And except life itself be cast in the scale,
No life can be won, no cause prevail.
MORE and more it was to China's Christians, filled with the Spirit of Christ, that Mr. Taylor looked for the evangelisation of China. In his second article on the Forward Movement, written from Shanghai (March 1898), he asked much prayer that the Keswick deputation, to whom a cordial welcome had been sent by Dr. Muirhead in the name of the missionary body, might be enabled to come out without delay, and that
.... in the meantime the Spirit of God may work mightily, preparing the heathen for the Gospel and the converts for fuller blessing, likewise raising up from among them evangelists, called, qualified, and constrained to preach the Gospel, as well as live out the Christ-life.
" There are eighty thousand Protestant communicants in China," he had written in his earlier paper, " and possibly as many more candidates and probationers. Besides these there are a still larger number who are convinced of the truth of Christianity, though they have not yet grace and courage to confess Christ. If there were a widespread outpouring of the Holy Spirit, all these might speedily be swept into the fold, and the effect in China of a quarter of, a million earnest, active, holyliving Christians would be very great." 1{1- Mr. Taylor's thought, as set forth in these papers, was that centre should be arranged for, in charge of experienced missionaries, to which the new workers (foreign) should go on arrival for study of the language and training in evangelistic method, and to which they could return from time to time for rest and refreshment after their itinerations. Chinese evangelists should also have training and Bible study in such centres. " A special Itinerant Missionary Evangelistic Band would, then be required," he wrote, " willing to consecrate five years of their lives to itinerant work, without thought of marriage or of settling down till their special work is accomplished. The work would be arduous, involving much self-denial, but it would bring with it much blessing and great spiritual joy, as the command, 'Preach the Gospel to every creature,' was being obeyed : in keeping of His commandments there is great reward (see Psalm 19:11). " The workers, when ready, would go out two and two, i.e. two missionaries and two native helpers, to previously arranged districts, to sell Scriptures and Gospel tracts, and to preach the Glad Tidings. Living together in the same inns, for companionship and fellowship, they would often separate during the day, one missionary and native brother going in one direction, and the other two in another, and meeting again at night, to commend to GOD the work of the day, as before setting out they had unitedly sought His blessing. Two-thirds to three-quarters of their time being thus occupied, the remainder would afford opportunity for bodily and spiritual rest and refreshment, for continuing the Chinese studies of the missionaries, and the systematic Bible studies of the native helpers. As the work progresses the number of these centres would need increasing."
But though the work was theirs, and without them could never be carried to completion, Mr. Taylor equally felt the need for Spirit-filled missionaries and many more of them, especially evangelists. Never before had he seen his way so clearly as far as money was concerned, but that very fact only made a revival of spiritual blessing the more urgent. Ten or twelve thousand pounds annually, in addition to current income, to be spent as it was received and to be spent in China, was a serious responsibility. It meant not only great possible development, but great possible difficulty at the end of the period when, the last instalment having been paid, the new undertakings would have to be carried on. Mr. Taylor had no doubt whatever but that the whole thing-the form of the bequest as well as the gift itself-was of God, and had no hesitation in accepting it ; but he saw that to go forward and enlarge the work without an increase of faith, prayer, and spiritual power, which alone could make it fruitful and sustain it, would be to court disaster.
There probably never was a time when we needed divine guidance more than at present," he had written to Mr. Stevenson before leaving England. " We sorely need fresh life infusing into every part of our work, without which this large legacy which has been left us may prove the greatest misfortune we have had for a long time."
It was with this double thought in view therefore--a Forward Movement, based upon real accessions of spiritual blessing-that Mr. Taylor came out for his tenth visit to China, accompanied by Mrs. Taylor, Miss Soltau of the Women's Department in London, and Miss Bessie Hanbury -a little company who knew the way to the Throne. How serious was the call to prayer they could not but realise from another consideration very present to their minds.
" If the Spirit of God work mightily," Mr. Taylor wrote on the journey, " we may be quite sure that the spirit of evil will also be active. When the appeal for a thousand new workers went forth from the Missionary Conference of 1890, the enemy at once began a counter-movement, and riots and massacres have from time to time followed as never before."
Not that this was any argument for holding back. It simply meant that whatever was undertaken must be begun, as it could alone be continued, in God.
One year and nine months now lay before Mr. Taylor of this last period of his active service in China (Jan. 1898 to Sept. 1899). He as little as those about him realised to be the last, and yet in tracing its experiences one cannot but be conscious of the finishing touches God was putting to the life labours of His servant. He was present at all the Council Meetings of this period, for example, with one exception. Seven times the leaders of the Mission gathered to meet him, and he was enabled to come into touch, through them, with a large part of the work. Many questions of difficulty were settled, and some problems of long standing happily solved. Then the important question of the Forward Movement was dealt with in ways that told of God's own working.
