complex, beyond all the words that are invented in any language; thence it becomes almoft neceffary that one name fhould fignify feveral things. Let us but consider the two colours of yellow and blue, if they are mingled together in any considerable proportion, they make a green: Now there may be infinite differences of the proportions in the mixture of yellow and blue; and yet we have only these three words, yellow, blue, and green, to signify all of them, at least by one fingle term.

When I use the word fhore, I may intend thereby a coaft of land near the fea, or a drain to carry off water, or a prop to fupport a building; and by the found of the word porter, who can tell whether I mean a man who bears burdens, or a fervant who waits at a nobleman's gate? the world is fruitful in the invention of utenfils of life, and new characters and offices of men, yet names entirely new are seldom invented; therefore old names are almoft neceffarily used to fignify new things, which may occafion much confusion and error in the receiving and communicating of knowledge.

Give me leave to propofe one fingle inftance, wherein all thofe notes fhall be remarkably exemplified. It is the word bifhop, which in French is called evêque; upon which I would make these feveral observations. (1) That there is no natural connection between the facred office hereby fignified, and the letters or found which fignify this office; for both thefe words evêque and bifhop fignify the fame office, though there is not one letter alike in them; nor have the letters which compofe the English or the French word any thing facred belonging to them, more than the letters that compofe the words king or foldier. (2.) If the meaning of a word could be learned by its derivation or etymology, yet the original derivation of words is oftentimes very dark and unfearchable; for who would imagine that each of these words are derived from the Latin epifcopus, or the Greek EPISCOPOS? Yet in this inftance we happen to know certainly the true derivation; the French being anciently writ evefque, is borrowed from the first part of the Latin word; and the old English bifcop from the middle of it. (3.) The

original Greek word fignifies an overlooker, or one who ftands higher than his fellows and overlooks them; it is a compound word, that primarily fignifies fenfible ideas, tranflated to fignify or include feveral moral or intellectual ideas; therefore all will grant that the nature of the office can be never known by the mere found or fenfe of the word overlooker. (4) I add farther, the word bishop or epifcopus, even when it is thus tranflated from a fenfible idea, to include several intellectual ideas, may yet equally fignify an overseer of the poor; an infpector of the customs; a furveyor of the highways; a fupervifor of the excife, &c. But by the consent of men, and the language of fcripture, it is appropriated to fignify a facred office in the church.. (5.) This very idea and name, thus tranflated from things fenfible, to fignify a fpiritual and facred thing,. contains but one property of it, (viz.) one that has an overfight, or care over others; but it does not tell us. whether it includes a care over one church, or many; over the laity, or the clergy. (6.) Thence it follows, that those who in the complex idea of the word bishop include an overfight over the clergy, or over a whole diocese of people, a fuperiority to prefbyters, a distinct power of ordination, &c. muft neceffarily difagree with: those who include in it only the care of a fingle-con-gregation. Thus according to the various opinions of men, this word fignifies a pope, a Gallican bishop, a Lutherean fuperintendant, an English prelate, a paftor of a fingle affembly, or a prefbyter or elder. Thus. they quarrel with each other perpetually; and it is well. if any of them all have hit precifely the fenfe of the facred writers, and included juft the fame ideas in it, and no others.

I might make all the fame remarks on the word church or kirk, which is derived from KURIOU OIKOS or the houfe of the Lord, contracted into kyriok, which fome fuppofe to fignify an affembly of chriftians, fome take it for all the world that profeffes chriftianity, and fome make it to mean only the clergy, and on these accounts it has been the occafion of as many and as furious-controverfies as the word bishop which was mentioned before.

FRO

SECT. II.

Of negative and pofitive Terms.

ROM these and other confiderations it will follow, that if we would avoid error in our pursuit of knowledge, we must take good heed to the ufe of words and terms, and be acquainted with the various kinds of them.

I. TERMS are either pofitive or negative.

Negative terms are fuch as have a little word or fyllable of denying joined to them, according to the various idioms of every language, as unpleasant, imprudent, immortal, irregular, ignorant, infinite, endless, lifeless, deathlefs, nonfenfe, abyfs, anonymous, where the prepofitions un, im, in, non, a, an, and the termination lefs, fignify a negation, either in English, Latin or Greek.

