About a year afterwards, his employer took him aside one day, reminded him of the incident about the old apple woman; told him he was passing at the time, and saw it; and that it was this circumstance which induced him to offer the vacant situation to him, in preference to a hundred others who were applying for it. Here we see what a blessing this young man's humility proved to him! And thus we see that there are five good reasons why we should learn the lesson of humility. These are the _command_ of Christ; the _example_ of Christ; the _comfort_ that humility gives; the _usefulness_ to which it leads; and the _blessing_ that attends it. The first verse of the hymn we often sing contains a very suitable prayer to offer when we think of the lesson of humility we have now been considering: "Lord forever at thy side Let my place and portion be; Strip me of the robe of pride Clothe me with humility." CHRIST AND THE LITTLE CHILDREN If, when Jesus was here on earth, he had shown a great interest in kings, and princes, in rich, and wise, and great men, it would not have been surprising; because he was a king and a prince, himself; he was richer than the richest, and wiser than the wisest, and greater than the greatest. But he did not do this. He took no particular notice of them; but he showed the greatest possible interest in children. When mothers brought their little ones to him, the disciples wanted to keep them away. They thought, no doubt, that he was too busy to take any notice of them. But they were mistaken. He was very busy indeed. He had many lessons to teach. He had sermons to preach; and sick people to heal; and blind eyes to open; and deaf ears to unstop; and lame men to make whole; and dead men to raise to life again. He had all his Father's will to make known to men; and all his Father's commandments to keep. He had to suffer, and to die for the sins of the world; that he might "open the kingdom of heaven to all believers." He was the busiest man that ever lived. Nobody ever had so much to do as he had. And yet, he was not too busy to attend to the little children. He had time to give to them. So he rebuked his disciples for trying to keep the children away from him. He told the mothers to bring them near. They did so. And then, one by one, "he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them and blessed them." And when he had done this, as though that were not enough, he spoke those precious, glorious, golden words:--"_Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven_," "verily I say unto you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." These things are told us by three of the evangelists. St. Matthew mentions them in chapter xix: 13-15. St. Mark x: 13-16, and St. Luke xviii: 15-17.