"My Father, may I ever humbly follow in thy way; may I ever trust,
with the full assurance of faith, that it does lead to thy heavenly
kingdom. It is often narrow and perplexed, and I cannot see where
it is leading me; yet, though the guiding light of thy holy word
may be half obscured by the mists of the valley, if I fix my eyes
steadily upon it, it will become brighter and brighter; I shall see
my way clearly in this seemingly intricate road, and discern, even
at the end of it, the entrance to thy heavenly mansion."
"O God, may our souls be full of life. Save us from an inanimate
and sluggish life.... Inspire our sensibility to good; may we see
more and more its loveliness and beauty. And may all the varied
experience of life draw us nearer to thee" (Channing).
Then follows "an abstract from Channing's Memoirs, showing how, by
self-scrutiny, his character was formed, by many trials and denials."
She then copies eighteen pages from Channing's "Rules for
Self-Discipline," at the end writing, "All these pages from Channing are
written from memory, not copied."
The second rule copied is, "Let me not _talk_ of pains, sicknesses,
complaints," etc.
Following the rules is a poem copied from the "Christian Register" of
Sept. 4, 1880.