The Story of Hudson Taylor
Hudson Taylor, though later becoming a Baptist missionary, was born into a Methodist family to the parents of James and Amelia Taylor. Though his father was a pharmacist and also a lay preacher, Hudson grew up denouncing Christian beliefs. Nonetheless, the prayers of his parents prevailed, for as a teenager, he picked up a booklet that spoke of the finished work of Christ. Upon reading this booklet, his heart was drawn to his Savior and he was born again. The first one he shared this news with his mother who, as Providence would have it, felt a peculiar burden that very day to place before the Lord her son. She was not surprised to hear of his conversion for she felt assurance from God that salvation would soon be gifted to him. Come to find out, Hudson learned by reading a notebook he thought to be his own that his sister had committed to daily pray for her brother every day until he came to know the Lord. Clearly, God desires to prevail over the human heart by the prayers of his people. Who might he be calling you to pray for?
Early on, God had given him a burden for the lost. He and his sister would engage in sibling enterprises to serve others around them and seek to win lost souls to God’s kingdom. Shortly after God gave Hudson new birth, God called him to his life’s service. He desperately wanted to be used by God; it was the uttermost cry of his heart. He, knowing holy ambition and divine direction are bestowed upon by God himself, gave himself to prayer. He recounted a moment he felt his prayer answered. In his words,
“Something seemed to say, ‘Your prayer is answered. Your conditions are accepted.” And from that time the conviction has never left me that I was called to China.’”
China was not a novel land to him. His parents seemed to be fascinated with Asia and they prayed for the Gospel to make its way to this part of the world. They would often pray for Hudson,
“Grant that he may work for you in China.”
He spent the next several years preparing for this endeavor. He knew discipline would be essential and that he must be weaned off the luxuries of the Western world. So, he exchanged his feather bed for a hard mattress; he took to more exercise; he spent Sunday evenings visiting the poorest parts of his town distributing tracts; he resolved to go to bed early so that he might get up early for Bible study and prayer; and he began to learn the biblical languages of Greek and Hebrew. He made it a personal goal to live as modestly as possible so that could give as much as possible. As a matter of principle, he gave away a tenth of his salary and soon learned that relying on oatmeal and rice and cutting down on other worldly luxuries, he was able to employ ⅔ of his income for Gospel purposes.
One evening, Hudson had been called to pray over a sick woman with starving children. As he tried to pray, it was difficult because what they needed, namely, some money for support, he had but hesitated to hand it over because he was running very low on funds. He felt conviction : “Hypocrite! You’re telling people about how kind and loving your Father is, but you’re failing to trust him in this area of your life.” He ended up providing for this family the silver coin in his pocket only to see God provide a gold coin in a package literally the next day. God proved faithful to his Word over and over again from Matthew 6:33: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all that you need to do his will be provided for you.”
It was not only comfort Hudson would forego–it would also be romance and companionship. For two years, he loved with a great love a young woman in Drainside, England. But she was not prepared to go to China; in fact, she did not want to go. And with the glory of God at stake, the millions in China perishing, thankfully, his ‘yes’ to God outweighed his love for this young woman.
After some years of studying medicine, which would be most fruitful towards his labors in China, he set sail for six months at sea to the oriental country. When he arrived to China in 1854, China was in the midst of the Taiping Rebellion, a civil war raging within its borders. For many who saw China as a prospect to invest their lives, news of this war would have been an easy excuse to look to another harvest field. But Hudson was not concerned with, “Is it safe?” rather “Is it lost?” He would later write during some of his trials - he faced many -
“I do not want to be a hireling who flees when the wolf is near.”
No doubt he took to the heart the words of his Savior in John 10. The Good Shepherd doesn’t run away when things get hard. If he wanted to truly and fully represent Christ to these people, neither would he. His first residence was in Shanghai in a place so dangerous that not even his teacher of the language would join. From 1854-1855, he traveled and conducted ten evangelistic journeys. These were no small feats.
