15 
Jeremiah first received his commission from the Al¬ 
mighty to predict the judgments which should befall 
the Jews, he was shown “ the rod of an almond tree,’ 
to express the speed with which the Lord would “ hasten 
his word to perform it.” The rods of the twelve tribes, 
as well as Aaron’s, appear to have been made of this 
tree, as emblematical of the vigilance required in their 
duties; and in the highly figurative description of old 
age, contained in the twelfth chapter of Ecclesiastes, the 
haste with which it advances upon us is expressed by 
the phrase “ the almond tree shall flourish; ” and the 
showy whiteness of its blossoms, unfolding on bare 
boughs, may not inaptly represent the hoary head and 
defenceless state of declining years. 
It seems, however, susceptible of further improve¬ 
ment : its delicate flowers are as evanescent as they are 
beautiful, one moment being in their glory, and the 
next scattered “ the breeze best knows where.” Sir 
William Jones has the following couplet, expressive of 
their short-lived beauty: — 
“ The gale that o’er yon waving almond blows, 
The verdant bank with silver blossoms strews. 
