| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Large Catechism by Dr. Martin Luther: our friends is but an ordinary heathen virtue as Christ says Matt. 5,
46.
Here we have again the Word of God whereby He would encourage and urge
us to true noble and sublime works, as gentleness patience, and, in
short, love and kindness to our enemies, and would ever remind us to
reflect upon the First Commandment, that He is our God, that is, that
He will help, assist, and protect us, in order that He may thus quench
the desire of revenge in us.
This we ought to practice and inculcate and we would have our hands
full doing good works. But this would not be preaching for monks; it
would greatly detract from the religious estate, and infringe upon the
|
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: weeks of solitary academic calm, alone with his books
and his thoughts. The facts that he had no books,
and that nobody dreamed of interfering with his thoughts,
subordinated themselves humbly to his mood. The prospect,
as he mused fondly upon it, expanded to embrace the
priest's and the doctor's libraries; the thoughts which
he longed to be alone with involved close communion
with their thoughts. It could not but prove a season
of immense mental stimulation and ethical broadening.
It would have its lofty poetic and artistic side as well;
the languorous melodies of Chopin stole over his revery,
The Damnation of Theron Ware |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Prince by Nicolo Machiavelli: he is wise he ought not to fear the reputation of being mean, for in
time he will come to be more considered than if liberal, seeing that
with his economy his revenues are enough, that he can defend himself
against all attacks, and is able to engage in enterprises without
burdening his people; thus it comes to pass that he exercises
liberality towards all from whom he does not take, who are numberless,
and meanness towards those to whom he does not give, who are few.
We have not seen great things done in our time except by those who
have been considered mean; the rest have failed. Pope Julius the
Second was assisted in reaching the papacy by a reputation for
liberality, yet he did not strive afterwards to keep it up, when he
The Prince |
