Book of Collections on the Art of Preaching

...necessarily follow the thing. Likewise, both antecedents and repugnants. For whatever precedes any thing adheres to the thing necessarily. And whatever is repugnant is of such a kind that it can never adhere. Concerning the first, Genesis 38: "Thamar, your daughter-in-law, has committed fornication, and her womb appears to be swelling." For the antecedent is that she has been pregnant; the consequent is that she has had intercourse. Nor is it asked here what is prior in time, or what is posterior. The maximum proposition: When the antecedent is posited, that which follows accompanies it; and when the consequent is removed, that which precedes is removed.

REPUGNANTS, however, are the consequences of contraries. For example, to be awake and to be asleep are contraries, and snoring is an adjunct to those sleeping. Therefore, to snore and to be awake are repugnants. An argument is made from these in this way: "Would you say he is awake who is snoring?" This kind of thing is frequent in the proverbs of Solomon, such as Proverbs 12: "A fool immediately indicates his anger, but he who hides an injury is clever." The maximum proposition: Repugnants cannot fit together.

EFFICIENT CAUSE is that which, preceding any thing, brings it about—not in time, but by the property of nature. As the sun brings about the day. Hence, an argument is drawn thus, Joshua 10: "So the sun stood in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to set for the space of one day." Therefore, there was not such a long day before and after. The maximum proposition: Where the cause is, the effect cannot be absent from there.

EFFECT is that which the cause brings about. From this, an argument is drawn, Matthew 7: "By their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles?" Likewise, a bad tree cannot bear good fruits, nor can a good tree bear bad fruits.