•45G GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHAP. XII. 38. And ifhe shallcome in the secondwatch,or inthethirdwatch,and findthem so,blessedarethose servants. 39. And thisknow, that if the gooclman of the house had known what hour the thiefwould come, he would have watched,and not have sufferedhis houseto be brokenthrough. 40. Be ye thereforereadyalso: forthe Son ofman cometh atan hour when ye thinknot. THEOPHYL. Our Lord havingtaughtHis disciplesmodera tion,takingfrom them allcareand conceitofthislife,now leadsthem on to serveand obey,saying,Let your loinsbe girded,thatis,alwaysreadyto do the work of your Lord, and yourlampsburning,thatis,do not leada lifein dark ness,but have withyou the lightof reason,shewing you what to do and.what to avoid.For thisworldisthe night, but they have theirloinsgirded,who followa practicalor activelife.For such istheconditionof servantswho must have withthem alsolamps burning;thatis,the giftofdis cernment,thatthe activeman may be ableto distinguish not onlywhat he ought to do,but in what way ; otherwise men rushdown theprecipiceofpride.But we must observe, thatHe firstordersourloinstobegirded,secondly,ourlamps to be burning.For firstindeedcomes action,then reflec tion,which is an enlighteningof the mind. Let us then striveto exercisethevirtues,thatwe may have two lamps burning,thatis,the conceptionof the mind evershining forthin the soul,by which we are ourselvesenlightened, and learning,wherebywe enlightenothers.MAXIM. Or, He teachesus to keep our lamps burning,by prayerand con templationand spirituallove. CYRIL.Or, to be girded, signifiesactivityand readinessto undergoevilsfrom regard toDivinelove. But the burningof the lamp signifiestha we shouldnot sufferany toliveinthedarknessofignorance. Greg. GREG. Or else,we girdour loinswhen by continencewe ls°Tn controlthe lustsof the flesh.For the lustof men is in theirloins.and of women in theirwomb ; by the name of