arjiing from vicious Habits. 2 T t Firfl, To explain the nature of evil habits, S n x M. particularly the tendency of them, to render VIII. men indifpofed to moral goodnefs. I ima- give that attending to a particular inftance of this kind will give us a true notion of evil habits, fo far as to anfwer the prefent defign, as eafily as any method which can be taken for explaining them. The inftance I íhall mention is of pure habit, that is, the difpofi- tion to evil, though in fome very prevalent is no otherwife to be accounted for, than from mere cuflom ; it is that of profane (wearing, which we all know is fo cuftoma- ry with fome, nay, with great multitudes of men, that they do not, and themfelves fay they cannot, forbear it, in their common converfation. I fay, it is an inftance of pure habit, becaufe no reafon for it, nor induce. ment to it, can be allowed to have any foundation in nature. It is otherwife in fome vices; to intemperance, a very vicious ha- bit, there is a temptation in nature ; by im- moderate indulgence, the natural appetite is heightned and enflamed ; other vices alfo confi(l in excels, or they are, through cuf- tom, an overgrowth of natural affections and pallions : but to this there doth not ap- pear any tendency in the human conftitution. On the contrary, impiety or irreverence to P 2 the
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