(I missed the last few verses of Ecclesiastes it seems, so here they are before we move to Romans.)  Ecclesiastes 12:4 says, And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;   Solomon is continuing to tell us why we should remember our Creator when we are young.  He continues to speak of some of the problems of old age.  As we get older, we tend to not want to venture out as much.  We close the doors to the streets.  This could also mean being more fearful even when we are at home.  We hear so many times about the elderly being attacked in their homes that we may become fearful.  Our hearing, as well as our vision is failing us, yet we rise up at the sound of a bird.  We just don't sleep as deeply as we once did.  We don't hear music as well as we once did.  No matter how good the sound reproduction of a product, if our hearing is gone, then it really doesn't matter to us.  Verse five says, Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:  As we grow older and less sure on our feet, then we are less likely to go to high places.  Again, remembering that Solomon is telling us why we should remember our Creator while we are young, we need to serve God when we ar ready to go anywhere.  I know that if we are truly serving God that we will serve Him at any age, but we cannot deny that our abilities may decrease with age.  Sixty may be the new forty, but neither is the new twenty.  Verse six says, Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.  Now matter how many years we live, death is our fate unless Christ returns, and even then this old body will die to be transformed into something new.  That is why in verse seven, Solomon concludes, Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.  Our spirit will return to God for judgment.  Those who accept Christ will stay with Him, and those who reject Christ will be sent away to everlasting separation.  In verse eight, Solomon pronounces the final conclusion about this life: Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.  Everything done simply for this world amounts to nothing, as it will all pass away.