IND 
IND 
lies cannot be had in finite terms, we dented or cut unevenly, or in and out, on 
a _ j - _ “ .3 ^ - 1 . 1 4-n At nor 
one senes into anotner, converging 4 
and sometimes a very tew terms 
series wiil give the sum of the series 
See Emerson’s Increments. 
indented line, in such a manner as to leave 
. V • -..rnt'ri r*n rvno rxcirf- 5»m1 tlfllf* fill tl'lft 
incumbent of that church, because he does INDEPENDENTS,, or Congre&ati- 
or ou°ht to apply himself sedulously to dis- on a lists, in church history, a sect of Pro- 
cliarge the duty of his cure. testant Dissenters, which first made its ap- 
INCURVATION of the rays of light, pearance in Holland in the year 1616- Mr. 
their bending out of a rectilinear or straight John Robinson appears to have been the 
course, occasioned by refraction. founder of this sect. The appellation of 
INDEFINITE, or Indeterminate, independents was applied to, and adopted 
that which has no certain bounds; or to by this denomination of Christians, from 
which the human mind cannot affix any. their maintaining that all Christain congre- 
Des Cartes makes use of this word in his gations are so many independent religious 
philosophy instead of infinite, both in num- societies, having a right to be governed by 
bers and quantities, to signify an uncon- their own laws, without being subject to 
ceivable number, or a number so great any further or foreign jurisdiction. This 
that an unit cannot be added to it ; and a term was publicly acknowledged in the 
quantity so great as not to be capable of year 1644, by those English Dissenters, 
any addition. Thus, he says, the stars visi- who held similar sentiments respecting 
ble and invisible are in number indefinite ; church government to the independents in 
and not as the ancients held infinite ; and Holland; but on account of the ill use that 
that quantity may be divided into an inde- many made of the term, by a perversion of 
finite number of parts, not an infinite num- its original meaning and religious designa- 
p e| ._ tion, the English Independents renounced 
Indefinite is also used in the schools to it, and adopted that of Congregationalists, 
signify a thing that has but one extreme ; for or Congregational Brethren. The term 
instance, a line drawn from any point and independent is still, however, applied to 
extended infinitely. various sects of Protestant Dissenters, and 
Indefinite, in grammar, is understood seems justly applicable to almost every sect 
of nouns, pronouns, verbs, participles, ar- of nonconformists in this country, 
tides, &c. which are left in an uncertain The doctrines of the Independents are 
indeterminate sense, and not fixed to any the same as those of the Brownists. It 
particular time, thing, or other circum- is said that the only difference between 
stance. these sects were, that the Brownists were 
INDENTED, in heraldry, is when the illiberal in their views concerning other 
out-line of an ordinary is notched like the denominations, while the Independents en- 
teeth of a saw. tertained enlarged conceptions of church 
Indented line, in fortification, the same communion, and allowed thatotherchurches 
with what the French engiueers call redent; though different from them in points of 
being a trench and parapet running out and discipline, might properly be called Chris- 
in like the teeth of a saw ; and is much tian churches. It is, however, to be feared 
used in irregular fortification. that the Independents, properly so called, 
INDENTURE, is a writing, containing being Calvinists as to points of faith, do 
a conveyance between two or more, in- not cherish very liberal sentiments concern- 
