What is the significance of this rich endowment with the power of reproduction in all forms of life, animal and vegetable, until it assumes the appearance of actual redundancy? Is it not nature's testimony to the fact of the desirability of life? And hence she has equipped the various species with power to perpetuate life, not withstanding the destructive forces with which life in its great variety of forms has to contend. Is life--especially human life--worth living? Undoubtedly, since nature has so abundantly provided the means for its perpetuation, and God has given the commandment, "Be fruitful and replenish the earth." _4. The Symbols of Life and Death: "The Tree of Life._--so called from its symbolic character as a sign and seal of immortal life. Its prominent position in the midst of the garden where it must have been an object of daily observation and interest, was admirably fitted to keep them [Adam and Eve] habitually in mind of God and futurity." _"Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil._--so called because it was a test of obedience by which our first parents were to be tried, whether they would be good or bad, obey God or break his commandments.' _"Thou Shalt not Eat of it. * * * Thou Shalt Surely Die._--no reason assigned for the prohibition, but death was to be the punishment of disobedience. A positive command like this was not only the simplest and easiest, but the only trial to which their fidelity could be exposed." (Commentary Critical and Explanatory of the Old and New Testament, Jamieson-Fossett-Brown.) In the above symbols, together with the commandment and penalty to follow disobedience, we have assembled the great mysteries of this world--Life, Death, Good, Evil, the fact of man's Agency--power to order his own course, to obey or disobey; continued life for obedience, which is but conformation to the law of life; and death for disobedience, or departure from the conditions on which life is predicated. The Tree of Life was the symbol of eternal life, for later when man had partaken of the fruit of the Tree of Death--the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil--God is represented as saying, in effect, since the man has become as one of us to know good and evil, lest he put forth his hand now and partake also of the tree of life and eat and live forever, let us send him forth from the garden and guard the tree of life by cherubims with flaming sword. And so it was ordered.--(Genesis iii:22-25) See also Alma ch. xii:22-27; also Alma ch. xii, 1-10.