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BIOGRAPHY of JAMES HUDSON TAYLOR JAMES HUDSON TAYLOR from a Portrait by an Aunt, Painted in 1852

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BIOGRAPHY of JAMES HUDSON TAYLOR JAMES HUDSON TAYLOR from a Portrait by an Aunt, Painted in 1852 BIOGRAPHY OF JAMES HUDSON TAYLOR JAMES HUDSON TAYLOR From a portrait by an aunt, painted in 1852. BIOGRAPHY OF JAMES HUDSON TAYLOR by Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor LONDON CHINA INLAND MISSION Overseas Missionary Fellowship Agents: Lutterworth Press © CHINA INLAND MISSION OVERSEAS MISSIONARY FELLOWSHIP 1965 Made and printed in Great Britain for China Inland Mission Overseas Missionary Fellowship Newington Green, London, N.r6 by Billing & Sons Limited, Guildford and London Trade Agents: The Lutterworth Press 4 Bouverie Street, London, E.C.4 Foreword FoR about half a century the full standard biography of James Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission, was contained in two volumes. Under the sub-titles of 'The Growth of a Soul' and 'The Growth of a Work of God', these two books by Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor have run into seventeen editions, and have appeared in at least six European languages. The demand for them has been so steady, and testimonies to blessing received through reading them so numerous, that no question as to whether their publication should continue has arisen. The principles of God's work in and through a human soul, as revealed in the experiences of Hudson Taylor, remain unchanged with the passing of the years. The need for abridgement has been realized, however, particularly as some of the events and personal­ ities mentioned have now disappeared over the horizon of history, and their retention in the narrative tends to confuse rather than to enlighten the readers of later generations. This new abridged edition has been produced for the centennial year of the Mission's history, and is sent forth with the earnest desire that the inspiration of the founder's life may be conveyed to a new generation. V Contents FOREWORD Page v l SET APART UNTO THE LORD I 2 THE NEW STARTING POINT 12 3 FROM FAITH TO FAITH 21 4 THE LORD WILL PROVIDE 39 5 CmNA AT LAST 52 6 BUILDING IN TROUBLOUS TIMES 70 7 fuST EVANGELISTIC JOURNEYS 83 8 EMPTIED FROM VESSEL TO VESSEL 95 9 WHo SHUTTETH AND No MAN OPENETH IIO 10 EBENEZER AND JEHOVAHJIREH 127 11 HIDDEN YEARS 145 12 THE MISSION THAT HAD TO BE 164 13 MY PRESENCE SHALL Go WITH THEE 182 14 AND ENLARGE MY COAST 189 15 THE EXCHANGED LIFE 204 16 JESUS DOES SATISFY 216 17 NoT DISOBEDIENT TO THE HEAVENLY VISION 227 18 THE FAITHFULNESS OF GoD 240 19 HE GOETH BEFORE 253 20 THE RISING TIDE 264 21 DAYS OF BLESSING 280 22 THE HUNDRED 288 23 WITH WINGS AS EAGLES 302 24 THE COMING THOUSAND 312 25 CAN YE DRINK OF THE CUP? 327 26 EVEN So, FATHER 340 27 Hrs WAY IS PERFECT 355 INDEX 363 vii 2 BIOGRAPHY OF JAMES HUDSON TAYLOR In preparing sermons for his preaching engagements throughout the Circuit James Taylor fotU1d his wife an tU1expected help. Whc;:n his heart was full and his pen could not keep pace with the thoughts he longed to utter, she would take rapid notes, and write out many a sermon delivered as he paced the little room behind the shop. A gifted speaker, he gave much care to the preparation of his discourses. He was an excellent chemist, too, and as a business man was highly respected. So scrupulous was he in financial matters that he made it a rule to pay every debt the day it fell due. 'If I let it stand over a week,' he would say, 'I defraud my creditor of interest, if only a fractional sum.' Possessed by a profotU1d conviction of God's infinite faithfulness, he took the Bible very simply, believing it was of all books the most practical if put to the test of experience. On a day his young wife could never forget, in their first winter together, he sought her to talk. over a passage that had impressed him. It was part of the thirteenth chapter of Exodus, with the corresponding verses in Numbers: 'Sanctify unto me all the firstbom .. .' 'All the firstbom are mine .. .' 'Mine shall they be . .' 