104 THE MATRIMONIAL GARDEN. 



and forbidding 1 ? That Avarice, like some choaking weed, 

 will teach the fingers to gripe, and the hands to oppress 1 

 That Revenge, like some poisonous plant, replete with bane- 

 ful juices, will rankle in the breast, and meditate mischief to 

 its neighbour % While unbridled Lust, like swarms of 

 noisome insects, taint each rising thought, and render " every 

 imagination of the heart only evil continually." Such are 

 the usual products of unrestrained nature ! such the furni 

 ture of the uncultivated mind ! 



By all means, then, pay due attention to culture. By 

 suitable discipline, clear the soil ; by careful instruction, im 

 plant the seed of virtue. By skill and vigilance, prune the 

 unprofitable and over-luxuriant branches : " direct the young 

 idea how to shoot," the wayward passions how to move. 

 The mature man will then become the chief ornament of 

 the garden. Around him Charity will breathe her sweets, 

 and in his branches Hope expand her blossoms. In him 

 the personal virtues will display their graces, and the social 

 ones their fruit ; the sentiments become generous, the car- 

 riage endearing, the life useful, and the end happy and 

 peaceful. 





