are for the little ones. The worshipers of the idol Moloch,
mentioned in the Bible, used to offer their children as
burnt-sacrifices to their cruel god. Mahometans look upon their women
and children as inferior beings. The Hindoos neglect their infants,
and leave them exposed on the banks of the Ganges, or throw them into
the river to be devoured by the hungry crocodiles. In the city of
Pekin many infants are thrown out into the streets every night.
Sometimes they are killed by the fall. Sometimes they are only half
killed, and linger, moaning in their agony, till the morning. Then
the police go around, and pick them up, and throw them all together
into a hole and bury them.

In Africa, the children are sometimes buried alive; and sometimes
left out in the fields or forests for the wild beasts to devour them.
In the South Sea Islands three-fourths of all the children born used
to be killed. Sometimes they would strangle their babies. Sometimes
they would leave them, where oxen and cattle would tread on them, and
trample them to death; while, at other times, they would break all
their joints, beginning with their fingers and toes, and then go on
to their wrists, and elbows, and shoulders. How dreadful it is to
think of such practices! And when we turn from these scenes of
heart-rending cruelty and think of the gracious Saviour,--the "gentle
Jesus, meek and mild," stretching forth his arms in loving
tenderness, and uttering the sweet words,--"Suffer the little
children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the
kingdom of God,"--what a wonderful contrast it makes!

And when we think of all that Jesus did and said to show his interest
in children, we may well ask ourselves such questions as these,--Why
was it so? What did he do it for? And when we come to look carefully
into this part of the life of Christ, we can see four great things in
it; and these are the reasons why Jesus did and said so much about
children.

_In the first place we see_--GREAT LOVE--_in the interest Christ
manifested towards the young_.

It was the same love which brought him down from heaven, and made him
willing to become a little child himself; the same love which made
him willing to live in poverty--and suffer the dreadful death upon
the cross that led him to show such interest in the little ones. But
if he had not told us himself how he feels on this subject, we could
not have been sure of it. Children might well have said, wh