Читать книгу Sisters In Song; Women Hymn Writers - Leslie Clay - Страница 19

1830-1869

“Beneath the Cross of Jesus”

Born in Edinburgh Scotland, Elizabeth was the daughter of a Scottish lawman. Her early life was full of heartbreak. Both par-ents died when she was a young child and she was often homebound due to her poor health. But she was known for her strong, positive attitude. In fact, her nickname in her hometown was “Sunbeam.” She and her sisters gave all their income, except for that needed for basic needs, to the poor. On the days she could leave home, she made her rounds sharing food and clothing with the poor and tending to those sicker than she.

One afternoon, she considered the essential elements of her faith. Upon opening her Bible, she read Matthew 27:36-37: “And sitting down, they watched him there; and set up over his head his accusation written, ‘This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.’” These verses gave her the vision for the poem to say what Christ meant to her. It was written for her eyes only and stored away. After her death, her family found her poems and published them in 1872. She never heard any of the eight hymns she wrote sung nor did she see them in print.