OF THE PERSONALITY OF THE DEITY. 239 
ty in nature, of a particular, personal intelligence; that 
is to say, with the exertion of an intending, contriving 
mind, in the structure and formation of the organized con¬ 
stitution which the world contains. They would resolve 
all productions into unconscious energies, of a like kind, in 
that respect, with attraction, magnetism, electricity, &c. 
without anything farther. 
In this the old system of atheism and the new agree. 
And I much doubt, whether the new schemes have advanc¬ 
ed anything upon the old, or done more than changed the 
terms of the nomenclature. For instance, I could never 
see the difference between the antiquated system of atoms, 
and Buffon’s organic molecules. This philosopher, having 
made a planet by knocking off from the sun apiece of melt¬ 
ed glass, in consequence of the stroke of a comet; and hav¬ 
ing set it in motion by the same stroke, both round its own 
axis and the sun, finds his next difficulty to be, how to 
bring plants and animals upon it. In order to solve this 
difficulty, we are to suppose the universe replenished with 
particles endowed with life, but without organization or 
senses of their own; and endowed also with a tendency to 
marshal themselves into organized forms. The concourse 
of these particles, by virtue of this tendency, but without 
intelligence, will, or direction, (for I do not find that any 
of these qualities are ascribed to them,) has produced the 
living forms which we now see. 
Very few of the conjectures which philosophers hazard 
upon these subjects, have more of pretension in them, than 
the challenging you to show the direct impossibility of the 
hypothesis. In the present example, there seemed to be 
a positive’objection to the whole scheme upon the very 
face of it; which was that, if the case were as here repre¬ 
sented, new combinations ought to be perpetually taking 
place; new plants and animals, or organized bodies which 
were neither, ought to be starting up before our eyes every 
day. For this, however, our philosopher has an answer. 
Whilst so many forms of plants and animals are already in 
existence, and, consequently, so many “internal moulds,” 
as he calls them, are prepared and at hand, the organic 
particles run into these moulds, and are employed in supply¬ 
ing an accession of substance to them, as well for their 
growth, as for their propagation. By which means things 
keep their ancient course. But, says the same philoso¬ 
pher, should any general loss or destruction of the pre¬ 
sent constitution of organized bodies take place, the parti¬ 
cles, for want of “moulds” into which they might ente^ 
