NATURAL THEOLOGV. 13 



a continual approach towai'ds a limit, there, by 

 supposing the number of terms to be what is called 

 infinite, we may conceive the limit to be attained ; 

 but where there is no such tendency or approach, 

 nothing is effected by lengthening the series. 

 There is no difference as to the point in question, 

 (whatever there may be as to many points,) be- 

 tween one series and another ; between a series 

 which is finite, and a series which is infinite. A 

 chain, composed of an infinite number of links, can 

 no more support itself than a chain composed of a 

 finite number of links. And of this we are assur- 

 ed; (though we never can have tried the experi- 

 ment,) because, by increasing the number of links, 

 from ten for instance to a hundred, from a hundred 

 to a thousand, &:c., we make not the smallest ap- 

 proach, we observe not the smallest tendency to- 

 wards self-support. There is no difference in this 

 respect (yet there may be a great difference in 

 several respects,) between a chain of a greater or 

 less length, between one chain and another, be- 

 tween one that is finite and one that is infinite. 

 This very much resembles the case before us. 

 The machine which we are inspecting demon- 

 strates, by its construction, contrivance and design. 

 Contrivance must have had a contriver; design, a 

 designer; whether the machine immediately pro- 

 ceeded from another machine or not. That cir- 

 cumstance alters not the case. That other ma- 

 chine may, in like manner, have proceeded from 

 a former machine : nor does that alter the case ; 



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