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…

Now if you have run into such a fault, call it to mind and repent of it, and know that how great soever the crime was, your crime was as great or greater in so beholding, Hams thus beholding his Fathers nakedness was worse then his Fathers discovering himself. And now I require you to make Ham your warning, do not as he did, but as your own consciences tell you that he should have done. Ask thy self if thou beest a reasonable man of any judgement, what should this son have done in such a case, should he not have turned away his eyes from looking on such a spectacle, should he not have sighed and mourned, and said, alas, alas, how hath this befallen my poor aged and godly Father, O how was he overtaken with wine that was never wont to exceed himself in food or the like. Should he not have prayed God to forgive him and have told himself in this wise, ah do thou learn O Ham, how weak a thing a man is, and how apt to fall into sin, that thy self mayest learn to be more watchful, and so have cast some garment over the old man to have saved him from further disgrace, if any other person might have had occasion to approach him: Sure you cannot but yield that Chams duty had been to have carried himself thus respectively and pitifully towards his Father, do you as duty bound him to do, not as lewdness and naughtiness prompted him to do. Mend his faults and imitate them not, be reformers and not followers of what was amiss in him: Commiserate the sins and falls of other men, chiefly Parents, Magistrates, Ministers, Aged men, and men of former godly conversation and of virtuous and religious carriage in other things: I say commiserate them, pray for them, lament their weakness and their slips, take notice of your own dangers and so wake your selves by their offences. But whosoever will contemplate such doleful sights with gladness and insultations, saying, Aha, aha, as David speaketh of his Adversaries, that man will collect boldness to sin and impenitency in sin, and a slighting of righteousness and righteous men from such offences, and so will stumble and fall and destroy himself against those blocks as they may be termed.

Now if you have runne into such a fault, call it to minde and repent of it, and know that how great soever the crime was, your crime was as great or greater in so beholding, Hams thus beholding his Fathers nakednesse was worse then his Fathers discovering himselfe. And now I require you to make Ham your warning, doe not as he did, but as your owne consciences tell you that he should have done. Aske thy selfe if thou beest a reasonable man of any judgement, what should this sonne have done in such a case, should he not have turned away his eyes from looking on such a spectacle, should he not have sighed and mourned, and said, alas, alas, how hath this befalne my poore aged and godly Father, O how was he overtaken with wine that was never wont to exceed himselfe in foode or the like. Should he not have prayed God to forgive him and have told himselfe in this wise, ah doe thou learne O Cham, how weake a thing a man is, and how apt to fall into sinne, that thy selfe maist learne to be more watchfull, and so have cast some garment over the old man to have saved him from further disgrace, if any other person might have had occasion to approach him: Sure you cannot but yeeld that Chams duty had beene to have carried himselfe thus respectively and pitifully towards his Father, doe you as duty bound him to doe, not as leudnesse and naughtinesse prompted him to doe. Mend his faults and imitate them not, be reformers and not followers of what was amisse in him: Commiserate the sinnes and falls of other men, chiefely Parents, Magistrates, Ministers, Aged men, and men of former godly conversation and of vertuous and religious carriage in other things: I say commiserate them, pray for them, lament their weakenesse and their slips, take notice of your owne dangers and so wake your selves by their offences. But whosoever will contemplate such dolefull sights with gladnesse and insultations, saying, Aha, aha, as David speaketh of his Adversaries, that man will collect boldnesse to sinne and impenitencie in sinne, and a sleighting of righteousnesse and righteous men from such offences, and so will stumble and fall and destroy himselfe against those blockes as they may be termed.