Note I.

Chemistry shows us the molecules of inorganic bodies uniting to form crystals of a constant regularity, according to each species, provided they are in the required conditions. The least disturbance in these conditions is sufficient to prevent the reunion of the elements or, at least, the regular arrangement that constitutes the crystal. Why would the same thing not occur with organic elements? Seeds of plants and of animals are preserved for years that develop only at a certain temperature and in the propitious medium; grains of wheat have been seen to germinate after several centuries. There is, then, in these seeds a latent principle of vitality that only awaits a favorable circumstance to develop. May what takes place daily before our eyes not have existed since the origin of the globe? Does the formation of living beings, emerging from chaos by the very force of Nature, take anything away from the grandeur of God? Far from it, it corresponds better to the idea we form of His power, which is exercised in the infinite worlds by means of eternal laws. This theory does not, it is true, resolve the question of the origin of the vital elements; but God has His mysteries and has imposed limits on our investigations. [Question 45.]