CHAPTER VIll. 501 the actions of men bear to a law, and thus they are good or evil, rewardable or punishable; this law is either human or divine, &c. Accidental relations are between several persons happen- ing. to become neighbours, or between a company of soldiers drawn out by lot, or between flowers springing up from the same bed of earth. Relations are instituted and voluntary, i. e. freely chosen, as between husband and wife, or two or three friends, &c. Sometimes they are chosen or voluntary only on one side, as a carter chuses what horses shall make up his team, or a man what house he will inhabit. 2. Relations may be termed reciprocal or not reciprocal. Reciprocal relations are partners, cousins, neighbours, balances, &c. Relations not- reciprocal are cause and effect, father and son, uncle and nephew, king and subjects. The first indeed are more usually called synonymous relatives, or of the same name ; the others we call heteronymous or of a different name. 3. Relations are divided into real or mental; the real re- lations arise evidently from the nature of things. These are the whole and part, cause and effect, truth and goodness, &c. as before recited. Mental relations are made only by the mind; these will follow in their due order. CHAP. VIIL-Of Truth, Goodness and Perfection. LEST the metaphysicians should take it ill to have these two affections of being (viz.) truth and goodness so much postponed, let us name them in the first rank of relative affections or rela- tions : For real trials and goodness are plainly ranked among relative ideas, as they consist in a conformity to some things as their rule and standard. And first Iet us discourse of truth'. There are various senses wherein the term truth is used. 1. A being is said to be true in a metaphysical sense, when it is agreeable to the divine idea, which is the grand pattern of all created beings. 2. Things may be said to have a physical or natural truth, as, that is true gold which has all the neces- sary properties which are usually united in the idea signified by that word. 3. Some things are called true in representation, as when a picture well represents the original, or when an idea in our minds is really conformable to the object of it. 4. 'Things are said to be true in signification when the thing signified answers the sign ; as when the proper words are used which commonly signify such an idea. 5. There is also logical truth when the proposition or assertion is conformable to things. And indeed this I think is the most common sense wherein this word is used. The propositions themselves are frequently called truths. Some of these are called probable, some improbable, some certain, i. e. according to our knowledge of them. Again, some truths are necessary, such as there is a God, the whole is i#
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