The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-04-28
THE VOICE OF THE PULPIT
A SHORT DISCOURSE ON THE CHAL-
LENGE OF CHARACTER.
by the Rev. George II. Hubbard, Pas
tor of the First Conversational
Church. Enfield, Mass.
Thou shalt say. no."-Judges Nv. %.

no." II calls for greater strength than the
bow OF Ulysses, greater skill than the feat
of William Tell. greater courage than the
charge of the Six Hundred.
Sorry indeed was the case Of the
Ephraimite at the fords of the Jordan,
whose tongue tripped over the difficult
sibilant in the password Of Gilead. In
speakably more sorry is the plight of the
young man or woman on the brink of
temptation whose lips cannot frame the
little word mo-" to utter it with prompt
ness and force. The forfeit of such weak
ness may be loss Of character, freedom.
manhood, or even of life eternal.
The man who cannot say mo" is at the
mercy of every temptation. He is easily
led into wrongdoing. He is without de-
Tense against the assaults of evil But he
who has learned to use the word Alright.
who can utter it at the right moment and
as though he meant it. is wellnigh proof
against temptation.
NO indicates moral courage. 1 ask you
who are the worlds greatest heroes, and
you tell me Of some Horatius with his
two companions standing in the narrow
way and holding in check a vast army of
foes while a bridge is being destroyed TO
save their beloved city. And they are
brave men, noble men, whom all the world
admires. But there have been Drawer.
Take that other three. the youths in
Babylon. who refused to bow to the golden
image which the king had set up. Theirs
was a nobler courage, as they flung their
defiant NO in the face of the tyrant
king. The Roman trio were inspired by
the greatness of their task. They were
Gr1c%afnal hv The orc that III D@r,o
looked upon them with grateful admira-
ton. Even the enemy whom they faced
could scarce forbear to cheer their noble
action. No such inspiration had the He
brew three in Babylon. They had no one
TO witness and admire. Only sneers and
ridicule rewarded their scruples. They
staked their lives not for material things.
which all could value, but for a principle
which their brethren could not appreciate.
And they met the test with no thought
that their deed would ever be known and
praised by any,. The Roman courage was
great. but this was unspeakably greater.
NOT MORAL HEROES.
To-day we speak of the Hobsons, the
Deweys or the Roosevelts as our typical
heroes. Let me not seem 70 detract one
iota from the reverence which we justly
feel for them; yet 1 tell you that there are
men-scores, or even hundreds of them
who would gladly have shared with Hobson
the p~erilous task of sinking the Merrimac,
or who would have risked with Dewey the
torpedoes and mines of Manila bay without
fear, or would have marched to the very
mouths Of the Spanish guns with enthusl-
asm, but who have not the courage to utter
q clear and decisive "No!' to the invita-
lions of sin and folly. The supreme test OF
courage is not the threat of an enemy,
however strong or vindictive, but the per-
suasion of a friend whom we dread to dis
please. War is terrible. but it echoes with
glory, and we forget our fear. Ridicule
has no compensations. Certain mouthfuls
of articulate wind are blown at us, and this
what mortal courage can front?"
Again, Nor indicates decision of char
aCter. Another condition of power. Deci-
sion implies a mind fully made up. 1t
means all the forces of ones nature ar
rayed together. And there is no man living
who is not a match for the devil when his
own forces are united. But we are con-
quered and taken captive when a part of
our forces fight for the enemy.
Decision is a characteristic of great gen.
erals. 1t was the secret of Napoleon's
career. NHllc the Hdlleus WelSncu Qil-
ferent plans, doubted which might be the
better course. he made up his mind. chose
a particular course and staked his all on
its success. Once only he hesitated. and
then but for a few hours: but that brief
indecision cost him the battle of Waterloo,
his throne and all the conquests of a life
time.
The general is but one type Of universal
~-orb0.I n-ai-i,, l. orr,aI1xr xital for oil
Shakespeare says:
Which. taken at the flood, leads on to for
tune;
Omitted, all the voyage of our life
Is bound in shadows and in miseries.
Especially is this true in the battle with
temptation. There is a moment when we
are safe. if we meet the trial boldly. If
we delay and temporize we are undone.
He who hesitates is lost" The word mo-
masses our force in an instant and makes
us invincible.
Yet again. mo" indicates determination
1t represents not merely defniteness and
unity of plan, but vigor in its execution. It
carries out the very purpose which it en-
bodies. There is in it a sharpness which
cannot be resisted. And this sharpness
which we so much dread is often a minis
ter of real kindness.
In time of serious riot in Paris the mill
tary was called out TO restore order. The
commander, wishing to avoid bloodshed,
first argued with the mob. then threatened
them. then privately ordered the troops TO
fire blank cartridges. For a moment there
was confusion among the crowd; but soon,
finding that no one was hurt, the rioters
became more violent than ever. and the
soldiers were Obliged to fire volley after
volley. killing hundreds and wounding hun
dreds more before they were dispersed. 4
few bullets at the first round would have
scattered the crowd with a 1.-THE of the
slaughter.
IMPORTANCE OF FIRMNESS.
So it is very often when we are assailed
by temptation. We give some soft and hes
itating reply. Not that we intend TO yield.
Very far from it. But we dislike 10 give
offense. We are unwilling to seem impo-
lite or 70 hurt anybody's feelings. 1t is as
tcnishing how careful most men are of the
DEVILS feelings. They treat them with the
utmost tenderness. One-half of the rules
Of modern etiquette are framed to save
the feelings OF the devil from injury, for he
is the most sensitive of creatures. And
what is the result of our hesitation? Either
one OF two. We lose the critical moment
and are conquered. Or, finding politeness