520 LOGIC: OR, THE RIGHT USE OF REASON. When you are drawing up a narrative of any matter of fact, see that no important circumstance be omitted. When you propose the solution of any difficulty ; consider all the various cases wherein it can }lappet], and shew how they may be solved. In short, let your enumerations, your divisions and distri-f butions of things be so accurate, that no needful part or idea may be left out. This fulness of method does not require that every thing should be said which can be said upon any subject; for this Would make each single science endless: but you should say every thing which is necessary to the design in view, aid which has a proper and direct tendency to this end ; always proportion- ing the amplitude of your matter, and the fulness of your dis- bourse to your great design, to the length of your time, to the convenience, delight and profit of your hearers, Rule V. As your method must be full without defiçie),y, so it must be short or without superfluity,. The fulness of a discourse enlarges our knowledge, and the well- co,ncertetl brevity saves our time. In order to observe this rule, it will be enough to point out the chief of those superfluities or redundancies, which some persons are guilty of in their discourses, with a dug, caution against them. 1. " Avoid all needless repetitions of the same thing in dif. ferent parts of your discourse." It must be confessed there are Several cases when a review of the same foregoing proposí. tion is needful to explain or prove several of the following positions ; but let your method be so, contrived, as far as posst. hie, that it may occasion the fewest rehearsals of the same thing; f'ar it is not grateful to the hearers without evident necessity. " IIave a care of tedious prolixity," or drawing out any part of your discourse to an unnecessary and tiresome length. It is much more honourable fbr an instructor, an orator, a pica- der, or a preacher, that his bearers should say, I was afraid he would bav_e done, than that they should be tempted to, show signs of queasiness, and long fur the conclusion. Besides, there is another inconvenience in it ; when you affect to amplify on the former branches of a discourse, yet] tYih often lay, n necessity upon yourself of contracting the latter and most useful parts of it, and perhaps prevent yourself in the most important part of your design. Many a preacher i!as, been. guilty of this fault in former days, nor is the present age without some instances of this weakness. 3. 00 Do, not multiply explications where there is no dif i- culty, or dark.nesss or danger. of :nishdte." Be not fond of tracing every word of your th,etue through all, the graix matieal,
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