The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-04-22
SERMON ON TENACITY.
Rev. W. A. Quayle Interests an Audi
ence mt Meridian-Street Church.

In his sermon in Meridian-street Meth
odist Church last night DR.. Quayle had a
great deal to say about "Tenacity," the
faculty of holding on, persevering in a
thing until it is accomplished, no matter
how great the difficulties that are in the
way. His text was III Corinthians iv. is.
the first part of the verse: For which
cause we faint not" The minister said
that sometimes it was all an army could
do to just hold its own. He cited a num-
Der OF engagements that were drawn bat
ties. 1.-The battle of Gettysburg was a
drawn battle" he declared, land yet it
made history The battle of Shiloh was a
drawn battle. Who whipped? Didn't any
body know. only we stayed, the other fell
lows didn't. This power to stay! We faint
not We have good cause to faint. but we
won't faint. We have lost enough blood to
kill a dozen men. but We won't faint! we
faint not And L tell you, men and wom-
en-, we are in great need in our daily life
of this quality of tenacity. Tomorrow; it
Is pretty near here. We are in great need
in our daily life of this word of encourage
ment because if we not always in hlar-
ity and we are not always routing some
body we are in danger of supposing that
we are defeated. 1 hold that a great deal
of the time if you hold your own you are
getting on WELL Don't run. Don't let them
push you down hill. Don't let them beat
you in the face and make you let go. Let
them beat you In the face, but don't let
go. Do you know, think there is great
deal in wrestling? like to see boys
wrestling, and / feel like sticking them on.
/ don't like to see them fight. l like to
see how fellow stays by. things. / am a
fellow that likes football, because like to
see people go at 1t and so through EN-. |
like it-something that is strenuous and
audacious. Pretty good thing, this testing
your muscles. Some people, just as soon
are everlastingly 'ouching. They think you
are hurting them. We are here TO be hurt.
We are here to have plasters put on us.
That is the doctors business; we are not
here to put plasters on ourselves. Go in,
brother. do your work. A good deal OF the
thumbscrew of fate on us is good for us.
1t is a good deal better for people to suffer
good deal and learn the art of not whirl-
pering than not to suffer any and as soon
as you get a pin-prick just cry:
This business of understanding how TO
hold your own You will get hammered,
that's what you will. longs? That's what
you will Some of these times you will die,
but you can hold your own, and that sort
| ties of life, keeping your place..
| Speaking Of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. DR..
Quayle said: He tainted not. Just stood
Il
hauling wood nor very good at tanning,
but mighty good at tanning the hides
of Confederates. BY and by he became
| the commander OF a million men and was
sent down to do what dozen other gen.
erals tried to do and couldn't. / feel, when
L think of or see picture of Grant at the
Rapidan, sitting by the Wayside penning a
! dispatch that said, Let the armies begin TO
move and million men began the most
| splendid and audacious march known to
| the earth-O l am proud of him, That
| man, solemn and silent and sedate, sitting
| by the roadside, nobody knew what he was
dreaming of. He was beginning the march
to Richmond. He said i will keep on if it
takes all summer And summer came and
| went and autumn came and went. He
| crossed the Rapidan, but j call you to wit
ness that he didn't recross it. He stayed
on the side he got on. He simply marched
onward and onward. BY and by
| he said, Il came down to have you sur
render and you will have TO do 1t, uncon-
ditional surrender General Grant has
! passed into the coin-current gold of our
American civilization and patriotism and
love forever. He represents the tenacity
that holds the sagacity that sees and the
generosity that forgives and the peace that
endures when battles are over; he represents
! that, but his hand didn't let go the sword
| till we didn't want any sword any more,
and then he threw IL away. He tainted not
That was it. No time to lose heart"
Applying the text TO the church. the min
! lister said you take this business of the
church Now. mark you, when / talk about
the church / don't mean the Methodist
] Church, / am never that small yet | don't
| take much stock in anybody don't care
| what denomination he belongs to-if when
| he talks about the church he means his
| church | mean the Church of God | mean
the big institution God is doing business in
| Now lots of times all the church can do
is TO hold it's own, and l call you TO witness
| that that is pretty big job. SO many good
| folks die. The mean old dodgers they seem
| to last forever; they are just hard and grit
| ~, and they stay. Now honest, haven't you
| seen lots and lots of times when the COM
munty would just fall into delight if GER
| tain people would der But they didn't
| just lived. just stayed; couldn't starve
| them couldn't shoot them. couldn't give
| them smallpox: they wouldn't take any
| thing. Not a lonesome thing would they
! take. No, you can't give them anything
But, good folks, breath takes them off
| sometimes. What is the church doing?
] Regenerating the earth? Yes, and putting
! people into heaven. Two big jobs ii has
| on hands. Heaven is a big place. and IL
/ wants to be filled. Don't want any empty
| sections there. This church Is peopling
| heaven and IL is holding it's own"
In concluding his discourse DIR. Quayle
urged his hearers TO try to have faith in
| people no matter how often they are de-
| ceived He admitted that this is a hard
| task. but he declared that the effort would
| do Christians good IF God didn't keep
| faith I'm when we have violated "A thou
| sand promises" he said, He would never
| listen to US when we call and when He
| heard us at His door He would never look
| through His lattice door But He will hear
| us and give rs one chance more 4"