" Before leaving home," Mr. Taylor wrote in this connection, " we were greatly cheered by the promise of Ps. 32. 8, ' I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go.' We felt we were going forward in this matter not knowing when, how, or where God would have the new work begun, but assured that, in the way, needed light and leading would be given ; and we have not been disappointed."
Quite apart from previous planning, experienced workers had met in Shanghai from England, America, the Continent of Europe, and the interior of China, and after the January and April Council Meetings all was arranged for a beginning to be made in the accessible province of Kiang-si, with its ninety-nine governing cities, capitals of counties, in very few of which the Gospel was as yet being preached.
The tide of spiritual blessing, too, was rising, even before the arrival of the Keswick deputation. He who delights to use " the weak things " had found a cleansed and empty vessel which He was pleased to fill to overflowing with His own Spirit.
" I go forth in conscious weakness," Miss Soltau had written of her visit to China, " feeling my need of His abundant life for the untried way."
Drawing on the promised fulness, she had begun the journeys which were to occupy thirteen consecutive months, taking her over six thousand miles in all, to forty-four mission-stations, in every one of which she was made a blessing. Some years before, from her responsible post in London, she had written to a near relative:
The work is always increasing ; and were it not for the consciousness of Christ as my life, hour by hour, I could not go on. But He is teaching me glorious lessons of His sufficiency, and each day I am carried onward with no feeling of strain or fear of collapse.
And so it was in China. Fatiguing journeys, lack of quiet and home-comforts, extremes of winter cold and summer heat, and at each station the demands of heart to-heart interviews with beloved workers, many of whom were like her own children, as well as of frequent meetings with the missionaries or Chinese Christians who flocked around her-all were met in the same spirit of dependence upon the resources of the Lord Himself. Thus there was no breakdown, no hindrance to carrying out a full programme ; and from station after station Mr. Taylor had the joy of receiving just the tidings he longed for. From the young men's training home at An-king he heard through Mr. Stevenson of Miss Soltau's visit as " a truly remarkable season."
" The Holy Spirit was poured out upon all present," Mr. Taylor wrote, " and every one of the missionaries and students received extraordinary spiritual help. Such a Pentecostal season had never been experienced_ there before. This, surely, is what we need, for ourselves and for our native brethren."
With regard to his own usefulness, it was doubtless a trial to Mr. Taylor that he was prevented through ill-health from joining in these meetings: For several months after his arrival he was confined more or less to his room, but amid outward limitations he was learning much of the divine alchemy that for brass can bring gold and for iron silver, teaching in so many ways the lesson that His strength "is made perfect in weakness." To Dr. A. T. Pierson, whom he had visited in America, and who had since been laid aside by serious illness, Mr. Taylor wrote in April:
Ah, how much pains the Lord takes to empty us and to show us He can do without us! My experience has not been yours, of suffering pain for any long periods, but of great prostration and weakness, so that I have had to decline all public work since reaching China. In a quiet way I have been able to think and pray over many matters, and to confer with many of our workers. Some important arrangements have been made, which will, I believe, bear fruit in the future, and I trust some lessons have been learned. May we both be better fitted for any service the Lord may call us to, or for His own blessed appearing, which surely is very near!
On our way out my wife came across a little verse In Hymns of Tersteegen and Others which we have often thought of since:
He told me of a river bright
Which flows from Him to me,
That I might be, for His delight,
A fair and fruitful tree.
It is very simple : but has He not planted us by the river of living water that we may be for His delight, fair and fruitful to His people ? . .
Sometimes God can carry on His work better without us than with us.. . Then, again, the best work is not always done with large numbers. Our Lord fed the five thousand on the mountain-side, and eternity may show results we shall not know of till that day, but the record does not tell of much immediate outcome. On the other hand, He fed one woman at the well of Samaria, and immediately, through her, brought multitudes to His feet. So, do you not think, the Lord may see fit to call us away from the thousands, and do perhaps His best work through us to tens or even units, whom we may meet by the way ?
May He lead you, dear Brother, and continue to bless you more and more. I am increasingly thankful that " My Father is the Husbandman." There are " under-shepherds " ; but no prentice hand trains the branches of the True Vine, nor cleanses nor prunes them.
