en, a little later, some one ventured to speak
of the Book of Job as a _dramatic_ poem, there were many who were
simply horrified. Indeed, it was difficult for many good people
to consider the Biblical writings as in any sense literature; they
belonged in a category by themselves, and the application to them
of the terms by which we describe similar writings in other books
appeared to many good men and women a kind of profanation. This was
not, of course, the attitude of educated men and women, but something
akin to it affected large numbers of excellent people.

We are well past that period, and the relations of religion and
poetry may now be discussed with no fear of misunderstandings. These
relations are close and vital. Poetry is indebted to religion for its
largest and loftiest inspirations, and religion is indebted to poetry
for its subtlest and most luminous interpretations.

Religion is related to poetry as life is related to art. Religion is
life, the life of God in the soul of man--the response of man's spirit
to the attractions of the divine Spirit. Poetry is an interpretation
of life. Religious poetry endeavors to express, in beautiful
forms, the facts of the religious life. There is poetry that is not
religious; poetry which deals only with that which is purely sensuous,
poetry which does not hint at spiritual facts, or divine relations;
and there is religion which has but little to do with poetry: but the
highest religious thoughts and feelings are greatly served by putting
them into poetic forms; and the greatest poetry is always that which
sets forth the facts of the religious life. "Without love to man and
love to God," says Dr. Strong, "the greatest poetry is impossible.
Mere human love to God is not enough to stir the deepest chords either
in the poet or in his readers. It is the connection of human love with
the divine love that gives it permanence and security."[A]

If, then, religion is the supreme experience of the human spirit, and
that experience finds its most perfect literary expression in poetry,
the present volume ought to contain a precious collection of the best
literature. And any one who wished to give to a friend a volume which
would convey to him the essential elements of religion would probably
be safe to choose this volume rather than any prose treatise upon
theology ever printed. He who reads this book through will get
a clearer and truer idea of what the religious life is than an