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.

In time of thunder, lightening, raging tempests, and vnseasonable weather, praie thus:

O Most wise & mightie God, thou art a glorious King in all the world; thy woonderfull maiestie doth shine and is knowne also by raine, thun∣dering, lightening, and other me∣teors ingendred in the aire. Thy throne is among the clouds, thou hast made darkenesse thy secrete place and thy pauilion about thee, euen darknesse of water, and clouds of the aire. At the brightnesse of thy presence the clouds doo passe awaie; so doo the haile-stones and firie coales. Thou dooest thunder from the heauens, and giuest thy voice; hailestones and coales of fire. Thou sendest thine arrowes, and scatterest them; thou increasest lightenings, and destroiest them. Who is so great a god as thou our God? Thou art the God which dooest woonders, and declarest thy pow∣er among the nations. Thou redeemest thy people with thine arme. The waters sawe thee, and were afraid; the depths trembled. The clouds powred out water, the aire thundered, and thine arrowes went abroad. The voice of thy thunder was heard round about the world, the earth trembled and shooke. The foundations of the earth shooke and were discouered, at thy rebuking, O Lord; at the blasting of the breath of thy nostrels.

Therefore shall the verie heauens extoll thy woon∣derous works, and the Saints set foorth thy truth in the congregation. For who is equall to thee in hea∣uen?

And who like thee among the sonnes of the gods? Thou art verie terrible in the assemblie of the saints, and to be reuerenced aboue all that are about thee. O Lord God of hosts, who is like vnto thee; which art a mightie Lord, and thy truth is about thee? Thou ru∣lest the raging of the sea, thou stillest the waues there∣of, when they doo arise. Thou onlie art of power to re∣solue into vapours the drops of the sea, by the heat of the sunne; thou takest the same vp being turned into airie substance, and againe turnest it into meere wa∣ter, and makest it to come powring downe vpon the face of the earth. Whatsoeuer thou wilt, thou dooest in heauen, and in earrh, and in the sea, and in all deepe places. With thy power thou madest the earth, with thy wisdome thou hast established the world, and with thy discretion stretchest out the heauens.

As soone as thou lettest thy voice be heard, the wa∣ters in the aire waxe fierce. Thou drawest vp the clouds from the ends of the earth, thou turnest the lightening into raine, and bringest foorth the wind out of thy treasures. Thou couerest the heauens with clouds, and preparest raine for the earth. Thou makest the grasse to growe vpon the mountaines, and proui∣dest herbs for the vse of man. Thou giuest to beasts their food, and to the yoong rauens that crie. Behold, so great art thou, that thou passest our knowledge; neither can the number of thy yeeres be searched out. When thou restrainest the drops of water, the raine powreth downe by the vapours thereof, and falleth abundantlie vpon man. Thou bringest foorth the winds out of thy treasures; that is, from thy secret places, where thou diddest hide them in great abun∣dance, that they might be readie at thy commande∣ment, and come foorth when thou thinkest good. Thou makest the clouds to labour to giue water to the earth, and scatterest the cloud of thy light; thou tur∣nest

it about by thy gouernement, that they may doo whatsoeuer thou commandest them vpon the whole world.

O God, mine hart is troubled verie sore, when I be∣hold the immoderate showers, and heare the terrible thunder: yea it forsaketh his place, when I heare the noise of thy voice, and the speech proceeding from thy mouth. O God, which rulest heauen and earth, I most humblie beseech thee, mercifullie to driue awaie, or at¦least to mitigate these mightie streames, and most ra∣ging tempests. Restraine the thunderbolts, and thy firie darts, that they hurt vs not. Keepe vs, and our nests, that we perish not through lightenings, nor be destroied by thy thunderclaps. Protect our houses and vs, that we be neither consumed by thy firie meteor, nor drowned by thy sudden floud. O mercifull God, raine not, I beseech thee, hailestones vpon the face of the earth; neither strike such as are in the fields, be they man or beast. Strike not thou therewith all the herbes of the feeld; neither breake thou, gratious Lord, the trees of our land. Destroie not our corne with hailestones, nor with hailestones smite thou our cattell, and deliuer our flocks from the thunderbolt. Cast not the feercenesse of thy wrath, anger, and dis∣pleasure vpon vs. Giue vs not hailestones for raine, neither flames of fire in our land; but of thy mercie conuert the thunder into gentle raine, whereby it may bring out fruit aboundantlie. Send not among vs either vntimelie or vntemperate showres, which be either noisome to the fruits, and bring the mil∣dew, or destroie the corne. Restraine in like sort the winds and violent tempests, that they bring none hurt, neither to vs or our goods, euen for Christes sake, our Lord and Sauiour,

Amen.