6 
I N D 
entirely imputed to that fet of men. They who affirm 
that the Independents were the only authors of the death 
of Charles, muff mean one of thefe two things, either 
that the regicides were animated and fet on by the fedi- 
tious doblrines of that left, and the violent fiiggeflions of 
its members, or that all who were concerned in this atro¬ 
cious deed were themfelves Independents, zealoufly at¬ 
tached to the religious community now under confi- 
deration. Now it may be proved, from the cleared evi¬ 
dence, that neither of thefe was the cafe. There is no¬ 
thing in the doctrines of this fefl, fo far as they are 
knowm, that feems the lead adapted to excite men to fuch 
a horrid deed ; nor does it appear, from the liiftory of thefe 
times, that the Independents w'ere a whit more exafpe- 
rated againft Charles than w'ere the Prefbyterians. And, 
as to the latter fuppofition, it is far from being true, 
that all thofe who were concerned in bringing this unfor¬ 
tunate prince to the fcaffold were Independents ; fmce we 
learn from the bell Englifh writers, and from the public 
declarations'of Charles II. that this violent faction W'as 
compofed of perfons of different fe< 5 ts. That there were 
Independents among them may be eafily conceived. 
If we enquire with particular attention into the caufes 
of that odium that has been cad upon the Independents, 
and of the heavy accufations and fevere. inveblives with 
which they have been loaded, we may more peculiarly note 
the three following coniiderations, which perhaps will fur- 
nifh a fatisfaflory account of the matter. In the drd place, 
the denomination of Independents is ambiguous, and is not 
peculiar to any one diftinbt order of men. For, not to 
enumerate the other notions that have been annexed to 
this term, it is fudicient to obferve, that it is ufed fome- 
times by the Englifh writers to denote thofe who aim at 
the edablidiment of a pure democratical or popular go¬ 
vernment, in which the body of the people is clothed 
with the fupreme dominion. Such a faction there was in 
England, compofed in a great tneafure of perfons of an 
enthufiadical chara&er ; and to it, no doubt, we are to 
nfcribe thofe fcenes of fedition and miferv, whofe effects 
are dill lamented. The violence and folly that difho- 
noured the proceedings of this tumultuous fadtion have 
certainly been too raflily imputed to the religious Inde¬ 
pendents now under confideration, who, with all their 
defedls, were a much better fet of men than the perfons 
juft mentioned. It may be obferved, fecondly, that al- 
mod all the religious fedts, which divided the Englifh na¬ 
tion in the reign of Charles I. and more efpecially under 
the adminidration of Cromwell, adorned the denomination 
of Independents, in order to fcreen themfelves from the 
reproaches of the public, and to diare a part of the popu¬ 
lar edeem that the true and genuine Independents had 
acquired, on account of the regularity of their lives, and 
the fandlity of their manners. As this title was of a very 
extenfive iignification, and of great latitude, it might 
thus eadly happen, that all the enormities of the various 
feels who fheltered themfelves under it, and feveral of 
which were but of fhort duration, might unluckily be 
laid to the charge of the true Independents. But it mull 
be particularly remarked, in the third place, that the 
u fur per Cromwell preferred the Independents before all 
other religious communities; he looked with an equal de¬ 
gree of fulpicion or fear upon prefbyterian fynods and 
epifcopal vifitations; every thing that looked like an ex- 
tenlive authority, whether it was of a civil or religious 
kind, excited uneafy apprehenfions in his bread; but in 
the limited and Ample form of ecclefialtical difeipline that 
was adopted by the Independents he law nothing that 
was adapted to alarm his fears. This circumftance was 
fudicient to render the Independents odious in the eves of 
many who would naturally be dilpofed to extend their 
abhorrence of Cromwell to thofe who were the objedls of 
his favour and protedlion. The Independents were un¬ 
doubtedly fo called from their maintaining that all Chrif- 
tian congregations were fo many independent religious 
focieties, that had a right to be governed by their own 
I N D 
laws, without being fubjccl to any further or foreign 
jurifdidlion. But when, in proeefs of time, a great va¬ 
riety of fedts, as has been already obferved, fheltered them- 
feives under the coyer of this extenfive denomination, and 
even feditious fubjedls who aimed at nothing lefs than the 
death of their fovereign and the deftrudtion of govern¬ 
ment, employed it as a mafk to hide their deformity, then 
the true and genuine Independents renounced this title, 
and fubflituted another lefs odious in its place, calling 
themfelves Congregational Brethren, and their religious 
affemblies Congregational Churches. In the year 1616, Mr. 
