CHAPTER VI. 361 eí£ects or circumstances of that object which do sufficiently dis- tineuisli it from other objects: as if I were to tell what I mean by the word air, I may say, it is that thin matter which we .breathe in and'breathe out continually;. or it is that fluid body in Which. the birds fly a little above the earth.; or it is that invisible matter which fills all places near the earth, or which immediately encompasses the globe of earth and water. So if I would tell what I mean by light, I would say it is that Medium whereby we see the colours and shapes of things ; or it is that which distinguishes the day from the night. If I were aiked what I mean by religion, 1 would answer, it is it collection of all our duties to God, if taken in a strict and limited sense ; but if taken in a large sense, it is a collection all our duties both to God and man. These are called the defi- nitions of the name. ?Dote, In defining the name there is no necessity that we should be acquainted with the intimate essence or nature of the thing; for any manner of description that will but sufficiently acquaint, another person what we mean by such a word, is a sufficient definition ffr the name. And on this account, a syno- nymous word, or a mere negation of the contrary, a translation of the Word into another tongue, or a grammatical explication of it, is sometimes sufficient for this purpose; as if one would know what I mean by a sphere, I tell him it is a globe ; if he he ask what is a triangle, it is that which has three angles ; or an oval is that which has the shape of an egg. Dark is that which has no light ; asthma is a difficulty of breathing ; a diaphoretic medicine, or a sudorific, is something that will provoke sweating ; and an insolvent, is a man that cannot pay his debts, Since it is the design ofLogic, not only to assist us in learn- ing but in teaching also, it is necessary that we should be fur- nished with some particular directions relating to the definition of naines, both in teaching and learning. SECT. III. Directions "concerning the Definition of Names. Direction I. Have a care of making use of mere words, instead of ideas, that is, such words as have no meaning, no definition belonging to them : do not always imagine that there are ideas wheresoever there are names for though mankind hath so many millions of ideas, more than they have names, yet so foolish and lavish are we, that too often we use some words in mere waste, and have no ideas for them:; or at least, our ideas are so exceedingly. shattered and confused, broken and blended, various and unsettled, that they can signify nothing toward, the improvement of the understanding, You will find a great deal of reason for this remark, if you read" the Popish Scitoolnteo; or the Mystic Divines.
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