The  second  then  begins  and  lasts  till  midnight  Then  follows  the
third,  which  also  lasts  for  three  hours ;  then  the  fourth,  which  lasts  till
the  dawn  and  the  rising  of  the  sun.  Christ  shows  by  these  watches
when  we  ought  to  watch  and  be  prepared  for  the  coming  of  the
Lord ;  for  the  time  of  our  death  is  uncertain,  nor  have  we  one  day
or  even  hour  of  our  life  of  which  we  can  be  sure.  The  first  watch  is
our  childhood,  the  second  our  youth,  the  third  our  grown  manhood,
the  fourth,  our  old  age.  So  Titus  and  S.  Gregory.  "  Christ  does
not,"  says  F.  Lucas,  "  mention  so  much  the  fourth  and  first  watches,
because  He  does  not  often  come  from  the  marriage  so  early  or  so
late.  The  marriages  are  generally  concluded  about  the  middle  of
the  night  when  the  bride  is  conducted  to  the  marriage  chamber.
