| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom by William and Ellen Craft: in which case the slave shall be wholly excused."
According to this law, if a slave, by the direction
of his overseer, strike a white person who is beating
said overseer's pig, "the slave shall be wholly
excused." But, should the bondman, of his own
accord, fight to defend his wife, or should his
terrified daughter instinctively raise her hand and
strike the wretch who attempts to violate her
chastity, he or she shall, saith the model republican
law, suffer death.
From having been myself a slave for nearly
Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Happy Prince and Other Tales by Oscar Wilde: over a big lake on large flat leaves, and are always at war with
the butterflies.
"Dear little Swallow," said the Prince, "you tell me of marvellous
things, but more marvellous than anything is the suffering of men
and of women. There is no Mystery so great as Misery. Fly over my
city, little Swallow, and tell me what you see there."
So the Swallow flew over the great city, and saw the rich making
merry in their beautiful houses, while the beggars were sitting at
the gates. He flew into dark lanes, and saw the white faces of
starving children looking out listlessly at the black streets.
Under the archway of a bridge two little boys were lying in one
|
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Large Catechism by Dr. Martin Luther: We have now heard enough what toil and labor is required to retain all
that for which we pray, and to persevere therein, which, however, is
not achieved without infirmities and stumbling. Besides, although we
have received forgiveness and a good conscience and are entirely
acquitted, yet is our life of such a nature that one stands to-day and
to-morrow falls. Therefore, even though we be godly now and stand
before God with a good conscience, we must pray again that He would not
suffer us to relapse and yield to trials and temptations.
Temptation, however, or (as our Saxons in olden times used to call it)
Bekoerunge, is of three kinds, namely, of the flesh, of the world and
of the devil. For in the flesh we dwell and carry the old Adam about
|