Dr. Pierson had not been able to join the Keswick deputation to China, but the Rev. Charles Inwood came, fresh from a wonderful time of blessing on the Continent. Accustomed to speaking through interpretation and to leading his hearers step by step from the elements of truth into fuller and deeper experiences, he was just the teacher needed, and from autumn to early summer he and Mrs. Inwood laboured without intermission as Miss Soltau was doing, their united service covering almost the entire period of Mr. Taylor's visit. One year and five months altogether these special meetings continued, Mr. Inwood in particular finding a wide sphere outside the Inland Mission. Travelling over ten thousand miles-north and south and far up the Yangtze to Chung-king-he had " precious fellowship with every missionary society in China," and found that year stand out, in spite of toil and danger, as the brightest he had ever spent in the Master's service.
Mr. Taylor meanwhile had wonderfully gained in strength, and even before Mr. Inwood's arrival had been able to take several journeys, and by meetings and correspondence to forward the same important end. While detained in Shanghai he had met over two hundred members of the Mission, and subsequently in visits to Chefoo and the new hill-station at Ku-ling had had opportunity for ministry to a large circle. But his letters went further still, carrying much of the -blessing that sustained him and which he thankfully realised to be accessible to all.
" Go forward in the strength of the Lord, and in the sufficiency that comes from Him alone," he wrote to one who needed encouragement, " and thank Him for your conscious insufficiency, for when you are weak, then He can be strong in you.
Do not be afraid to let His light shine through you ; do not be afraid to let even a trickling overflow, overflow. Do not let any self-consciousness prevent your being at God's disposal for any message He may want you to give at any time, to any one. Never mind what people think about you ; perhaps they will only think about Him, not about you at all, and thank Him for His ministry, though it may come through you. If at any time you are conscious of failure or sin, or even if you stand in doubt about anything, confess it at once to Him, and accept His promise of immediate cleansing and restoration. The moment you switch on electricity, the light shines or the power is manifested, just as before it was switched off, though in spiritual things the power of God may be manifested differently at one time from another. I do pray for you. My very heart goes out in prayer on your behalf, and I never was more thankful to God for you than I am now." 1ssessions, and to be delivered from them. Faith is the channel 1- Written from Ku-ling, Sept. 2, 1898.}
No pains seemed too great if he could lead- a soul into fuller blessing, and not least, his own children.
" With regard to many truths, there are two aspects to be borne in mind," he wrote to his daughter a few weeks later, " the divine and the human. This is so of the question of being filled with the Spirit. The command 'be -filled' etc., points us to the human side. What do we mean when we say that a loving mother is ` full of her baby' ? Some leave their babies to the nurse and do little or nothing for them themselves, going occasionally to amuse themselves with their children, but finding their principal enjoyments apart from them altogether. But the mother full of her baby is very different. Her heart, her time, her life are given to the child. Very much in the same way, the mind of the Spirit' spoken of in Romans 8: 6 (R.V.) means letting the Holy Spirit fill us and have us.
" Now the heart can no more be filled with two things at the same time than a tumbler can be filled with both air and water at the same time. If you want a tumbler full of water to be filled with air, it has first to be emptied of the water. This shows us why prayer to be filled with the Spirit is often gradually answered. We have to be shown our sins, our 'faults, our prepo by which all grace and blessing are received ; and that which is accepted by faith, God bestows in fact. Being filled does not always lead to exalted feeling or uniform manifestation, but God always keeps His word. We have to look to His promises or rest in them, expecting their literal fulfilment. Some put asking in the place of accepting ; some wish it were so, instead of believing that it is so. We have never to wait for God's giving, for God has already ' blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ.' We may reverently say, He has nothing more to give ; for He has given His all. Yet, just as the room is full of air, but none can get into the tumbler save as far as the water is emptied out, so we may be unable to receive all He has given, if the self-life is filling to some extent our hearts and lives'."
Gradually, as 1898 wore on, the outlook with regard to social and political conditions became increasingly disquieting. While souls were being saved in larger numbers than ever before and spiritual blessing given, the political unrest which had been growing since the Japanese war, and the bitterness of feeling due to the aggressions of foreign powers were hastening a crisis the nature of which was but too evident. The countermove Mr. Taylor had anticipated as likely to hinder widespread evangelistic effort was taking serious form. Too hasty attempts on the part of the young Emperor to introduce reforms had thrown the country into a ferment ; open discussion in the European press of the " partition of China " was goading the authorities to desperation ; and the Imperial Government had so lost influence with the people that, as Mr. Taylor wrote in July, there seemed little hope of averting a complete collapse." A powerful rebellion had broken out in Western China in the spring of the year, which was still unsubdued ; local uprisings and riots were of frequent occurrence ; and finally the Dowager Empress, at the head of the reactionary party, had resumed the reins of government, visiting with dire retribution the over-zealous reformers, and consigning the hapless Emperor to virtual imprisonment in "the inner apartments." This had taken place in September, and now in quick succession drastic measures were being taken to reverse the policy of recent years and to curtail the pretensions of foreigners. Needless to say, this sudden change of front on the part of the Government encouraged anti-foreign feeling throughout the country ; and as almost the only Europeans in the interior were missionaries, it was against them particularly that hostilities were directed. The situation was fraught with peril, and could not 'but give rise to serious apprehensions.
