[詩歌分享] Take Time To Behold Him

中文詩歌477首『用功朝見主面』是根據 William Dunn Longstaff的詩歌"Take Time to be holy"翻譯而來，

盼望藉著這首詩歌，讓我們更多花時間停留在主面前，多和主對話、溝通，享受祂隱密卻親密的同在。

這首是我們所熟知的曲調，名為”Take Time To Behold Him”的詩歌，

Take time to behold Him,

Speak oft with Thy Lord,

Abide in Him always,

And feed on His Word.

Wait thou in His presence,

Submissive and meek,

Forgetting in nothing

His blessing to seek.

Take time to behold Him,

The world rushes on;

Spend much time in secret

With Jesus alone.

By looking to Jesus

Like Him thou shalt be;

Thy friends, in thy conduct,

His likeness shall see.

Take time to behold Him,

Let Him be thy guide;

And run not before Him

Whatever betide;

In joy or in sorrow

Still follow thy Lord,

And, looking to Jesus,

Still trust in His Word.

Take time to behold Him,

Be calm in thy soul,

Each thought and each temper

Beneath His control.

Thus led by His Spirit

To fountains of love,

Thou then shalt be fitted

His mercy to prove.

但事實上這首詩歌最初的版本是名為"Take Time To Be Holy"的詩歌，而歌詞和曲調都與新調不同。

英文歌詞原文為：

Take time to be holy,

speak oft with thy Lord;

abide in him always,

and feed on his word.

Make friends of God's children,

help those who are weak,

forgetting in nothing

his blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy,

the world rushes on;

spend much time in secret

with Jesus alone.

By looking to Jesus,

like him thou shalt be;

thy friends in thy conduct

his likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy,

let him be thy guide,

and run not before him,

whatever betide.

In joy or in sorrow,

still follow the Lord,

and, looking to Jesus,

still trust in his word.

Take time to be holy,

be calm in thy soul,

each thought and each motive

beneath his control.

Thus led by his spirit

to fountains of love,

thou soon shalt be fitted

for service above.

因為傳唱度高，便將其翻譯為中文歌詞：

用功朝見主面，多和主對講，

常住在祂裡面，以祂話為糧。

等候在祂面前，柔順且降服，

每件事上不忘尋求祂祝福。

用功朝見主面，事務雖忙碌；

多花時間單獨和主在密處。

藉著仰望耶穌，你變祂形像；

在你行為之上，人見祂模樣。

用功朝見主面，讓祂作領導；

任何事情發生，不在祂前跑；

無論是樂是苦，始終跟隨主，

始終相信祂話，常仰望耶穌。

用功朝見主面，內心須寧靜；

讓祂前來管理意念和性情。

祂靈把你帶到愛的發源所，

如此你纔配作屬天的工作。

William D. Logstaff (圖片出處)

詩歌故事：

隆史達夫出生在英國北海的申達蘭（Sunderland），父親是船業鉅子，擁有廣大的土地。

隆史達夫生長在富裕的環境中，卻有慈悲謙和的心。他是一位虔誠的基督徒，慷慨樂善好施。

當李斯牧師（Rev. Arthur Rees）退出國教時，隆史達夫資助他另建教堂，並擔任司庫。當時的許多宗教領袖都是隆史達夫的好友。慕迪和孫基每次來英佈道時，都是他的上賓。

有一次隆史達夫在一教會中聽到牧師引用上述的經文，講到聖潔是靈命的中心，基督徒應結出的果子，聖潔是人的生命中因有神的生命，而在生活中表達出來。朗詩甫聽後覺得合理而切實。不久有一位自中國歸來的宣教士以（Take Time and Be Holy）為題，在教會中傳講信息。隆史達夫再次受感動，他想到許多人只想勉強神成全他們的心意，而不耐等候神的啟示，因此他把“ and ”改為“ to ”。一共寫了四節。

嗣後，慕迪和孫基來他們的教會佈道，當時英國教會祗有會眾合唱，崇拜時沒有獨唱。為證明獨唱和講章一樣可被主所用，於是聚會前，孫基在隆史達夫的家中為李斯牧師試唱。牧師聽後大為讚賞，同意他們在聚會中唱。在隆史達夫的家中，孫基看到了這首詩，很歡喜，把它收集在他的聖詩集中，但將歌名改為「用功朝見主面」（Make Time to Be Holy）。

1890年春，史滌平（George Stebbins）的一個朋友，在雜誌上讀到這首詩，就剪下寄給他。史滌平把詩夾在文件中遺忘了，那年整個冬天，史滌平都在印度，協助一位佈道家推展聖工。有一天想到了這首詩，正巧它在隨身的公文包中，於是即刻譜成曲，寄給遠在紐約的孫基。

文章引自：詩歌故事（Hymnal Stories)