While his ministry first began in Shanghai, he had a heart for the unvisited, the remote, the untouched provinces in China. There were other missionaries in the urban centers, but what about the millions of those who had never a single missionary set foot in their village? He spent over 5 hours a day learning the language of Mandarin not to mention local dialects for these itinerant trips he was to undergo. Four of these trips were taken in a span of three months. Not only were there dangers of war around him but the weather conditions were brutal. Nonetheless, in each province, he passed out New Testament tracts and Scripture portions with explanations. Because of the war, the government forces overtook Shanghai and Hudson moved to Ningo to establish another base.
Something worthy to mention about these itinerant trips Hudson took was his adaptation to culture. In the beginning of his missionary service, he would often wear a long black coat. Locals would call him the ‘black devil.’ Seeing as to how this became not only a distraction but a hindrance to ministry, he tossed Western fashion aside and took up Chinese traditional dress and look. Following in the footsteps of Jesus who fully identified with man by becoming man, he sought to identify with the Chinese. He adopted as many Chinese ways as he possibly could including shaving the front part of the head and letting other parts of his hair grow long. Consider Paul’s pilgrim principle in 1 Corinthians 9:19:
“For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.”
Hudson truly sought to become all things to all people in an effort to reach those he served. Unfortunately, many of the other missionaries did not approve of Hudson’s actions. At the same time, he wasn’t bothered because none of them saw the fruit he saw either.
Hudson did have a travel companion while in Shanghai and now in Swatow where he migrated: Mr. William Burns. They shared deep affection for one another. You can imagine the bonds of two soldiers for Christ, shoulder to shoulder attempting to see souls won for Jesus. They spent seven months working together. Prayer was the language they spoke. Both had medical backgrounds and so this experience opened up doors for ministry. Hudson described these months in this way:
“An unspeakable joy and comfort. Never had I such a spiritual father as Mr. Burns…”
At. Mr. Burns’ request, Hudson returned to Shanghai, a city mostly in ruins, to obtain medical supplies. Upon his arrival, Hudson discovered much of the instruments and medicines were destroyed. And traveling back to Mr. Burns, he learned that his dear companion and friend had been arrested and taken to Canton. Returning to Swatow was no longer an option. He would resettle in Ningpo. There in Ningpo, he found a temporary home and worked with a couple who also served as missionaries. Among the ladies that visited Mr. and Mrs. Jones was a young woman by the name of Miss Dyer. He was attracted towards her frankness, her command of the languages, and the common vision they shared in spending their lives to see the Chinese reached. Eventually, in 1858, after already 4/12 years into his missionary service, Hudson and Dyer wedded; they were joined together in love, on mission, for God’s glory.
Looking back, he could see the good hand of Providence on his life. If Mr. Burns and Hudson would have stayed in Swatow, the introduction to his wife likely would not have happened. Most significantly, he also likely would not have stepped into his life’s work, which we will soon see. In our setbacks and delays, God is redemptively at work.
By 1859, he had separated with the Society that commissioned him. He discovered they were paying his salary on borrowed money. Convicted that borrowing money was a failure to trust in God’s provision, he parted ways. Hudson had also taken over a hospital in Ningo. Within nine months, sixteen patients from the hospital had been baptized. However, in 1860, Hudon’s health was failing rapidly. He had to swiftly return to England. This was his first furlough. He stayed stateside for almost 5 years. The doctors confidently declared that he would never be strong enough to return to China. However, in the midst of his recovery, he was not idle. He partnered with the Bible Society to revise the Ningpo Testament. You can read in his journals he dedicated somewhere between 5 hours and 13 hours a day to this task alone. He had also requested a friend and pastor, Mr. Lewis, editor of the Baptist Magazine, to write a series of articles he had hoped would awaken interest in the Ningpo mission. He traveled around England garnering support and awareness, one of whom was Charles Spurgeon.
Much like the hidden years of David from the time he was anointed by Samuel to when he actually became king or the years of Moses after he fled Egypt, these hidden years in England away from the field were spent in much prayer and dependence on God. Soon, though, with a map of China on his wall, a God-deposited concern for millions who had not heard the Gospel, and the promises from the Word he clung to, simply praying was not enough.
In 1865, he renewed his commitment to inland China–not just the cities or the coasts but the interior, the places no one had gone before. And much like in earnest prayer when he received his calling to China, he felt a prompting by God to start a new society called the China Inland Mission. He had pushed this thought aside as long as he could, believing not to be the person to bring this about. He was keenly aware of his own deficiencies and weaknesses, and he was afraid he might lead others to China and fail them with poor leadership. Nonetheless, there was a fresh surrender to the purposes God would work out through Hudson’s life. He said ‘yes’ to God for this new society.
