| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Malbone: An Oldport Romance by Thomas Wentworth Higginson: When the young men went out with the boatmen, the water had
grown more quiet, save where angry little gusts ruffled it. But
these gusts made it necessary to carry a double reef, and they
made but little progress against wind and tide.
A dark-gray fog, broken by frequent wind-flaws, makes the
ugliest of all days on the water. A still, pale fog is
soothing; it lulls nature to a kind of repose. But a windy fog
with occasional sunbeams and sudden films of metallic blue
breaking the leaden water,--this carries an impression of
something weird and treacherous in the universe, and suggests
caution.
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Confessio Amantis by John Gower: Was overcast and overthrowe.
For as the sothe mot be knowe,
To Juno was don understonde
In what manere hir housebonde
With fals brocage hath take usure
Of love mor than his mesure,
Whan he tok othre than his wif,
Wherof this mayden was gultif, 4610
Which hadde ben of his assent.
And thus was al the game schent;
She soffreth him, as sche mot nede,
Confessio Amantis |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Smalcald Articles by Dr. Martin Luther: conversely, to omit good and do evil.
Again, that man by his natural powers can observe and keep
[do] all the commands of God.
Again, that, by his natural powers, man can love God above all
things and his neighbor as himself.
Again, if a man does as much as is in him, God certainly
grants him His grace.
Again, if he wishes to go to the Sacrament, there is no need
of a good intention to do good, but it is sufficient if he has
not a wicked purpose to commit sin; so entirely good is his
nature and so efficacious the Sacrament.
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