men and not around them, would redeem a vast region from that indifference
which comes of judging the gospel of God by the church of Christ with its
phylacteries and hems."

"There is one thing," said Wynnie, after a pause, "that I have often
thought about--why it was necessary for Jesus to come as a baby: he could
not do anything for so long."

"First, I would answer, Wynnie, that if you would tell me why it is
necessary for all of us to come as babies, it would be less necessary for
me to tell you why he came so: whatever was human must be his. But I would
say next, Are you sure that he could not do anything for so long? Does a
baby do nothing? Ask mamma there. Is it for nothing that the mother lifts
up such heartfuls of thanks to God for the baby on her knee? Is it nothing
that the baby opens such fountains of love in almost all the hearts around?
Ah! you do not think how much every baby has to do with the saving of the
world--the saving of it from selfishness, and folly, and greed. And for
Jesus, was he not going to establish the reign of love in the earth? How
could he do better than begin from babyhood? He had to lay hold of
the heart of the world. How could he do better than begin with his
mother's--the best one in it. Through his mother's love first, he grew into
the world. It was first by the door of all the holy relations of the family
that he entered the human world, laying hold of mother, father, brothers,
sisters, all his friends; then by the door of labour, for he took his share
of his father's work; then, when he was thirty years of age, by the door of
teaching; by kind deeds, and sufferings, and through all by obedience unto
the death. You must not think little of the grand thirty years wherein he
got ready for the chief work to follow. You must not think that while he
was thus preparing for his public ministrations, he was not all the time
saving the world even by that which he was in the midst of it, ever laying