There is no natural religion

There Is No Natural Religion
by William Blake
224193There Is No Natural ReligionWilliam Blake




There is No Natural Religion [a]

Frontispiece (page 1). Copy G, c1

The Argument

Man has no notion of moral
fitness but from Education.
Naturally he is only a natu-
ral organ subject to Sense.


I
Man cannot naturally Per-
ceive, but through his natural
or bodily organs


II

Man by his reason-
ing power. can only
compare & judge of
what he has already
perceiv'd.


III
From a perception of
only 3 senses or 3 ele
-ments none could de-
-duce a fourth or fifth


IV

None could have other
than natural or organic
thoughts if he had none
but organic perceptions


V

Mans desires are
limited by his percepti
ons. none can de-
-sire what he has not
prceiv'd


VI

The desires & percepti-
-ons of man untaught by
any thing but organs of
sense, must be limited
to objects of sense.


There is No Natural Religion [b]


I

Man's percepti-
-ons are not bound
-ed by organs of
perception. he per-
-ceives more than
sense (tho' ever
so acute) can
discover


II

Reason or the ra-
-tio of all we have
already known is
not the same that
it shall be when
we know more


IV

The bounded is
loathed by its pos-
-sessor.The same
dull round even
of the univer[s]e, would
soon become a
mill with complica-
-ted wheels.


V

If the many bec-
-ome the same as
the few, when pos-
-sess'd, More! More!
is the cry of a mista-
-ken soul, less than
All cannot satisfy
Man


VI

If any could de-
-sire what he is in-
-capable of posses-
sing, despair must
be his eternal
lot


VII

The desire of
Man being Infi-
-nite the possession
is Infinite & him-
-self Infinite


Application

He who sees the In-
-finite in all things
sees God. He who
sees the Ratio only
sees himself only


Conclusion

If it were not for the
Poetic or Prophetic
character, the Philo-
-sophic& Experimen-
-tal would soon be
at the ratio of all
things, & stand still,
unable to do other
than repeat the same
dull round over a-
-gain


Therefore
God becomes as
we are, that we
may be as he
is


This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.

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