Hymn & History
Leviticus 20:7

”Take Time To Be Holy”

By William D. Longstaff, 1882

“Take Time To Be Holy” Posted on Youtube by isbaptist Toronto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFApbg-wcmE

Purpose of

Hymnal Journaling

Many of the great hymns of the church express the purpose of the CBJ mission and website – having a walk that is …”Nearer My God To Thee”.

Reflect on the weekly hymns as you color/doodle and sing along. Use a hymnal of your own, order one at the bottom of this page, or print out sheet music from the internet.

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2. Read History

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Member Submitted Pages for This Hymn

Creative-Bible-Journaling.com has collected the following information and lyrics from various websites, for the sole purpose of sharing with you, for educational purposes only. No money is exchanged for this information.

Hymn Lyrics

“Take Time To Be Holy”

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.

The Author of the Hymn

THE AUTHOR ~ WILLIAM DUNN LONGSTAFF

Born November 26,1822 in Sunderland, England
Died April 2, 1894 in Sunderland, England

William was a business man, and the son of a wealthy English ship owner. He was a person of independent financial means. Due to his generous philanthropy, he was influential in evangelical circles. The Rev. Carlton Young, editor of The United Methodist Hymnal, notes that he followed his friend and persuasive Welsh preacher Arthur A. Rees when he left the Anglican priesthood in 1842 after disagreements with his rector and bishop. As a result, Rees established the Bethesda Free Chapel in Sunderland, where Longstaff served as his church treasurer. He married Joyce Burlinson in 1853 and together they had seven children.

In June, 1873, D.L. Moody and Ira Sankey came to England to hold evangelistic meetings. They arrived broke, and were hoping their sponsors would have things ready for them, but instead the fellow they counted on had died, and nothing had been done to prepare for the evangelistic team’s arrival. Moody and Sankey scrounged around desperately to have a meeting and had a very meager group of about 50 that showed up. Soon afterwards, William Longstaff used his financial resources and influence to support them, and the small gatherings increased to 20,000 people in London, and was able to go on to Scotland.

History of Hymn

THE HISTORY ~ “Take Time To Be Holy”

Hearing a sermon on the text, “Be ye holy, for I am holy,” Longstaff was inspired to write a poem, “Take Time to Be Holy.” Being a good businessman, Longstaff had a practical mind. That is reflected in this hymn, which offers many practical suggestions for becoming holy. Longstaff managed to get his poem published in a Christian newspaper, but that was the end of it –– or so it seemed. But as it turned out, George Stebbins, a Christian musician, had seen the poem and had clipped and filed it. Years later, needing a hymn on the subject of holy living, he remembered the poem and set it to music. It has been a favorite now for more than a century.