Garden — Meditation 1
A Gentlewoman who had lately seen a neat and curious Garden, returns to her own with a greater dislike of it th[•]n ever; resolves to new model the whole plot, and reduce it to a better form, is now become so curious and neat, that not a weed or stone is suffered in it, but all must lye in exquisite order; and what ever ornament she had observed in her neighbours, she is now restless till she see it in her own.
Happy were it thought I, if in an holy emulation, every one would thus endeavour to rectifie the disorders of their own conversation, by the excellent graces they behold in the more heavenly and regular lives of others. Some Christians there are (I wish their number were greater) whose actions lye in such a comely and beautiful order, that few of their neighbours con look upon their examples without self-conviction and shame; but few are so happy to be provoked to self-reformation but such rare patterns. I see, it is much easier to pull up many weeds out of a Garden, than one corruption out of the heart, and to procure an hundred flowers to adorn a knot, than one grace to beautifie the soul. 'Tis more natural to corrupt man to envy, than to imitate the spiritual excellencies of others.
