304 LOOK: OR, Tilt RIGnT 13SE OF REASON. yet the zealot perhaps knows little more Of them 'than he does of Shibboleth, or Zíiggaion, Selah. Judges xii. 6. Ps. ix. 16. Yet here I would lay down this caution, that Mere are se- veral objects of which we have not a clear and distinct idea, much less an adequate or comprehensive one, sand yet we cannot call the names of these things, words without ideas ; such are the infinity and eternity of God himself, the union of our awn soul and body, the union of the divine and human natures in Jesus Christ, the operation of the Holy Spirit on the mind of man, tie. These ought not to be called words without ideas, for there is sufficient evidence for the reality and certainty of the existence of their objects ; though there is some confusion in our clearest conceptions of them ; and our ideas of them, though imper- fect, are yet sufficient to converse about them, so far as we have need, and to determine so much as is necessary for our own faith and practice. II. Do not suppose that the natures or essences of things al- Ways d er from one another, as Much as their names do. 'There are various purposes in human life, for which we do put very differ- ent names on the same thing, or on things whose natures are near a-kin ; and thereby oftentimes, by making a new nominal species, we are ready to deceive ourselves with the idea of ano- ther real species of beings; and those, whose understandings are led away by the mere sound of words, fancy the nature of those things to be very ditlirent whose names are so, and judge of them accordingly. 1 may borrow a remarkable instance for my purpose `almost Out of every garden, which contains a variety of plants in it. Most or all plants agree in this, that they have a root, a stalk, leaves, buds, blossoms, and seeds ; but the gardener ranges them under very different names, as though they were really different kinds of beings, merely because of the different use and service to which they are applied by men ; as for instance, those plants whose roots are eaten, shall appropriate the name of roots to themselves ; such as carrots, turnips, radishes, &c. If the leaves are of-chief use to us, then we call them herbs; as sage, mint, thyme ; if the leaves are eaten raw they are termed sallad; As lettuce, purslain ; if boiled, they become pot- herbs; as spin - age, coheworts ; and some of those same plants which are pot -herbs in one family, are sallad in another. If the buds are made our food, they are called heads, or tops ; so cabbage heads,' heads of asparagus and artichoke. If the blossom be of most importance, we call it a flower ; such are daisies, tulips, and carnations, which are theme-re blossoms ofthose plants. Mite husker seedsare eaten, they are called the fruits of the ground; as peas, beans, straw- berries, &c. If any part of the plant be of known and common use to us in medicine, we call it a physical herb, as carduus,
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