There would be many guiding principles in the years to come for this new society, but one thing was for sure: he was not going to go into debt. In his words,
“He sustained three million Israelites in the wilderness for forty years. We do not expect him to send three million missionaries to China, but if he did, he would have ample means to sustain them all…God’s work done in God’s way, will never lack God’s supply.”
In anticipation for this fresh endeavor, he pleaded with God for twenty-four inland workers. This request he brought constantly before the Lord. In England at the time, the Hudsons had four children. Though Mrs. Hudson’s hands were full, she became the Mother of the Mission. Hudson still weak and fragile regarding his health, Mrs. Hudson would often write for him, How might they labor together to move hearts and lives to China? He set his mind to writing a short book called China’s Spiritual Needs and Claims and editions of a paper that is now known as China’s Millions. His prayer–in his own words:
“Oh, for eloquence to plead the cause of China, for a pencil dipped in fire to paint the condition of this people.”
God accepted this prayer and much interest was generated for the China Inland Mission, and in due time, God provided the twenty-four workers Hudson prayed for.. Each missionary that signed over their lives to God for labor in China have their own unique stories and God appointed means to how they felt called. One such story is the couple, Mr. George Crombie and Miss Skinner. They both had a desire to go to China and had spent a great deal of time learning the language. They sought to be married before they left–in fact, their wedding was five or six weeks away when an urgent need was brought before them. A man by the name of Mr. Bartchet and his companion had sailed together into the Bay of Biscay but their ship was towed into the Plymouth Harbor. The ship had lost lots of valuable cargo in a severe storm. Both Mr. Bartchet and the companion intended on going to China, but the companion because of seasickness and illness, had retreated from continuing the journey. There was now a gap that needed to be filled. Mr. George Crombie prayed about filling this vacancy. Wavering on the decision, he was filled with courage from his fiancé. With the prospect of shipwreck, the possibility of an unfriendly and dangerous welcome in China, the likelihood of grave sickness, the uncertainty of ever reuniting, the intending bride encouraged him,
“Go! And show that you love the cause of God more than me.”
“Go, and show that you love the cause of God more than me.” Wow, what faith to say something like that. Can you imagine? “We may never see each other again, but let your departure show that you value the kingdom of God, the expansion of God’s worship, and the concern over lost souls as more important than our union.” It reminds me of what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7:28-29,
“The appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as they had none…”
It’s a reminder that marriage is not ultimate. The worship of God is ultimate. And his kingdom coming is imminent. Therefore, the driving force of our lives is not finding a soulmate and living happily ever after but the mission of God–seeing his kingdom reigning in the hearts of men and women that their lips might utter praise to the true King. Marriage is not the mission. Marriage serves the mission. Miss Skinner, fiance to George Crombie, understood that.
Hudson’s resolve would be put to the test. In 1867, the China Inland Mission had formed and missionaries were now in China. They were up and running. But it did not come without severe bitterness. They faced the most tragic of trials up to this point–the death of their 8 year old daughter, Gracie. They had already lost another daughter at birth. Hudson wrote to his mother, of losing Gracie:
“How we miss her sweet voice in the morning, one of the first sounds to greet us when we woke…Is it possible that I shall nevermore feel the pressure of that little hand…nevermore see the sparkle of those bright eyes? Yet she is not lost. Pray for us. At times it seems almost overwhelming with the internal and external trials connected to our work. But He has said, ‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee’ and ‘My strength is made perfect in weakness.’”
Writing to Mr. Berger, a friend, he said,
“It was no vain nor unintelligent act, when knowing this land, its people and climate, I laid my wife and children with myself on the altar for this service…[but] He has not left us now.”
