| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Large Catechism by Dr. Martin Luther: and all powers must be subject to Him and lie at His feet, until
finally, at the last day, He will completely part and separate us from
the wicked world, the devil, death, sin, etc.
But to explain all these single points separately belongs not to brief
sermons for children, but rather to the ampler sermons that extend
throughout the entire year, especially at those times which are
appointed for the purpose of treating at length of each article -- of
the birth, sufferings, resurrection, ascension of Christ, etc.
Ay, the entire Gospel which we preach is based on this, that we
properly understand this article as that upon which our salvation and
all our happiness rest, and which is so rich and comprehensive that we
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from A Passion in the Desert by Honore de Balzac: "She is exacting," said the Frenchman, smilingly.
He was bold enough to play with her ears; he caressed her belly and
scratched her head as hard as he could. When he saw that he was
successful, he tickled her skull with the point of his dagger,
watching for the right moment to kill her, but the hardness of her
bones made him tremble for his success.
The sultana of the desert showed herself gracious to her slave; she
lifted her head, stretched out her neck and manifested her delight by
the tranquility of her attitude. It suddenly occurred to the soldier
that to kill this savage princess with one blow he must poniard her in
the throat.
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Exiles by Honore de Balzac: each section of the science, since one only, namely, Mystic, is the
subject of this /Etude/.
Mystical Theology included the whole of Divine Revelation and the
elucidation of the Mysteries. And this branch of ancient theology has
been secretly preserved with reverence even to our own day; Jacob
Boehm, Swendenborg, Martinez Pasqualis, Saint-Martin, Molinos, Madame
Guyon, Madame Bourignon, and Madame Krudener, the extensive sect of
the Ecstatics, and that of the Illuminati, have at different periods
duly treasured the doctrines of this science, of which the aim is
indeed truly startling and portentous. In Doctor Sigier's day, as in
our own, man has striven to gain wings to fly into the sanctuary where
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