a tw äUO LOGIC: OR, TIM RIGHT VA OF RLABOF. connected together, that the conclusion of the former is the major or minor of the following : as, blood cannot think, but the soul of man thinks; therefore the soul of man is not blood ; but the soul of a brute is his blood, according to the scripture ; therefore the soul of man is different from the soul of a brute. See another instance in the Introduction to this Treatise. IV. A sorites is when several middle terms are chosen to connect one another succesively in several propositions, till the last proposition connects its predicate with the first subject. Thus, all men of revenge have their souls often uneasy ; uneasy souls are a plague to themselves ; now to be one's own plague is folly in the extreme; therefore all men of revenge are extreme fools. The Apostle ;,Rom. viii. 29. gives us an instance of this sort of argument if it were reduced to exact form, Whom he foreknew, those he predestinated ; whom he predestinated he called; whom he called he justified; whom he justified he glo- rifaed; therefore whom he foreknew he glorified. To these syllogisms it may not be improper to add induc- tion, which is, when from several particular propositions we infer one general ; as, The doctrine of the 5ocinians cannot be proved from the Gospels, it cannot be proved from the Acts of the Apos- tles, it cannot be proved from the Epistles, nor the Book of Revelation : therefore it cannot be proved from the New Tes- tament. Note, This sort of argument is often defective, because there is not due gare taken to enumerate all the particulars on which the conclusion should depend. All these four kinds of syllogisms in this section may be called redundant, because they have more than three propositions. But there is one sort of syllogism which is defective, and is called an enthymem, because only the conclusion with one of the pre- mises is expressed, while the other is supposed and reserved in the mind: Thus, There is no true religion without good morals: therefore a knave cannot be truly religious : Or thus, It is our duty to love our neighbours as ourselves; therefore there are but few who perform their duty. Note, This is the most common.sort of argument amongst mankind both in writing and in speaking ; for it would take up too much time, and too much retard the discourse, to draw out all ofr arguments in mood and figure. Besides, mankind love to have so much compliment paid to their understandings, as to suppose that they know the major or minor, which is suppressed and implied, when you pronounce the other premise and the conclusion. If there be any debate about this argument, the syllogism
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