This was not to be the last of suffering he would taste. In 1870, he lost a baby son to malnutrition and his first wife to cholera only a few days later. He ended up outliving most of his children. To not speak of the human toil this took on his mental state and physical well-being would be a disservice. He battled depression at times. He often fought off bodily ailments. It can be easy to lift men like this up in ways where they appear other-wordly or super human. That’s far from the truth. Hudson struggled in ways we often do. But God had dug a deep reservoir into his spiritual soul that Hudson could pull from in times of great need. Of trials, he wrote:
“It doesn’t matter, really, how great the pressure is; it only matters where the pressure lies. See that it never comes between you and the Lord–then, the greater the pressure, the more it presses you to his breast.”
“The great enemy is always ready with his oft-repeated suggestion, ‘All things are against me.’ But oh, how false the word! The cold, the hunger, the watchings and sleeplessness of nights of danger, and the feeling at times of utter isolation and helplessness, were well and wisely chosen, and tenderly and lovingly meted out. What circumstances could have rendered the Word of God more sweet, the presence of God more real, the help of God more precious.”
“He knows why he places me here–where to do, or learn, or suffer.”
Hudson believed deeply in the sovereignty of God, and though, he surely would not have chosen much of the pain missionary service brought, he believed that what God ordained was right. So many of us want to avoid suffering or dismiss any idea of service that might bring it about. We want a Savior who brings forgiveness without having to drink the cup our Savior drank from or carry the cross Jesus was nailed to. This is why as he called for more missionaries to China, he would provide the caveat, “Send me only cross-loving men.” In other words, give me men that are willing to go the length.
One of the secretes for Hudson Taylor’s perseverance was believing John 7:37-39:
“If any man thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”
Hudson saw this as an invitation, and more than an invitation, a promise :
“No matter how intricate my path, how difficult my service; no matter how sad my bereavement, how far away my loved ones, no matter helpless I am, how deep are my soul yearnings–Jesus can meet them all; all, and more than meet…No fear of emptying the fountain or exhausting the river…always a mighty stream, always flowing deep and irresistible.”
And so Hudson learned how to not only be content but satisfied with his Savior. I pause in the story to ask you, dear reader,, “How is your soul today?” Be honest. Restless? Weary? Numb? Wandering? This invitation is for you: “If any man thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” None who genuinely come and seek him will be left wanting.
It was not easy for Hudson to get time with God amidst his laborious traveling, needs of the China Inland Mission, leadership oversight, and evangelism and preaching. Yet, a common sound heard of his travel companions was the lighting of a match. Often, his Bible reading took place sometime between the hours of 2 AM and 4 AM, so a match, put to a candle or lamp, was a handy commodity to illuminate his readings . Logically speaking, there were not enough hours in the day to do all he had to do, but he knew the most important place he could be was in the Word and in God’s presence.. No doubt this took a toll on his body, but he was convinced:
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4)
Two years and some change, he remarried a woman named Jennie Faulding. She served alongside her husband in all his affairs, even leading the advance of women missionaries into the far interior of China, apart from Hudson. At the time, she and Hudson had two kids of their own in addition to caring for the four older children and an adopted daughter. This meant her pioneer advancing would be leaving her family of 7 behind. They stayed separated for a year but the sacrifice was worth it because incredible progress of the Gospel had been made. Jennie worked in the Yangtze gorges, the first women Christians who had ever been there. They were few European women among 60 million in those provinces. But because of her boldness, many other women slowly joined the ranks in the China Inland Mission and the fruitfulness they saw through the years was staggering.
As the desire to reach more inland provinces grew, Hudson needed more missionaries. In 1875, he wrote a Christian pamphlet entitled An Appeal for Prayer: on behalf of more than a hundred and fifty millions of Chinese. There were still 9 completely unevangelized provinces in China, and this number that represented these provinces burned in his mind. Again, he prayed specifically for 18 laborers, two for each district. And again, the Lord provided what he needed. In 1881, with new harvest opportunities, he prayed for 70 more missionaries to be stirred Chinaward.
As I reflect on his prayers, I’m reminded of our prayer at King’s Hill. We started back in 2020, namely, that 50 people would say ‘yes’ to Boston over 5 years. We’ve had several through our partner churchers strategically sent–they’ve moved here to labor in Boston, a field only 3% Christian, a field where laborers are few. We’ve also prayed that those that come here for school and get connected to King’s Hill might strategically stay after graduation, that our students would leverage their vocation in a Gospel-scarce city. If you’re reading this and from King’s Hill or a partner participant of King’s Hill, would you pray about being one of those 50? In time, the Lord showed his faithfulness to Hudson by sending the Seventy.
Of course, with more missionaries came the need for more money to support them. You might remember a man by the name of George Mueller. We looked at him last year. In his lifetime, George Mueller from Bristol, England cared for over 10,000 orphans. Through his inspiration, others followed in his steps, and by the time of his death, over 100,000 orphans were being cared for all over England. He had helped establish 117 schools, passed out over a quarter of a million Bibles, and watched God bring into his ministry over 7.5 million dollars (though when he died, he had $350 to his name). All of this happened without asking man for anything. He prayed and left the matters in God’s hands.
Mueller was an inspiration to Hudson. The reason why Hudson could make it through all he did was because of prayer. Time would fail to talk about the sleepless nights he had because of a bout with a deranged liver, the concussion of a spine which led to the gradual paralysis of his limbs (he recovered though doctors said he wouldn’t) and pain of living through the Boxer Rebellion which targeted Christians, of whom he saw 58 adults and 21 children killed belonging to the missions agency. In every need, Hudson saw God supply. He took it to God. Mueller was actually one of Hudson’s benefactors. Hudson would always say,
“God is equal to every emergency.”
By the time of Taylor’s death, the China Inland Mission had 825 missionaries. They had 300 mission stations; they had seen 25,000 converts. C.T Studd, most known for his exhortation, “Only one life will soon be past–only what’s done for Christ will last” was one of the seven from Cambridge that offered up his missionary service to Hudson and the China Inland Mission. In 1905, Hudson was called home by the Lord. China had around 100,000 Christians at the time of Hudson’s death. Today, well over 40 million Chinese are Christians. In fact, that’s a very, very low number. The Chinese government forbids baptism until 18 years of age, so, many teens and children that are Christians aren’t reported. This doesn’t touch the underground church movement. Most estimate 125-150 million Chinese are Christians.
Hudson gave his life to China. “To spend and to be spent.” That’s what he would say. Like a seed that must fall to the ground and die if it wants to bear fruit (John 12:24), Hudson planted his life in China, for 54 years. It got his energy, his affections, his blood, his sweat, his tears. It begs the question for us: “What are we spending our lives on? What kind of impact will it have 5 years from now, 10 years, 100 years? Will it lead to the souls of others eternally secured, hearts that are changed, and lips that praise King Jesus?
One word summed up Hudson Taylor: wholehearted. Let me tell you, there are a thousand ways our hearts can lose our intensity for the renown of God’s name, dying souls saved, and the kingdom of God established. The Great Enemy will throw at you temptations that are specific to your frame and inherent weaknesses; he’ll whisper in your ear through trials that God doesn’t love you. But he’ll also take advantage of good things like a job or a marriage. Hudson had his eyes fixed on God with his heart fixed on China.
He closed the eyes of his dying children, yet labored on to see the spiritual eyes of Chinese brothers opened. On his bedside in sickness, he penned pamphlets that he hoped would mobilize help to Asia. Content knowing he would spend eternity with his wife, he often parted with the sweet fellowship they shared in hopes a greater company in heaven might also enjoy heaven’s bliss. He was the Lord’s first. He was the Lord’s ultimately. He was the Lord’s supremely. It was not God first and then in a close second other things. It was God and then everything worldly way below.
Hudson Taylor was a man submitted to the Bible and yielded to his Master. His aim was to be a “servant of all.” Consider the servant’s mindset.
A servant asserts no rights. He resigns them.
A servant makes no plans. He receives them.
A servant worries not about his needs. He entrusts them.
So was the life of Hudson Taylor. A servant. And never was he disappointed by his Master.
It’s one thing to say God is my Provider. It’s another to place yourself in a position where there’s no backup plan and he has to come through for you. You’ll say God is your Provider but with much deeper conviction. It’s one thing to say God is sufficient. It’s another to humble yourself to a place of nothingness and wait for God to draw near. Then you can say unwaveringly, God is enough. I wonder, how many of us are aiming for that level of surrender? Here’s the paradox of the Christian life, in surrender–when we empty ourselves before God, we find fullness. In the words of Hudson Taylor:
“They who trust Him wholly find him wholly true.”