The Shasta courier., 1866-04-07
NUMBER 6.
The Aged Disciple Comforting


Fear not my son; these terrors are from Gop.
Hast tho not heard how, when Elijah stood
On Horeb, waiting while the LORD passed BY,
Before the still, small voice, there came blast
That rent those ancient mountains? after the wind
An earthquake, after that again fire?
Aye, when Christ visits first a sinful heart,
The devils that abide there shake with fear;
Who can abide his coming?
/ remember,
(How could not p that, in his days of flesh,
We-even we, who called ourselves his friends
As little knew him as dost thou to-day.
In dark night sailed upon the lake,
Alone, not knowing where our Master was.
The night was dark, and dark our lonely hearts;
A moon there was, but low, and blurred With
clouds
Only upon the horizon lay line,
level line of light, which, near and far,
Marked the black outline of the eastern hills.
Stern was our toll. with every art we had,
To speed our vessel for the breeze had sunk,
Or only came by snatches-till the rain
Then flashed the ineessant lightnings, then the
Rang, roared, as though the thunder shattered
them
Then surged the waves against the opposite wind,
Ratified our useless cordage, rent our sail,
Rent, Tapping in the tempest, and bis might
Seized our boat and drave it at his will.
No man was free from fear; we knew too we'll
Those treacherous waves and He, whose master
voice
Had laid them covering at his feet, like dogs,
Where was He now ?-In some lone mountain
wood
He communed with his Father and the angels,
And knew not that perisbed there alone.
Alas far otherwise when in the stern
He slept, amid the hubbub of the storm,
As if n priceless couches, in the pony
Of Herod's palace; now He was afar,
Each of us felt the terror of the night,
And each acted a. his nature was
One fell to prayer one muttered instant vows
Another lay and wept aloud some few
Deemed that the gale was transient, and safe still
Watching their idle nets some, bolder strove
To save the canvas, and the laboring mast.
Amongst the band were two, forever first;
One was a reveredlman of ripening years,
Whose steel-grey beard fell on his sher's coat,
Even to his belt ; the other was youth,
Whose face, made ruddy by the genial suns
Of five and twenty summers, always shone
God -wove banner of celestial love.
These two working STILL to save the ship,
When the cry rose, "a spirit" There 1t walked
Or seemed to walk the waters, and drew near.
Then he that wore the fishers coat cried out:
g If not to be afraid be brave" he said.
90 When fear were preservation, be not bold;
What men could do we have done ; now let be
Lest haply we be found to fight with GoD."
Thus spake he but we lay down, motonless,
Struck by despair, and waited for end:
Only the young man barred his trusting brow,
Then spake the Form majestic:
at isl:
Be of good cheer y and then we knew our Lord,
Aud took him up into the ship with us,
And fell before him worshipping, and said,
"Ah, doubt is dead ah, blessed Son of God ~
Thus scant of faith were we, and ignorant
That he was with US, when saw him not,
Or deemed him but some spirit of evil, sent
To make complete the horrors of the night.
Our hearts calmed with the waters, we were
saved,
And knew our Masters power, and blessed bis love,
And 10 were landed at the wished-fo shore.