THE PROBLEM OF FAITH 217 



Bible to one man is plain, literal, and prosaic. 

 Every word means just what it says. When it is 

 read, that is all there is of it. To another it flames 

 with spiritual suggestion ; its sublime prophecies, 

 the choral melody of the Psalms, the awful splen- 

 dours of Job and Ezekiel, and the great visions of 

 the Apocalypse, are doors into a world of which 

 the literal sense is only a symbol. The two men 

 are not blamable for seeing differently. One 

 never threw away an imagination, and the other 

 never had one. They interpret the same objective 

 revelation according to the nature of their respec- 

 tive individualities. Instead of expecting all to 

 see alike, to give to each word an equal emphasis, 

 and to do fealty to precisely the same ideal, — 

 never the same to two persons, — the duty of each 

 to live according to the highest light he can get 

 should be asserted and enforced. Standards will 

 differ. Those are not nearest alike who profess 

 their faith in the same words, but those who with 

 equal earnestness and prayer strive to realize in 

 the outward world the truth as it is disclosed to 

 them. The spirit of a man is more than his intel- 

 lectual conclusions. " If any man willeth to do 

 His will, he shall know," said the Master. Views 

 of truth and beauty will vary with individuals. 

 That should be expected. Because there are 



