“‘He marches in front of His banner unfurled,
Which He raised that His own might find Him,
And the Holy Church throughout all the world
Falls into rank behind Him.’
Ah! Dr. Richards, you may pessimize to your heart’s content, but, nevertheless,—
“‘We march to victory
With the Cross of the Lord before us!’”
“I wish you did,” said the doctor. “I’d veil my crest to that Banner with the best grace in the world. But I haven’t much faith in the future.”
“You haven’t much faith in God.”
“Why, I can’t shut my eyes to facts, neither can I believe in a God who is less than omnipotent or less than perfectly good. Yet one of these hypotheses is necessary to reconcile the existence of God and the existence of evil.”