THE ARaUMENT APPLIED. 45 



CHAPTER Y. 



APPLICATION OF THE ARGUMENT CONTINUED. 



Every observation wliich was made in our first chapter 

 concerning the watch, may be repeated with strict propriety 

 concerning the eye ; concerning animals ; concerning plants ; 

 concerning, indeed, all the organized parts of the works of 

 nature. As, 



I. When we are inquiring simply after the existence of 

 an intelligent Creator, imperfection, inaccuracy, liability to 

 disorder, occasional irregularities, may subsist in a consider- 

 able degree without inducing any doubt into the question ; 

 just as a watch may frequently go Avrong, seldom perhaps 

 exactly right, may be faulty in some parts, defective in some, 

 without the smallest ground of suspicion from thence arising 

 that it was not a watch, not made, or not made for the pur- 

 pose ascribed to it. When faults are pointed out, and when 

 a question is started concerning the skill of the artist, or the 

 dexterity with which the work is executed, then, indeed, in 

 order to defend Ihese qualities from accusation, we must be 

 able, either to expose some intractableness and imperfection 

 in the materials, or point out some invincible difhculty in 

 the execution, into which imperfection and difficulty the 

 matter of complaint may be resolved ; or, if we cannot do 

 this, we must adduce such specimens of consummate art and 

 contrivance proceeding from the same hand as may convince 

 the inquirer of the existence, m the case before him, of im- 

 pediments like those which we have mentioned, although, 

 what from the nature of the case is very likely to happen, 

 they be unknown and unperceived by him. This we must 

 do in order to vindicate the artist's skill, or at least the per- 

 fection of it ; as we must also judge of his intention, and of 

 the provisions employed in fulfilling that intention, not from 

 an instance in which they fail, but from the great plurality 

 of instances in which they succeed. But, after all, these 



