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Beneath the cross of Jesus I fain would take my stand The shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land A home within the wilderness, a rest upon the way From the burning of the noontide heat, and the burden of the day O safe and happy shelter, O refuge tried and sweet O trysting place where Heaven's love and Heaven's justice meet! As to the holy patriarch that wondrous dream was given So seems my Savior's cross to me, a ladder up to heaven Upon that cross of Jesus mine eye at times can see The very dying form of One Who suffered there for me And from my stricken heart with tears two wonders I confess The wonders of redeeming love and my unworthiness I take, O cross, thy shadow for my abiding place I ask no other sunshine than the sunshine of His face Content to let the world go by to know no gain or loss My sinful self my only shame, my glory all the cross Alternate verse: There lies beneath its shadow but on the further side The darkness of an awful grave that gapes both deep and wide And there between us stands the cross two arms outstretched to save A watchman set to guard the way from that eternal grave Scottish Presbyterian Elizabeth Clephane, the daughter of a Sheriff, was born in Edinburgh. She was a quiet, shy girl who loved to read and was very quick and clever, excelling at school and relationships. She also had always loved poetry. She did, however, lose her parents at a young age. Her love for poetry was a passion. She was very active among the infirmed, gaining the name, "My Sunbeam" from her acquaintances. At some point, Elizabeth's family moved to Melrose, southeast of Edinburgh, where she spent her remaining years, as she aged, she was a diligent Bible student, a kind heart, and a worker among the poor. She and her sisters raised money for the unfortunate, to the extent of actually selling their horse and carriage for a needy family. Very often, her poems were published in a local Scottish magazine, The Family Treasury. This one, written in 1868 but appearing anonymously a year after her death, was discovered by Ira Sankey and introduced in the great Moody/Sankey meetings in Britain. In his autobiography, Sankey stated: "The author of this hymn, Elizabeth Clephane, also wrote the widely known hymn 'The Ninety and Nine,' and these two were her only hymns, the first time this hymn was sung is still fresh in my memory. The morning after I composed the music, Rev. W. H. Aitkin was to speak at our mission in London...Before his sermon I sang 'Beneath the Cross of Jesus' as a solo; and as in the case of "The Ninety and Nine" much blessing came from its use for the first time. With eyes filled with tears and deeply moved, the preacher said to his audience: 'Dear friends, I had intended to speak to you this morning upon work for the Master, but this new hymn has made such an impression on my heart, and evidently upon your own, that I will defer my proposed address and speak to you on "The Cross of Jesus."'" Sandkey's original tune has since been replaced by the meter known as “St. Christopher,” with the actual music composed for the hymn by Frederick C. Maker.
The reference to "the mighty Rock" is taken from Isaiah 32:2.
The reference to "the weary land" is taken from Psalm 63:1.
The reference to "home within the wilderness" is taken from Jeremiah 9:2.
The reference to "rest upon the way" is taken from Isaiah 28:12.
The reference to "noontide heat" is taken from Isaiah 4:6
The reference to "burden of the day" is taken from Matthew 11:30.
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