ALL THOUGHT NATURAL. 19 



way. All are equally momentary in the thought, 

 and there is not the smallest fatigue in thinking of 

 either. 



In the one case, we say that the thought is "un- 

 natural," and in the other, that it is "natural;" 

 and there lurks an ambiguity in these words which 

 mars our understanding, by leading us to confound 

 one thing with another, or to consider two things 

 as only one. A relation may be natural to the 

 mind, or it may be natural to the subjects of which 

 the mind considers it a relation. To the mind that 

 thinks, every thought must be natural ; because an 

 unnatural thought would be a thought that the 

 mind did not think, which is an impossibilty. 



That the relation shall be natural to the subjects 

 of which we think it a relation, is a very different 

 matter. It does not depend upon us or our think- 

 ing, but on the subjects themselves ; and we can- 

 not think ourselves into the knowledge of even the 

 simplest subject, or the simplest quality of that 

 subject. We can think only of that which we 

 know ; and, therefore, though we can apply rela- 

 tions to subjects to which they never were applied 

 before, and thus find out combinations that are 

 new, we cannot by mere thinking add one iota to 

 our knowledge of subjects. If we could do that 

 in any one case, we could do it in all cases ; and 

 we would know the unseen and the future, as well 

 as that which is present before our eyes, or sound- 

 ing in our ears. The fact is, that if we could 

 think knowledge, all the senses of the body, and 

 the body itself, would be superfluities and incum- 

 brances to us; and our whole being, instead of 

 displaying, as it does, the very perfection of wis- 

 dom, would be an absurdity. 



