-3CSSAY III- 445 should avoid as much as we can, by confining words to a parti- cular sense. Now let us consider what is the filth or defilement of sin. The filthiness, pollution, or defilement of sin, which is so fre- quently mentioned in scripture, is not any third thing really distinct from the two forementioned evils of sin, vid. tie guilt of it, and the disorderly nature of it, that is, the relative and the real evil : Defilement is only a metaphor used by the Spirit of God sometimes to express one of these, viz. the legal guilt, but much more frequently to signifythe other, viz. the criminal dis- order ; even as the word sin itself is used to denote both the re. dative and the real evil of it, viz. the legal guilt, and the moral or criminal disorder. The words defilement and pollution, are mere figures bor- rowed from things of the body, and applied to the soul, which is a spirit, and which in a strict and proper sense cannot be de- filed. A body is said to be defiled, when it has something of a baser nature mingled withit or cast upon it, or when a body is so tainted and corrupted, that it becomes offensive to our senses : and this bodily filth many times is removed by passing through the water,' or through the fire, whereby the body attains its pri- mitive purity either in whole or in part. Now because there are * Here let it be observed, that languages are at first formed by the bulk of mankind, whohave not any great solicitude to secure the sense of each word, and confine it to one proper idea : and when different ideas approach near so one another, the same word is often used by them for two or three ideas, especi- ally since mankind bath many more ideas than there are words in any language whatsoeverto represent or signify them. And hereby it happens, that ideas run- ning into one another by so near an approximation, the words that signify them, though they might be at firstdifferent, yet by degrees they run into one another's meaning, and bring much confusion into our conception of things. The words guilt, sin, demerit, are instances of this. Let it be added also, that the figurative and metaphorical way, of speaking is introduced into any language, by endea- vouring to describe spiritual ideas by some resemblance to sensible and corporeal things. And though this may give a brightness and force, beauty and sensibility to the expression, where the ideas are perfectly known, yet it is tow often in dan- ger of introducing some mistake and error into the minds of those who after- ward heard and read it. The words filth andpollution, Soc. will evidence this. If you ask, why this sort of language, with its various defects and dangers of mistake, is made use of by the sacred writers inscripture, the answer is 'obvious : The scripturewas written for the bulk of mankind, who are not called to enter into accuracies and nice punctilios, and therefore it must speak their language, that it may be the better understood by them, how imperfect and ambiguous soccer it may happen to be. And besides, as the use of figures and metaphors brightensand aggrandizes the things they represent, so the holy writers saw it necessary to represent their important ideas in the brightestand strongest images, and figures, and sensibilities, to strike the minds of the people with their great importance. And this was the custom also of eastern writers. Therefore in ex- plaioing,the scriptures, as well as other writings, in a clear and distinct manner, Hive would speak more exactly and accurately concerning, things, and guard against every mistake in a critical and distinct explication of them, we should endeavour to keep the same ideas to the same words as far as ever we can ; and having distinguished the different senses in which a word bath been Used, we should confine, as far as possible, one ward to one meaning, or idea only.
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