| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad: an infliction, a visitation. It came in sections during
the next three weeks, each section headed by a donkey carrying
a white man in new clothes and tan shoes, bowing from
that elevation right and left to the impressed pilgrims.
A quarrelsome band of footsore sulky niggers trod on the heels
of the donkey; a lot of tents, camp-stools, tin boxes, white cases,
brown bales would be shot down in the courtyard, and the air
of mystery would deepen a little over the muddle of the station.
Five such instalments came, with their absurd air of disorderly
flight with the loot of innumerable outfit shops and
provision stores, that, one would think, they were lugging,
Heart of Darkness |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Damnation of Theron Ware by Harold Frederic: to do that sort of thing. We came here and we did it--
did it up brown, too. We not only raised all the money
the church needs, and to spare, but I took a personal shine
to you, and went out of my way to fix up things for you.
It isn't only the extra hundred dollars, but the whole
tone of the congregation is changed toward you now.
You'll see that they'll be asking to have you back here,
next spring. And you're solid with your Presiding Elder,
too. Well, now, tell me straight--is that worth while,
or not?"
"I've told you that I am very grateful," answered the
The Damnation of Theron Ware |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Augsburg Confession by Philip Melanchthon: up this matter rashly or from hatred of the bishops, as some
falsely suspect. There was great need to warn the churches of
these errors, which had arisen from misunderstanding the
traditions. For the Gospel compels us to insist in the
churches upon the doctrine of grace, and of the righteousness
of faith; which, however, cannot be understood, if men think
that they merit grace by observances of their own choice.
Thus, therefore, they have taught that by the observance of
human traditions we cannot merit grace or be justified, and
hence we must not think such observances necessary acts of
worship. They add hereunto testimonies of Scripture. Christ,
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