| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Augsburg Confession by Philip Melanchthon: but that they might know that grace and forgiveness of sins
and justification are apprehended by faith in Christ.
Men are also admonished that here the term "faith" does not
signify merely the knowledge of the history, such as is in the
ungodly and in the devil, but signifies a faith which
believes, not merely the history, but also the effect of the
history -- namely, this Article: the forgiveness of sins, to
wit, that we have grace, righteousness, and forgiveness of
sins through Christ.
Now he that knows that he has a Father gracious to him through
Christ, truly knows God; he knows also that God cares for him,
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Country Doctor by Honore de Balzac: the mountain side above the now deserted village was the property of
the township. The sum of money brought in by the woods on the higher
slopes paid for the building of the new houses and for the land on
which they stood. They were built forthwith; and when once one of my
refractory families was fairly settled in, the rest of them were not
slow to follow. The benefits of the change were so evident that even
the most bigoted believer in the village, which you might call
soulless as well as sunless, could not but appreciate them. The final
decision in this matter, which gave some property to the Commune, in
the possession of which we were confirmed by the Council of State,
made me a person of great importance in the canton. But what a lot of
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Forged Coupon by Leo Tolstoy: had with her husband revived in her memory;
she frowned, and her hands, from which she had
not taken off the mittens, shook with fury against
him.
"Oh, there he is.--We have just been speak-
ing of you," said the hostess to Eugene Mihailo-
vich, who came in at that very moment. "Why
are you so late?"
"I was busy," answered Eugene Mihailovich,
in a gay voice, rubbing his hands. And to his
wife's surprise he came to her side and said,--
The Forged Coupon |
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 Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe: living at the lady's house that I was not so easy in my old
quarters as I used to be, and I thought it was fine to be a
gentlewoman indeed, for I had quite other notions of a
gentlewoman now than I had before; and as I thought, I say,
that it was fine to be a gentlewoman, so I loved to be among
gentlewomen, and therefore I longed to be there again.
About the time that I was fourteen years and a quarter old,
my good nurse, mother I rather to call her, fell sick and died.
I was then in a sad condition indeed, for as there is no great
bustle in putting an end to a poor body's family when once
they are carried to the grave, so the poor good woman being
Moll Flanders |
