The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Large Catechism by Dr. Martin Luther: body; but the heart must believe it.
Thus you see plainly that there is here no work done by us, but a
treasure which He gives us, and which faith apprehends; just as the
Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross is not a work, but a treasure
comprehended in the Word, and offered to us and received by faith.
Therefore they do us violence by exclaiming against us as though we
preach against faith; while we alone insist upon it as being of such
necessity that without it nothing can be received nor enjoyed.
Thus we have these three parts which it is necessary to know
concerning this Sacrament especially that the ordinance of God is to be
held in all honor, which alone would be sufficient, though it be an
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Lemorne Versus Huell by Elizabeth Drew Stoddard: Brothers, went to Europe with his family, and I went to Waterbury,
accompanied by Mr. Uxbridge. He consulted mother in regard to our
marriage, and appointed it in November. In October Aunt Eliza sent
for me to come back to Bond Street and spend a week. She had some
fine marking to do, she wrote. While there I noticed a restlessness
in her which I had never before observed, and conferred with Mrs.
Roll on the matter. "She do be awake nights a deal, and that's the
reason," Mrs. Roll said. Her manner was the same in other respects.
She said she would not give me any thing for my wedding outfit, but
she paid my fare from Waterbury and back.
She could not spare me to go out, she told Mr. Uxbridge, and in
|
The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Chinese Boy and Girl by Isaac Taylor Headland: Sprat," "Little Jacky Horner," "Four and Twenty Black-birds,"
"When Good King Arthur Ruled the Land," and a host of others will
indicate what I mean. A little child is a highly developed
stomach, and anything which tells about something that ministers
to the appetite and tends to satisfy that aching void, commends
itself to his literary taste, and hence the popularity of many
of our nursery rhymes, the only thought of which is about
something good to eat. Notice the following:
Look at the white breasted crows overhead.
My father shot once and ten crows tumbled dead.
|
The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from The American by Henry James: her mother is the daughter of an English Catholic earl. Her father is dead,
and since her widowhood she has lived with her mother and a married brother.
There is another brother, younger, who I believe is wild.
They have an old hotel in the Rue de l'Universite, but their fortune
is small, and they make a common household, for economy's sake.
When I was a girl I was put into a convent here for my education,
while my father made the tour of Europe. It was a silly thing to do
with me, but it had the advantage that it made me acquainted with Claire
de Bellegarde. She was younger than I but we became fast friends.
I took a tremendous fancy to her, and she returned my passion as far
as she could. They kept such a tight rein on her that she could
|