“Le système théologique est As the progress of thought is parvenu à la plus haute perfection one, so is the end one. There dont il soit susceptible, are not three possible terminal quand il a substitué l’action conceptions; but only a single providentielle d’un être unique au terminal conception. When jeu varié des nombreuses divinités the theological idea of the indépendantes qui avaient été providential action of one being, imaginées primitivement. De même, is developed to its ultimate le dernier terme du système form, by the absorption of all metaphysique consiste à concevoir, independent secondary agencies, au lieu des différentes entités it becomes the conception of a particulières, une seule grande being immanent in all phenomena; entité générale, la _nature_, and the reduction of it to envisagée comme la source this {127} state, implies the unique de tous les phénomènes. fading-away, in thought, of all Pareillement, la perfection du those anthropomorphic attributes système positif, vers laquelle by which the aboriginal idea il tend sans cesse, quoiqu’il was distinguished. The alleged soit très-probable qu’il ne doive last term of the metaphysical jamais l’atteindre, serait de system—the conception of a pouvoir se représenter tous les single great general entity, divers phénomènes observables _nature_, as the source of all comme des cas particuliers d’un phenomena—is a conception seul fait général, tel que celui identical with the previous one: de la gravitation, par exemple.” the consciousness of a single p. 5. source which, in coming to be regarded as universal, ceases to be regarded as conceivable, differs in nothing but name from the consciousness of one being, manifested in all phenomena. And similarly, that which is described as the ideal state of science—the power to represent all observable phenomena as particular cases of a single general fact, implies the postulating of some ultimate existence of which this single fact is alleged; and the postulating of this ultimate existence, involves a state of consciousness indistinguishable from the other two.