OCR Text |
Show lmperfeflion ofWordr. .Book III. clearly retain'd, than thofeof mo:ecomplex ones, and therefore they are not lial:>le to the uncertatnty or mconvemence of thofe very compoun• ded mixed Modes; and Secondly, becaufe they are never referr'd to any other Elfence, but barely that Perception they immediately lignilie: Which reference is, that which renders the lignilieation of the names of Subftances naturally fo perplexed, and gives occalion to fo many Difputes. Men that do not perverlly ufe their Words, or on purpofe fer themfelves to cavil, feldom miftake in any Language, they are acquainted with, the Ufe and SignilicatiollJlf the names of fimple Idtas, White and Sweet, Yellow and Bitter, carry a very obvious meaning with them, which every one precifely compreh•nds, or eafily perceives he is ignorant of, and fceks to be informed. But what precife ColleCtion of limple Ideas, JY/0• dejly or Frugality ftand for in another's ufe, is not fo certainly known: And however we are apt to think, we well enough know, what is meant by Gold or Iron; yet the precife complex Jd.a, others make them the ligns of, is not fq certain: And I believe it is very feldom, that in Speaker and Hearer, they ftand for exaCtly the fame ColleCtion: Which muft needs produce Miftakes and Difputes, when they are made ufe of in Dif· courfes, wherein Men have to do with univerfal Propofitions, and would fettle in their Miads univerfal Truths, and confider the Confequences that follow from them. §. ~9· By the fame Rule, the names of fimple M•des are next to fimple Ideas, thofe that are leafllial,fe to Doubt or Vncertainty, efpecially thofe ofF1gure and Number, of whtch Men have fo clear and diftinGt Jdw, and amongft them, thofe that are leaft compounded, and leaft removed from fimple ones. Who ever,that had a Mind to underftand them, miftook the ordinary meaning of S<ven, or a 1riang/e? §. 20. Mixed Mode;< alfo, that are made up but of a few and obvious limple Ideas, have ufually names of no very doubtful Signification. But the names of mixed Modes, which comprehend a great number of fimple Ideas, are commonly of a very doubtful, and undetermined Signification, as has bee~ /hewed. The names of Subftances being annexed to Idw, thor are ne1ther the real Elfences, nor exaCt Reprefentations of the pat· terns. they are referred to, are hab]e yet to greater Imperfection and Un· certamty, efpectally when we come to a philofophical ufe of them. §. 21.. The great diforder that happens in our names of Subftances, proceed10g f'?r the moft part fro':~ o~r want of !{now ledge, and Inability to penetrate mto thetr real Conft1tut1ons, it may probably be wondered, WhJ I charge this as a• Imperjeflion, rather •pon our Words than Underft~ ndmgs. ThiS Exceptton? has fo much appearance of Juftice, that I tlunk my felf obl1ged, to gtve a Reafon why I have followed t!IisMethod. I muft confefs then, that when lfirft began this Difcourfe of the Under• ~anding, and a good while after, J had not the leaft Thought, that any Confideratton of Words was at all neceifary to it. But when h.-·ing paf· fed over the Ongmal. and Compoft):lon of oor Ideas, I began to examine the Extent and Certamty of our Knowledge, I found it had fo near a c~mnexwn Wtth Words, that unlefs their force and manner of Signilica· twn. were fidt well obferved, there could be very little faid clearly and pcrtmently concernmg 1:\~owledge: which being convcrfant about Truth, had. conflantly to do Wtth Propofttwns: and though it terminated m Tlungs, yet It was for the mofl part fo much by the inrervcntion of Words, that they fec!)l'd fcar&e feparable from our general 1\nowledge. A~ leaft they mterpofe themfelves fo much between om· Underftandings, and theTruth,tt would contemplate and apprel!cnd, that like the Medium . ' through