Jacob, who had adopted the religious fentiments of Ro- 
binfon, fet up the firft Independent, or Congregational, 
church in England. Mofheim’s Eccl. Hift. vol. v. 
At this time, however much the Independents may dif¬ 
fer from members of the eftablifhment refpe&ir.g church- 
difcipline and government, yet, on the moft material 
points of Chriftian Faith, they agree in opinion with the 
church of England. The doclrine of the Trinity, the 
Divine Nature of our Lord, and the Efficacy of Atone¬ 
ment, they ftill maintain; having never conceded their 
original principles to the errors which have been adopted' 
by the followers of Dr. Prieftley. On this account they 
are now confidered as one of the molt refpedtable among 
the various feels of Chriftians in this country. 
INDEPEN'DENTISM, f. The dodlrine of the Inde¬ 
pendents ; the flate or condition of being independent. 
INDEPENDENTLY, adv. Without reference to other 
things.—Dilpofe lights and fhadow's, without finifhing 
every thing independently the one of the other. Dryden. 
INDEP'RECABLE, adj. [from in, Lat. contrary to, 
and dcprecatus, intreated.] Incapable of being intreated. 
Scott. 
IN'DER TAUP'LITZ, a fmall river of Germany, in 
the duchy of Stiria, which runs into the Enns two miles 
north-north-eafl of Gumpenflein. 
INDERSE'E, a town of Germany, in the archduchy of 
Auflria : three miles fouth-weft of Tauffkirchen. 
INDERSJCA'IA, afortrefsof Ruffia, on the river Ural; 
feventy-two miles north of Gurev. 
INDER'VA, a fmall illand in the Pernan Gulf: fifty 
leagues weft of Ormus. 
INDESER'T, f Want of merit. This is an ufeful word, 
but not much received. —Thofe who were once looked on as ' 
his equals, are apt to think the fame of his merit a re- 
fiedlion on their own indejerts. Addifon. 
INDES'INENTLY, adv. [in and definio, Lat.] With¬ 
out ceffation.—They continue a month indefmently. Ray. 
INDESTRUC'TIBLE, adj. Notto be deltroyed.-—Glafs 
is fo compact and firm a body, that it is inde/lrudible by 
art or nature. Boyle. 
INDETER'MINABLE, adj. Not to be fixed ; not to 
be defined or fettled.—There is not only oblcurity in the 
end, but beginning, of the world ; that, as its period is 
infcrutable, fo is its nativity indeterminable. Brown. 
INDETER'MINATE, adj. Unfixed; not defined; in¬ 
definite.—The rays of the fame colour were by turns 
tranfmitted at one thicknefs, and reflected at another 
thicknefs, for an indeterminate number of fucceffions. 
Newton. 
Indeterminate Problem, is that which admits of 
innumerable different lolutions, and fometimes perhaps 
only of a great many different anfwers; otherwife called 
an unlimited problem. See the article Algebra, vol. i. p. 
305 -. 
Diophantus was the firft writer on indeterminate pro¬ 
blems, viz. in his Arithmetic or Algebra, which was firft 
publilhed in 1575 by Xilander, and afterwards in 1621 by 
Bachet, with a large commentary, and many additions. 
His book is wholly upon this fubjedl; whence it has hap¬ 
pened, that fuch kind of queltions have been called by 
the name of Diophanline problems. Fermat, Des Cartes, and 
Frenicle, in France, and Wallis and others in England, 
particularly cultivated this branch of algebra, on which 
they held a correlpondence, propofmg difficult queftions 
to 
