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(3)
Something joined in its essence, called the property and
accident.
Species and genus correspond to the question 'What?' e.g. 'What is
Cæsar?' Answer 'A man'; 'What is a man?' Answer:'An animal'. The same term
may belong to any of the five divisions given above according to its usage.
For example, the term 'red' is a genus in relation to 'pink' and 'scarlet',
but a differentia when combined in the phrase, 'a red rose'. It is a
property when used of the blood, but an accident when used of a roof.
Further, there are different modes of classification according to
circumstances:
'Thus it suits a farmer's purpose to class his cattle with his ploughs,
carts, and other possessions under the name "stock". The naturalist,
suitably to his purpose, classes them all as "quadrupeds" which term
would include wolves, deer, etc., which to the farmer would be a most
improper classification. The commissary, again, would class them with
corn, cheese, fish, etc., as "provisions"; that which is most essential
in one view, being subordinate to another' (Archbishop Whately).
It will readily be seen that a great deal of controversy could have
been avoided if those who participated had classified their terms clearly.
This leads us to the question of definitions, with which we will now deal.
Definitions
One of the most fruitful causes of fallacy and false reasoning is lack
of definition, or the use of faulty definition. 'Gentlemen, define your
terms', is a wise saying that bears repetition.
Much of the criticism of the teaching for which An Alphabetical
Analysis stands is so much wasted effort because of this very thing. Our
critics, either through a disregard of our definitions, or the intrusion of
their own into their criticism of our ministry, often beat the air.
With us the terms 'mystery', 'dispensation of the Mystery', 'the prison
ministry of Paul', 'Acts 28', 'Pentecost', 'hope and prize', 'new covenant',
'kingdom truth' and 'dispensational truth', have all received definition, and
are used in our writings with, we believe, precision. If this is ignored,
our critics must not be displeased if their remarks appear to fall upon deaf
ears.
A definition signifies the laying down of a boundary, and is used in
logic to signify an expression which explains any term in such a manner as to
separate it from everything else. Definitions are nominal, when they
establish the meaning of the word, or real when they establish the nature of
a thing. A good definition states what are regarded as 'the constituent
parts of the essence', and must contain 'the constituent characteristics of
the concept' (a concept being the general notion or idea representative of a
whole class of things, as man).
Such a definition must be clearly and grammatically expressed in
unambiguous terms, and must be universally true of the defined class. It
must, moreover, be reciprocal, as for example, 'A parallelogram is a four -
sided figure with parallel sides'. So, in Ephesians 1:22,23, following the
Greek, we read: 'And gave Him Head over all things to the church, which is