Builder Stott sat next, and hastened to the rescue of faith from a freethinker like Mr. Whilcher.
"Suppose we do right always," said he, "what does it amount to? Our righteousness is as filthy rags in His sight, according to the inspired Word, and there's very little to hope for from anything so worthless. Nobody knows, even when he's doing his best, whether he is right or wrong. Even Satan sometimes appears as an angel of light. I can remember many a time when I've done what seemed to be exactly the right thing, and I not only went without any credit for it, but it seemed to make everything else go wrong. I begin to think the Lord knows his own business best, and that we can't meddle with it without getting into trouble."
"Getting into trouble is an excuse for not trying to do right, is it?" asked Captain Maile.
"No, it isn't," replied Mr. Stott quite testily; "but a man can do a great deal of trying without succeeding, and without finding what is the proper thing to do. If we always knew just what was right, we should never get into trouble."
"I should like to ask the gentleman if Christ, the apostles, and prophets never got into trouble?" said Mr. Alleman.
"I suppose they did," replied Mr. Stott, in visible embarrassment; "but—but that was divinely ordained for the benefit of sinful man."
"I should like also to ask if the gentleman considers the servant above his master, and free from responsibility for his conduct?"
"No, of course not," said Mr. Stott, "but——"
Mr. Stott's expression remained unfinished for so long a time that Mr. Buffle took pity upon him, and remarked: