Page:A Treatise concerning the Use and Abuse of the Marriage Bed.djvu/315

 per; an Invader of Nature, and an Usurper of the Throne of Reason, that sets up for a Judge of Convenience, and a Judge of Right and Wrong, to which you have no more Claim than you have to judge of Truth and Religion.

all such Cases, it is but a just Enquiry to make here, What is this Custom derived from? And I am sure, in this Case, it must be answered, this Custom is begun in Crime; it is derived from an Offence; and, as is the Tree, such is the Fruit, offensive; for this Evil Tree cannot bring forth good Fruit; it derives from vitiated and corrupt Affections, heated Blood, and debauch'd suppress'd Reason.

Men gather Grapes of these Thorns? Can good come out of this Evil? Corrupt Appetite, unrestrained Will, break out in corrupt Actions, and continued in, grow up to corrupt Habits, and this we call Custom; when it is grown up to that Name, Custom, it immediately begins to Tyrannize, and make it self an Excuse for its own Errors. In a word, Men go on in a Custom, because it is a Custom; so it gets Years on its Side, and then 'tis called an old Custom, an antient Custom, which adds Veneration to it, and, at last, an immemorial Custom, or, as we vulgarly express it, a Custom, Time out of mind; which is sufficient to make a Law of it.

Corruption usurped upon Nature, and, turned into Custom, is the Thing we have to combat with in the Article before us, in which we have this lawful Plea to bring against it; (viz.) That Custom in Crime is just as much a Defence for it, as Antiquity, in Error, and is indeed the same thing; and so, in the Case