| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Pool in the Desert by Sara Jeanette Duncan: I were together at the Club. It was the year, I remember, of the
great shindy as to whether foreign consuls should continue to be
made honourary members, in view of the sentiments some of them were
freely reflecting from Europe upon the subject of a war in South
Africa which was none of theirs. Certainly, feeling as they did, it
would have been better if they had swaggered less about a club that
stood for British Government; but I did not vote to withdraw the
invitation. We can not, after all, take notice of every idle word
that drops from Latin or Teutonic tongues; it isn't our way; but it
was a liverish cold weather on various accounts, and the public
temper was short. I heard from Dora oftener, Harris declared, than
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Essays of Travel by Robert Louis Stevenson: a man must first be born, and then devote himself for life. And,
unhappily, the manners of a certain so-called upper grade have a kind
of currency, and meet with a certain external acceptation throughout
all the others, and this tends to keep us well satisfied with slight
acquirements and the amateurish accomplishments of a clique. But
manners, like art, should be human and central.
Some of my fellow-passengers, as I now moved among them in a relation
of equality, seemed to me excellent gentlemen. They were not rough,
nor hasty, nor disputatious; debated pleasantly, differed kindly;
were helpful, gentle, patient, and placid. The type of manners was
plain, and even heavy; there was little to please the eye, but
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from A treatise on Good Works by Dr. Martin Luther: leg is broken, or who is in bodily danger. Nay, you believe that
God shall hear most of all when you are in the greatest need and
fear. Why, then, are you so foolish here, where there is
immeasurably greater need and eternal hurt, and do not want to
ask for faith, hope, love, humility, obedience, chastity,
gentleness, peace, righteousness, unless you are already free of
all your unbelief, doubt, pride, disobedience, unchastity, anger,
covetousness and unrighteousness. Although the more you find
yourself lacking in these things, the more and more diligently
you ought to pray or cry.
So blind are we: with our bodily sickness and need we run to God;
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