Rev. P. Keith on the Conditions of Life. 133 



denly exposed to a temperature that is either much lower or 

 much higher, they are roused indeed into life, but the expo- 

 sure kills them. The natural and gradual increase of return- 

 ing solar heat is that which suits them the best. — Thus the 

 attribute of life preserves them even in hybernation, and is 

 ready to give them fresh activity when the due temperature 

 returns. 



Death. — By an irreversible decree of the original Giver of 

 life, every living being must submit to the stroke of death, 

 which is, as we have already observed, an extinction of all 

 living function, and of all possibility of living function. There 

 is no exemption, there is no escape. There is no way of 

 eluding the grasp of this ghastly King of Terrors; — mors nescia 

 jlecti ; — mors ultima linea reruvi. It seems a hard condition, 

 because it deprives us of all we hold dear. What a boon, 

 what a blessing is life ! And what would a man take in exchange 

 for it? — Even vegetables seem to be conscious of its value, 

 though we regard them as being destitute of the faculty of 

 sensation. In the " fine frenzy" of the poet, the trees of the 

 forest are made to rejoice, and corn-covered valleys to laugh 

 and to sing*. Much more is the blessing of life cognoscible 

 by animals who are endowed with organs of sense and of 

 feeling. — See how the tender lamb frolics in the enjoyment 

 of its newly acquired existence! — See how the birds wanton 

 in air ! — See, above ail, how man appreciates the value of the 

 gift; — and see his "longing after immortality," — when parti- 

 cipating, freely, in the gratifications which life presents, he 

 reflects upon the plenitude of its delights, and mingling reli- 

 gion with his mirth, ascends in holy meditation to the idea of 

 a kind Creator, and even to the glories of a future world. 



However, life is liable to many accidents that tend to cut 

 short the thread by which we hold it. Wounds, diseases, 

 poisons, are often fatal to the life of man, as well as to other 

 animals. A violent blow on the temples will extinguish life 

 in an instant. Plague, pestilence, and famine, will speedily 

 produce the like effect; and a few drops of concentrated prus- 

 sic acid introduced into the animal circulation will cause almost 

 immediate death. But if the individual should fortunately 

 escape all fatal accidents, still a term will come beyond which 

 life cannot be protracted ; still it will be worn out at last by a 

 natural and gradual decay. — Observe its progress in the plant, 

 and the symptoms of approaching dissolution. The root re- 

 fuses to imbibe the nourishment all()rded by the soil. The 

 juices are but feebly j)ropellcd, and their assimilation eHc'Cled 

 with difficulty. Tlie bark becomes thick and woody, and co- 

 vered with moss or lichens. Ihc shoot becomes stunted and 

 * I'siilin Ixv. 