Pofitive terms are those which have no fuch negative appendices belonging to them, as life, death, end, ienfe, mortal.

But fo unhappily are our words and ideas linked together, that we can never know which are pofitive ideas, and which are negative, by the word that is used to exprefs them, and that for these reasons ;

There are fome pofitive terms which are made to fignify a negative idea; as dead is properly a thing that is deprived of life; blind implies a negation or priva tion of sight; deaf a want of hearing; dumb a denial of speech.

2dly, There are also fome negative terms which imply positive ideas, fuch as immortal and deathlefs, which signify ever-living, or a continuance in life; infolent fignifies rude and haughty; indemnify, to keep fafe; and infinite perhaps has a positive idea too, for it is an idea ever growing; and when it is applied to God, it signifies his complete perfection.

3dly, There are both positive and negative terms, invented to signify the fame and contrary ideas; as un

happy and miferable, sinlefs and holy, pure and undefiled, impure and filthy, unkind and cruel, irreligious and profane, unforgiving and revengeful, &c. and there is great deal of beauty and convenience derived to any language from this variety of expreffion; though fometimes it a little confounds our conceptions of being and not-being, our positive and negative ideas.

4thly, I may add alfo, that there are fome words which are negative in their original language, but feem positive to an Englifhman, because the negation is unknown; as abyfs, a place without a bottom; anodyne, an easing medicine; amnefty, an unremembrance, or general pardon; anarchy, a state without government; anonymous, that is, namelefs; inept, that is, not fit; iniquity, that is, unrighteoufnefs; infant, one that cannot speak, (viz.) a child; injurious, not doing justice or right..

The way therefore to know whether any idea be negative or not is to consider whether it primarily imply the abfence, of any positive being, or mode of being; if it doth, then it is a negation or negative idea; otherways it is a positive one, whether the word that expreffes it be positive or negative. Yet after all, in many cafes this is very hard to determine, as in amnesty, infinite, abyfs, which are originally relative terms, but they signify pardon, &c. which feem to be positives. So darknefs, madness, clown, are positive terms, but they imply the want of light, the want of reafon, and the want of manners; and perhaps thefe may be ranked among the negative ideas.

Here note, that in the English tongue two negative terms are equal to one positive, and signify the fame thing, as not unhappy, signifies happy; not immortal, signifies mortal; he is no imprudent man, that is, he is a man of prudence; but the fense and force of the word in fuch a negative way of expreffions feem to be a little diminished.

SECT. IN.

Of fimple and complex Terms.

11. is TER

TERMS aredivided into simple or complex. A simple term is one word, a complex term

when more words are used to signify one thing.

Some terms are complex in words, but not in sense, fuch is the fecond emperor of Rome; for it excites in our minds only the idea of one man (viz.) Auguftus.

Some terms are complex in fenfe, but not in words; fo when I fay an army, a foreft, I mean a multitude of men, or trees; and almost all our moral ideas, as well as many of our natural ones, are expreffed in this manner; religion, piety, loyalty, knavery, theft, include a variety of ideas in each term.

There are other terms which are complex both in words and fenfe; fo when I fay a fierce dog, or a pious man, it excites an idea, not only of those two creatures, but of their peculiar characters also.

Among the terms that are complex in fenfe, but not in words, we may reckon thofe fimple terms which contain a primary and a fecondary idea in them; as when I hear my neighbour fpeak that which is not true, and I fay to him this is not true, or this is falfe, I only convey to him the naked idea of his error; this is the primary idea: but if I fay it is a lie, the word lie carries alfo a fecondary idea in it, for it implies both the falfhood of the fpeech, and my reproach and cenfure of the fpeaker. On the other hand, if I fay it is a miftake, this.carries alfo a fecondary idea with it; for it not only refers to the falfhood of his fpeech, but includes my tenderness and civility to him at the fame time. Another instance may be this; when I use the word inceft, adultery, and murder, I convey to another not only the primary idea of thofe actions, but I include alfo the fecondary idea of their unlawfulness, and my abhorrence of them.

Note 1. Hence it comes to pafs, that among words which fignify the fame principal ideas fome are clean