12 NATQUAL THEOLOar. 



parts, even if we were completely assured that they were 

 such, would not vacate the reasoning which we had institut- 

 ed concerning other parts. The mdication of contrivance 

 remained, with respect to them, nearly as it was before. 



lY. Nor, fourthly, would any man in his senses tliink the 

 existence of the watch with its various machinery account- 

 ed for, by being told that it was one out of possible combi- 

 nations of material forms ; that whatever he had found in 

 the place where he found the watch, must have contained 

 some internal configuration or other ; and that this configu- 

 ration might be the structure now exhibited, namely, of the 

 works of a watch, as well as a different structure. 



V. Nor, fifthly, would it yield his inquiry more satisfac- 

 tion, to be answered that there existed in things a principle 

 of order, which had disposed the parts of the watch into their 

 present form and situation. He never knew a watch made 

 by the principle of order ; nor can he even form to himself 

 an idea of what is meant by a principle of order, distinct 

 from the intelligence of the watchmaker. 



VI. Sixthly, he would be surprised to hear that the mech- 

 anism of the watch was no proof of contrivance, only a mo- 

 tive to induce the mind to think so : 



VII. And not less surprised to be informed, that thf 

 watch in his hand was nothing more than the result of the 

 laws of tnetallic nature. It is a perversion of language to 

 assign any law as the efficient, operative cause of any thing. 

 A law presupposes an agent ; for it is only the mode accord- 

 ing to which an agent proceeds : it implies a power ; for it 

 is the order according to which that power acts. Without 

 this agent, without this power, which are both distinct from 

 itself, the laiu does notliing, is nothing. The expression, 

 " the law of metallic nature," may sound strange and harsh 

 to a philosophic ear ; but it seems quite as justifiable as 

 some others which are more familiar to him, such as " the 

 law of vegetable nature," "the law of animal nature," or, 

 indeed, as " the law of nature" in general, when assigned 



