| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from An Open Letter on Translating by Dr. Martin Luther: life and righteousness - why should we not say so? It is not
heretical that faith alone holds on to Christ and gives life; and
yet it seems to be heresy if someone mentions it. Are they not
insane, foolish and ridiculous? They will say that one thing is
right but brand the telling of this right thing as wrong - even
though something cannot be simultaneously right and wrong.
Furthermore, I am not the only one, nor the first, to say that
faith alone makes one righteous. There was Ambrose, Augustine and
many others who said it before me. And if one is to read and
understand St. Paul, the same thing must be said and not anything
else. His words, as well, are blunt - "no works" - none at all!
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Virginian by Owen Wister: of little George Taylor was full of hopeful interest; and many
other strains, both striking and melodious, were lifted in Cattle
Land, and had given pleasure to Molly's ear. But although
Indians, and bears, and mavericks, make worthy themes for song,
these are not the only songs in the world. Therefore the Eastern
warblings of the Ogdens sounded doubly sweet to Molly Wood. Such
words as Newport, Bar Harbor, and Tiffany's thrilled her
exceedingly. It made no difference that she herself had never
been to Newport or Bar Harbor, and had visited Tiffany's more
often to admire than to purchase. On the contrary, this rather
added a dazzle to the music of the Ogdens. And Molly, whose
The Virginian |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Bunner Sisters by Edith Wharton: by the familiar quiet of the little shop, and the click of
Evelina's pinking-machine, certain sights and sounds would detach
themselves from the torrent along which she had been swept, and she
would devote the rest of the day to a mental reconstruction of the
different episodes of her walk, till finally it took shape in her
thought as a consecutive and highly-coloured experience, from
which, for weeks afterwards, she would detach some fragmentary
recollection in the course of her long dialogues with her sister.
But when, to the unwonted excitement of going out, was added
the intenser interest of looking for a present for Evelina,
Ann Eliza's agitation, sharpened by concealment, actually preyed
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