But as God has given you _five talents_, as he has placed you above the necessities of life, as he has left you in the happy liberty of chusing the most exalted ways of virtue; as he has left you nothing to do, but to make the best use of variety of blessings, to make the best of a short life, to study your own perfection, the honour of God, and the good of your neighbour; so it is now your duty to enquire how the most eminent saints have lived, to study all the _arts_ and _methods_ of perfection, and to set no bounds to your love and gratitude to the bountiful author of so many blessings. 3. It is now your duty to turn your _five talents_ into five more, and to consider how your _time_, and _leisure_, and _health_, and _fortune_ may be made so many happy means of purifying your own soul, improving your fellow-creatures, and of carrying you at last to the greatest heights of eternal glory. As you have no _mistress_ to serve, so let your own soul be the object of your daily care and attendance. Nourish it with _good works_, give it peace in _solitude_, get it strength in _prayer_, make it wise with _reading_, enlighten it by _meditation_, make it tender with _love_, sweeten it with _humility_, enliven it with _psalms_ and _hymns_, and comfort it with frequent _reflections_ upon future glory. Keep it in the presence of God, and teach it to imitate those _guardian angels_; which tho’ they attend on the lowest of mankind, yet _always behold the face of our Father which is in heaven_. This, _Serena_, is your profession. For as sure as God is one God, so sure it is, that he has but one command to all mankind, whether they be bond or free, rich or poor; and that is, to act up to the _excellency_ of their nature, to live by _reason_, to walk in the _light_ of religion, to glorify God in all his _gifts_, and dedicate every condition of life to his service. This is the _one common_ command of God to all mankind. If you have an employment, you are to be thus reasonable, and holy in the exercise of it; if you have time and a fortune in your own power, you are to be thus reasonable, and holy, in the use of all your time and all your fortune. 4. The right use of every talent, is the indispensable duty of every being that is capable of knowing right or wrong. For the reason why we are to do _any thing_ as unto God, and with regard to our relation to him, is the same reason why we are to do _every thing_ as unto God, and with regard to this relation. That which is a reason for our being _wise_ and _holy_ in the discharge of all our _business_, is the same reason for our being wise and holy in the use of all our _money_.