Mercy+Pity+Peace+Love

Blake is personifying the qualities of Mercy, Pity, Peace and Love in a couple of different ways. First, the capitalization indicates that these are proper nouns, and as such, gives the virtues entities of their own. Additionally, Blake acknowledges that these characteristics are Christian attributes that man believes to comprise God. In the first stanza, it is is established that it is to these qualities that man prays when times are tough, so Man is praying to God. He continues on to say in lines 7-8 that these qualities are also found in Man, confirming the idea that Man is made in God's image.

This brings up an important question: Is Man created in God's image, or has Man created a God that reflects qualities Man wishes to see in himself?