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, when they heard about the love of Christ, "Yes, we have no doubt that Jesus does love grown up people, men and women in general. We believe this because the Bible tells us so; but how do we know that he loves us children?" If he had not told us so himself, we could not have been sure of it. But we know it now. And when we hear, or read of the love of Christ, we may be sure that it takes the children in.