| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg by Mark Twain: And he did--slowly, and wondering:
"'The remark which I made to the stranger--[Voices. "Hello! how's
this?"]--was this: 'You are far from being a bad man. [Voices.
"Great Scott!"] Go, and reform.'" [Voice. "Oh, saw my leg off!"]
Signed by Mr. Pinkerton the banker."
The pandemonium of delight which turned itself loose now was of a
sort to make the judicious weep. Those whose withers were unwrung
laughed till the tears ran down; the reporters, in throes of
laughter, set down disordered pot-hooks which would never in the
world be decipherable; and a sleeping dog jumped up scared out of
its wits, and barked itself crazy at the turmoil. All manner of
The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians by Martin Luther: the mere hearing of faith. The hearer likes to reason like this: Forgiveness
of sins, deliverance from death, the gift of the Holy Ghost, everlasting life
are grand things. If you want to obtain these priceless benefits, you must
engage in correspondingly great efforts. And the devil says, "Amen."
We must learn that forgiveness of sins, Christ, and the Holy Ghost, are
freely granted unto us at the preaching of faith, in spite of our sinfulness.
We are not to waste time thinking how unworthy we are of the blessings of
God. We are to know that it pleased God freely to give us His unspeakable
gifts. If He offers His gifts free of charge, why not take them? Why worry
about our lack of worthiness? Why not accept gifts with joy and thanksgiving?
Right away foolish reason is once more offended. It scolds us. "When you say
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