Chap. IX. Imperfoflion of. Wordr • through which _yifible ObjeCts pafs, tb"eir Obfcurity and Diford~r does notfeldom caft a mift bdorc our Eyes, and 1mpofe upon our Undorflan. dings. If we confider, in the Fallacies Men put uponthemfelves as well as others, and the Miftakes in Mens Difputes and Nottons, how great-<t. pan is owing to Words, and thetr uncertam or mtHaken Stgmficanons, we fhall have reafon to thi(!k th1~ no _frpal! obfracle m the way to [{nowledge; which, I conclude we are the more careful to be warned of,becau(e it has been fo far from being ,takeu n0t1ce of as an lnconvemence,that the Arts of jmproving it, r1ave neen made tile bufinefs of Mens fludy; and at·. rained the Reputation of Learmng and Subnlty, as we fl1all fee u~ rhefol· ]owing Chapter. But I at)l apt to tlnagme, that were the tmpcrfe~hq ns of Language, as the Inftrument of Knowledge, more through()' weighed, a great many of the Omtroverfies, that ma{i:e fuch a nmfe th the World, would of themfelves ce~fe; and the wa,y to Knowledge, and, perhaps, Peace too lie a great d~al ·opener than i~ dol'S. · · §. 22• Sitre 1 am, that the fignification of Words, in all Languages, d~· pending very much on the Thou~llts, NoqbnS .' ~pd JdeRs ot bun tJ:at ufes them muft unavoidably be of g»!St upcertatjlty, to Men o.f tl1efame Language' and Country. This is foevide~ttirt the Greek Authors, .tllat he that /hall perufeth~ir Wntmgs, WIU·find., m almof\ every one. of them, a diftinet Langu•ge, though the fan:te W ard5. Bq~ \VJJe(l to rluspatuflll liifficulty in every Country, there lhal! be added dtlfe(ent Countnes, and remote Ages, wJ1ereia th.e Sne~~kers <1nd Wrttcrs ·had very d1ff'!"nt Notions, Temper~, Cuftop1s, Qrnaments1 and F1gures of Speech, &c. every one of which influenced the ftgmfica\lon of thetr Words then, though to us now, they are loll: and unknown, it·wo•ld lecome us to be c/;arrtaMe ••• to a1111ther in our lnterpretatio.s or Mifonderf/andip[,S of thofe ancunt . Writi•gs, whlch though of great COI!Cernment to us to be.underft~, are liable to the unavoidalile dtllicultlds pf Speech, wh1cl~ (tf w~ except the Nam!'S of fimple Ideas, and fome very obvtG.Us 'rhmgs) ts not?'' pable, with.out a conftant defining the tc.ms, of c(lllveylng the.f~ofe and Jlltention of the Speaker, without any ma~~er of doubt and uncertrunty, to the Hearer. And in bifcourfes of Rehgton, Law , and Morahty, as t~ey are mattjlrS of the big heft concerJ11!1ent, fo there wtll be the greatoft diffi.culty. . 11 • tl Old 9.13. The1 Volumes oflnterpreters.; and Commentators on 1e and New lftftament are but too manifefr proofs of tlus. Though every thing faid "ili tlie Te~t be •iofullibly truci, yet the. Reader may be, nay, cannot cbufe but be very fallible in the underftandmg of tt. Nor IS 1t to . b,e wqndred, that the Will of G 0 D, whe~ cloathed J(l Worps, lhould bel\able to that doubt and uncertainty, wluch unav01dabl~ attends. tllllt , tbrt ofCottveyance, when even his Soh, .wluJJl: Cln.arhed m Flelh~ •Was (ul;f4 to ~tlw Frailties and Inconveflii'Oeles of humane Nature,SmcJ:· (llpted, ' And \VC ought to m•gnifiehis Goodnefs, th:!~he hath fpread lie· fore ~ll the W<Dnld fuc(llegible Chruncfl:¢rs of Ius Work! and l'tovtdence, and givert ·aH Mudkind.fo fullicien.t a ijglit ofRoofon,Wal they to wholn . ~his writt~ \Vord never came, could nor. (when-ever they fet themfelres •t.Qfearch }e.itlle~ doubt oEthe B<;irtg of a .<iiD D,. or of the Obedience due . IQ Him . • Sil:Ice then the PreceptsofNatpral Reltglon. are plntrl, and. ve~ inteUigibbto ~til Mankind, and fuldam.comc to he,controkverte~,~m ,o.ther rev,ealed Tru;b,, which ' are con~eyed to us. oy Boos. anu. an· 'guage'i, :irel.ltllole to the canimon and naturtl obfcurmesanddifficul~'f~ <ident to Words' methinks it would beco:ne us ~a be mor.e care u dtli· |