our offen∣ces haue deserued to be visited with the rod, and our sinnes with scourges: yet in mercie, Lord, and with fatherlie correction chasten vs; and thy louing kind∣nesse take not awaie from vs. To thee we flie for suc∣cour, vnder the wings of thy mercie shall be our re∣fuge, vntill thou turne thy wrathfull countenance from vs. We knowe that thy mercie is aboue all thy works, and euen as great as thy selfe: therefore will we saie with holie Iob; Though thou kill vs, yet we put our trust in thee.

Thou camest to comfort and plucke out of the dun∣geon of hell, such wretches as we are. Thou art the good Samaritane, that camest to heale our deadlie wounds. Thou art that good Physician, that camest to

cure our mortall infirmities. Thou art the good shep∣heard, that camest to seeke vs wandering & lost sheepe; and to bring vs to thy fold againe. And more than that, thou art our brother; flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bones; which hast tasted of our infirmities, felt our temptations, & borne the burden of our sinnes. There∣fore at thy hands we looke for mercie, against the daie of vengeance. And though thou punish vs, yet our hope is, and euer shall be, that thy rod shall no further touch vs, than shall make to thy glorie, our commoditie, and the strengthening and increase of our faith.

Let this thy preaching sundrie waies, O Lord, be sufficient for our warning: and grant that we may speedilie, and from the bottome of our harts repent, endeuour to doo thy righteous and blessed will reuea∣led in thy word; and frame our liues according to the same: that we may here liue in thy feare all the daies of our life, and after this our sinfull course is ended, may dwell with thee in thy blessed kingdome, through the death and merits of Iesus Christ our onelie redee∣mer,

Amen.