| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Captain Stormfield by Mark Twain: old patriarchs and prophets have got ages the start of you; they
know more in two minutes than you know in a year. Did you ever try
to have a sociable improving-time discussing winds, and currents
and variations of compass with an undertaker?"
"I get your idea, Sandy. He couldn't interest me. He would be an
ignoramus in such things - he would bore me, and I would bore him."
"You have got it. You would bore the patriarchs when you talked,
and when they talked they would shoot over your head. By and by
you would say, 'Good morning, your Eminence, I will call again' -
but you wouldn't. Did you ever ask the slush-boy to come up in the
cabin and take dinner with you?"
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, 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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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Idylls of the King by Alfred Tennyson: Vowing, and some protesting), "what is this?"
`O brother, when I told him what had chanced,
My sister's vision, and the rest, his face
Darkened, as I have seen it more than once,
When some brave deed seemed to be done in vain,
Darken; and "Woe is me, my knights," he cried,
"Had I been here, ye had not sworn the vow."
Bold was mine answer, "Had thyself been here,
My King, thou wouldst have sworn." "Yea, yea," said he,
"Art thou so bold and hast not seen the Grail?"
`"Nay, lord, I heard the sound, I saw the light,
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