The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1892, Page 7

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he Lutheran Pioneer. ¢

The Singing Cobbler.

One fine summer’s evening. while crowds of
people passed through the streets of Hamburg
on their way to hear the music in Altona, a
shoemaker, sitting under a shade before his
shop door, was busily engaged with a shoe.
He rested from his work, singing one of the

most beautiful psalms in old German, scarcely
lifting his eyes from the sole, which occupied
his whole attention, and quite indifferent to
the crowd that passed before him, when a
young man stopped suddenly and addressed
him: ‘*Well, my friend, you seem quite happy
and contented !”’ ¢

The speaker was a student. His marked
features, his black eyes, his high nose and his
dark complexion showed that he belonged to
the Hebrew race. The cobbler lifted his eyes
and answered, cheerfully—

‘* Happy and contented I am, in truth, sir;
why should I not be so?’’

**T don’t know; but all are not as you.
Your poverty might distress you. I suppose
you have only to provide for yourself?’’

‘*You are mistaken there, sir,’’ he answered.
**T have to feed a wife and seven children with
these hands. I ama poor man, itis true, but
I can sing and: do my work.”’

‘IT must confess,’’ said the young man,

‘*that I am very much surprised to see a poor

fellow like you so contented with his lot.’’

‘*Stranger,’’ said the cobbler, putting down
‘his work and taking hold of his arm, with a
serious expression, ‘‘I am not so poor as you
think. Iam a son of the King.”’

The student turned his head and went away,
saying to himself, ‘‘ The poor man is evidently
mad. It is his madness that makes him so
happy. I thought I should hear from him the
secret of his happiness, but I have lost my
time.’’

A week passed by, and the student, having
again occasion to pass down the same street,
found the cobbler sitting in the same place,
singing as cheerfully as before. The young
man, in passing, lifted his cap with a sneering
salutation, exclaiming, ‘‘Good morning, Mr.
Prince.

“Stop, my friend,’’ said the cobbler, putting
down his work. A word of explanation, if you
please. You only left me so suddenly the other
evening because you thought I was mad.”’

“(TJ must say I believed it,’’ answered the
other.

‘¢ Well, my friend, Lam not mad. What I
said I said in earnest. Iam a son of the King.
Would you like to hear a song on my royalty?
I will just sing one.’’

The young man did not doubt that to accept
the offer would afford him some amusement
and great satisfaction to the poor man, and
he therefore asked him to sing. The cobbler
began to sing 2 hymn on thisiverse: ‘Thy
kingdom come.”? When he finished he asked
the young man if he understood it; but he
seemed still to be under his old impression.

“‘T must, then,’’ said the old cobbler, ‘‘ex-
plain to you in detail concerning the kingdom
of Christ and the glory of the King.”’

He began then with the Divine promise
made in the beginning, at the banishment from
paradise, that the seed of the woman should
bruise the head of the serpent. He showed
him this promise, increasing in light from age
to age throughout the prophecies, revealing
always with clearer evidence the Redeemer’s
kingdom. [He showed him how all things
which are written in the law of Moses, in the
Prophets and Psalms about Jesus Christ have
been fulfilled—how it behooved Christ to suf-
fer these things and enter into glory—how all

power in heaven and earth was committed to

Him, and how he actually established a king-

dom which shall never be destroyed, and

uniting in holy fellowship Jews and Gentiles.

And, with eyes glistening with hope and love,

man, lifting his eyes toward heaven, and
taking to his work again, ‘‘may also graft
this one in His own olive tree !’"

The story does not end here.
maker’s prayer was heard.

The young Jew was conyerted to Christi-
anity and has since distinguished himself by
his zeal and success as a missionary amongst
his own people.

There are many lessons in this story, and
here is one addressed to every reader. The
cobbler’s joy is one everybody must find for
himself. It is the sweetest thing there is un-
der the sun to partake in God’s work in the
salvation of souls and enter into the joy of the
Lord. A king can not command this joy, and
yet a beggar may findit. Riches can not pur-
chase it. This joy will follow us to heaven,
and will be increased there by the presence of
those whom we have been the means of lead-
ing to the better land.

‘The old shoe-

he showed the young man, in language which
the depth of his feelings made eloquent, how
the subject of this glorious kingdom is a child
of God, an heir, a joint heir with Christ, the
King, and how he shall reign with Him for ever
and ever.

‘*Now,’’ said the cobbler, taking the hand
of the young Jewish student who sat beside
him and whose whole mind was filled with
things he had heard for the first time in his
life, about the old promises made to his fore-
fathers. Now don’t you see how I could say,
‘T am a son of the King,’ and why I am
happy and contented? It is because I believe
in Jesus and love Him. And it is the sacred
Scriptures which tell me that all things are
mine, whether life or death, or things present,
or things to come, all are mine, because I am
Christ’s.’’

Then, looking the young Israelite in the
face, the old Christian said:

‘¢ Believest thou the prophets? I know that
thou dost; because I see by thy features that
thou descendest from those who believed in
the prophets. ‘Then, my son, if you believe
in the prophets, you must believe in Him about
whom the prophets have spoken.’’

The young man listened insilence. Strange
thoughts crossed his mind. At length he
timidly asked this question:

‘© Where may I learn more of these things,
because I see that you believe, and that you
have peace? Oh, that I might have it also!
for as yet I do not possess it.’”

‘«Here,’’ said the old man, handing him a
volume of the Holy Scriptures, ‘‘this book
you must read attentively at home; and whilst
you battle with the enemies of your soul, I
shall, as Moses on the Mount, pray for you
without ceasing, and you shall also ask some-
body to pray for you, somebody whom you
don’t know yet, but who knows you, and who
is greater than Moses, who is above all.’’

The young Jew took the book, and pressing
with gratitude the old man’s hand, took off
his cap and saluted him with respect.

‘*Oh, that the Lord Jesus,’’ said the old

—_e

By Love Serve One Another.

A Catechist of one of the mission stations
in the great merchant city of Canton, in South
China, was so much taken up with his work
among his country-men, that when a number
of them hired out as ‘‘coolies,’’ and left Can-
ton for Demerara, in Central America, he sold
himself likewise as a coolie, and went along
with the men. He made good use of the long
days of the voyage, and preached the Gospel
day and night. After they had reached Dem-
erara, he worked like the rest, and worked
hard, in order to purchase his liberty, and to
be a free man again. But before that time
he had already gathered a congregation of his
fellow-coolies, and when he was free he built
a church and worked so diligently among his
people, who were all poor like himself, that
they, in spite of their poverty, collected enough
money among themselves to build a chapel
and to support a catechist in far-off Canton.
That coolie-catechist evidently appreciated the
words of St. Paul, ‘‘Let this mind be in you,
which was also in Christ Jesus, who made
Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him
the form of a servant.’’ Phil. 2, 5—7.

—_~2 + mo =

A Catechism.

bill? Yes.

Why was it counterfeited? Because it was
worth counterfeiting.

Was the ten dollar bill to blame? No.

Did you ever see a scrap of brown paper
counterfeited? No. Why? Because it was
not worth counterfeiting.

Did you ever see a counterfeit Christian?
Yes, many of them. Why was he counter-
feited? Because he was worth counterfeiting.
Was the true Christian to blame? No.

Did you ever see a counterfeit infidel? No;
never. Why? You answer. I am through.

: Selected.

f
Did you ever see a counterfeit ten dollar |