I once more resume my pen to give you a few more thoughts on the 12th of Ecclesiastes, but lament the limits, of a Letter, or even a Sermon would be too short to do justice to that subject. The Wise Man has in the verses we have already considered, described age to us, in the influence it has upon all the functions and faculties of a man; and shews how they are all weakened in his declining state. He now proceeds to notice one sad effect of age, that is, _Fear_. Verse 5, _Also they shall be afraid of that which is high_, _and fears shall be in the way_; _and the Almond tree shall flourish_, _and desire shall fail_, _and the Grasshopper shall be a burden_, _because man goeth to his long home_, _and the mourners go about the streets_. The first is _Fear_, either of things high or low. _He shall be afraid of that which is high_, either in respect of place or objects; as steep, and eminent ways, hills, mountains, steeples, and towers; some of which formerly they could ascend without fear, in their juvenile and manly days; but it is not so now, they are weak in mind, nervous, low, timid, and fearful; so they are afraid of high things, as fiery meteors, strange apparitions, thunder, lightning, and such like. So they are likewise, probably, afraid of abstruse and mysterious points in any science, which while strong, they durst have ventured upon, but now they are too weak in the faculties to dive deep into them; they are always in fear lest tiles of houses, or chimney pots, or any thing else should fall on them, especially in windy weather. They have fears about them constantly on all hands; they see danger, lest they should dash their foot against a stone; lest some people in their hurry should push them down, or should rush upon them, and injure them. Being conscious of their own impotency, it makes them most obnoxious to this terrible passion, which is the great change made on them in the time of age. Thus Solomon notices the change made in the mind by sickness, trouble, and age. He then points it out clearly upon the body in the next line, _The Almond tree shall flourish_. The learned tell us, this tree waketh, and riseth from its winter’s repose before any other, it flowers in the month of January, and by March bringeth its fruit to maturity. The forwardness of this fruit-bearing tree is intimated by the vision which Jeremiah had of the speedy Destruction of Jerusalem; _For the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah_, _saying_, _what seest thou_? _And he said_, _I see a rod of an Almond tree_. _Then said the Lord_, _thou hast well seen_, _I will hasten my word to fulfil it_. _Jeremiah_, 1 chapter, XI verse. This was to shew the speedy fulfilling of the word of God against that City. Now there is no change that befalleth man, that can be so lively represented by the blooming of the Almond tree, as that whereby the hair of the head becomes hoary and white. The grey head is similar to this tree, for its