Prototypes, or, The primary precedent presidents out of the book of Genesis showing, the…Prototypes, or, The primarie precedent presidents out of the booke of Genesis shewing, the…

Here we learn to take heed of drunkenness, and of all immodest ⟨p. 75⟩carriage, which being bad in case of drunkenness, must needs be worse when a man is sober and hath ability to consider better what he doth, and to refrain from such unseemly deeds. Brethren, if any of you have been drunken, if any have in his drink or otherwise perpetrated immodest and lewd acts, I beseech you learn of Noah to repent of it, and be assured that upon your repentance you shall find pardon. And I pray make not your souls bolder to persist in drunkenness, by abusing Noah's example, for he offended but once this way, and through weakness it may seem, in that being desirous to refresh himself after so long pensiveness in the flood, he was freer then was fit. Let not his once offending out of weakness make you bold to do the same sin 100 and 100 times, yea be you more careful to avoid that trespass which sped so ill with Noah. Drunkenness will make every man discover his nakedness, if not of body yet of mind. There is no crime so notorious, but the drunken man will cast himself into it, if occasion offer it self, as we may see also in Lot. Wherefore know ye that a good man may be overtaken through infirmity with some such gross sin, but he will not wallow in this mire, he will not allow himself in the practise of it, and give over himself to be drunk day by day, week by week. And as for these gross external acts of evil, you are to be so much more careful to avoid them, by how much God hath given you more power to forbear them, for a man hath power if he will to forbear drinking, and therefore if he do not leave this fault, it is because he will not, and the custom of sinning doth make the will so enthralled to evil that a man will needs do it, not needs must do it, whither he will or no, which is so far from excusing the fault, that it aggravates it exceedingly.

Here we learne to take heed of drunkennesse, and of all immodest ⟨p. 75⟩carriage, which being bad in case of drunkennesse, must needs be worse when a man is sober and hath ability to consider better what he doth, and to refraine from such unseemely deeds. Brethren, if any of you have beene drunken, if any have in his drinke or otherwise perpetrated immodest and leud acts, I beseech you learne of Noah to repent of it, and be assured that upon your repentance you shall finde pardon. And I pray make not your soules bolder to persist in drunkennesse, by abusing Noahs example, for he offended but once this way, and through weakenesse it may seeme, in that being desirous to refresh himselfe after so long pensivenesse in the floud, he was freer then was fit. Let not his once offending out of weaknesse make you bold to doe the same sinne 100 and 100 times, yea be you more carefull to avoid that trespasse which sped so ill with Noah. Drunkennesse will make every man discover his nakednesse, if not of body yet of minde. There is no crime so notorious, but the drunken man will cast himselfe into it, if occasion offer it selfe, as we may see also in Lot. Wherefore know yee that a good man may be overtaken through infirmity with some such grosse sinne, but he will not wallow in this mire, he will not allow himselfe in the practise of it, and give over himselfe to be drunk day by day, weeke by weeke. And as for these grosse externall acts of evill, you are to be so much more carefull to avoid them, by how much God hath given you more power to forbeare them, for a man hath power if he will to forbeare drinking, and therefore if he doe not leave this fault, it is because hee will not, and the custome of sinning doth make the will so inthralled to evill that a man will needs doe it, not needs must doe it, whither he will or no, which is so farre from excusing the fault, that it aggravates it exceedingly.