'Set apart unto the Lord.' Long and earnest was the talk. that followed in view of the happiness to which they were looking forward. Then together they knelt to fulfil as literally as possible an obligation they could not relegate to Hebrew parents of old. Just as definitely the Lord responded, giving them faith to realize that He had accepted their gift: that henceforth the life so dear to them must be held at the disposal of a higher claim, a deeper love, than theirs. Thus springtime came again touching with tender loveliness those Yorkshire hills and valleys, and on May 21, 1832, this child of many prayers was born, uniting in his name that of both his parents -James Hudson Taylor. In the course of the years others were added to the Taylor family. One great advantage of the childhood of Hudson and his sisters was that they were so continually tU1der their mother's care. This in itself was sufficient compensation for the limited means that made it necessary. A great deal of sewing had to be done, but she was able to go on with it while they read aloud or wrote from dictation. Many were the hours thus spent over history, literature and travels. She early inspired them with a taste for reading, and to her accuracy and thoroughness may be traced the unusual attention to detail that characterized her son in later years. Personal neatness she taught them in the same practical way. A work­ basket was always ready on their dressing table, and stitches were put in as soon as needed. It became second nature to feel that one must be clean and SET APART UNTO THE LORD 3 tidy, however simply dressed. How she managed it no one could tell; but with the entire care and education of the children, cooking to attend to, washing to pe done at home, and all the housework, with the help of only one maid, she invariably kept her surroundings neat and attractive. The little parlour behind the shop, though constantly in use for meals and lessons, needlework and play, was a picture of comfort and good order. With its comer cupboard filled with shining crockery and glass, its little window affording interesting glimpses through the shop to the Market Place beyond, its long, old-fashioned couch and its spacious bookcase, the family living room was a cosy spot. The chief feature in the room, undoubtedly, was the bookcase, and it had also much to do with the order that prevailed. Over the lower shelves hung a curtain concealing a characteristic device ofthe mother's household manage­ ment. Everything in use for meals or lessons, work or play, had its appointed place in sideboard or cupboard, while magazines, books and papers found hospitality upon the ample shelves. But one shelf behind the crimson curtain was unappropriated. Clean and empty, it stood ready for emergencies. Was the room needed for unexpected visitors? The work in hand, whatever it might be, was laid away without embarrassment and just as easily brought out again. Were the older people busy with letters or accounts when the table was wanted for a meal? A place was ready in which ink and papers would be accessible and out of danger. It was a convenient receptacle at tea­ time for the mother's sewing or the children's toys. But whatever its uses in the daytime, it was always cleared and dusted before night. Simple as such• a plan may seem, it was effective because of the orderly mind that carried it out, and went far toward solving the problem of how to tum one room to so many uses without litter or confusion. The mother's gentle discipline had much to do with the happiness of Hudson' s childhood, and gave rise to a situation that was long remembered. In attending to guests at dinner one day, she overlooked the needs of her little son. The meal went on and still the child said nothing, knowing he must not ask for things at table. At length, however, an expedient suggested itself, and a little voice was heard requesting for salt. That at any rate was permissible. 'And what do you want the salt for?' questioned his neighbour, seeing the empty plate. 'Oh,' he replied, 'I want to be ready. Mamma will give me something to eat by-and-by.' On another occasion he called attention to his needs by inquiring in a pause in the conversation, 'Mamma, do you think apple pie is good for little boys?' The children lived in touch with their father almost as much as with 4 BIOGRAPHY OF JAMES HUDSON TAYLOR their mother, and he felt himself no less responsible for their training. Though he was stern and even quick-tempered at times, the influence James Taylor exerted in the life of his son can hardly be over-estimated. He was decidedly a disciplinarian. But without some such element in his early training who can tell whether Hudson would ever have become the man he was? With James Taylor, to keep the children moderately happy and good-tempered was not the point. He was a man with a supreme sense of duty. The thing that ought to be done was the thing he put first, always. Ease, pleasure, self­ improvement, had to take whatever place they could. He was a man of faith, but faith that went hand in hand with works of the most practical kind.
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