" Leave God out of count," Mr. Frost had written for the November China's Millions, " and fear might well possess and overwhelm us. Bring God into account and there is perfect peace for us at home and for our beloved missionaries in China. ... Satan is mighty, but God is almighty. Not one thing can man do that God does not allow to be done, and one outstretching of His glorious arm can subdue every enemy. . . . For thirtytwo years of the Mission's history He has preserved life in the face of threatened dangers, so that up to the present time, in spite of robbers, bandits, and rioters, not one person has been called on such accounts to pass through, death. And further, suppose He should allow this long record of divine interposition to be broken, would He be less strong to keep in the hour of death than He has been in the days of life ? We do not speak lightly ; but thinking of God and of His mighty acts, and with the past in view, though faced in thought with martyr fires and rack and sword, we know that God can keep His own, and we believe that He would do so, now, as in the days of old."
That for thirty-two years God bad so watched over the Mission that no life had ever been lost through violence or accident or in travelling was a very real comfort to Mr. Taylor. Frequently in his letters of this troubled year he calls attention to the fact, which was indeed a remarkable one, considering the pioneering work 'accomplished in all the inland provinces, and that there was scarcely a moment of the day or night in which journeys were not being taken, either by land or water. Shipwrecks had occurred once and again at sea, and more often on the rapids of the Yangtze ; but though loss of property had been permitted, as also in many a riot, life and limb had been protected in every case, often in most wonderful ways. Indeed, there had grown up in Mr. Taylor's mind a restful confidence in God that He would thus protect His servants in the Mission, especially defenceless women, working alone in their stations, at a distance often from the nearest missionaries. He rejoiced in their faith and devotion no less than in the blessing that rested on their labours. At this very time (1898-1899) despite persecution and threatened danger, two hundred and fifty converts were received into church membership in the ladies' stations on the Kwang-sin River, while a thousand inquirers were under instruction as candidates for baptism. Such a result from the labours of a few young women in a few brief years, with quite a small, though growing, band of native leaders, was indeed cause for thankfulness.1-{1 " They are weak enough for God to use," Mr. Taylor had written of similar workers in Shan-si, " and they believe in being filled with the Holy Ghost. They seek a blessing with fasting and prayer, and they do not seek in vain. The people feel that there is power in connection with their work."}
To a woman also had been given success in the difficult and dangerous task of effecting a settled residence in Hu-nan, so long the most anti-foreign province in China. With a single native helper and a Chinese woman-companion she had walked quietly over the border from Kiang-si, under the very eyes of the soldiery sent to guard the frontier, but who never dreamed of connecting those dusty wayfarers with the dreaded foreigner they were to intercept ! During his recent visit to England Mr. Taylor had been rejoiced by a letter (1896) from this brave Norwegian worker saying that the Lord Jesus had taken up His abode in the hearts of some of the people over the border, and that if she should be put out, He could not-for hearts that have once received Him are not likely to give Him up. But a new day had dawned for Hu-nan. Miss Jacobsen was not put out. On the contrary, the Rev. George Hunter, Dr. Keller and others were so prospered in similar efforts that this very period of uneasiness and trouble witnessed the opening of centre after centre, until the C.I.M. alone had four settled stations in the province. From Cha-ling-chow, Dr. Keller wrote at the close of 1898
We have from twenty to forty quiet, attentive hearers at our morning services. Yesterday, Sunday, we held a longer meeting, about sixty being present. We have quite a few callers, and they all drink tea with us without hesitation. Is not this rather unusual ? Everything seems peaceful and quiet. Oh, let us praise Him ! Reports are brought to us of some harsh talk in a large students' hall near here-threats to kill our landlord and loot his premises, and afterwards make an assault on us. We are in God's hands, and He is almighty. . . . Pray for us.
By this time Mr. Taylor was on his way up the Yangtze to the far west of China. Despite the rebellion in Szechwan, which was still in progress, and the unquiet state of the country everywhere, Mr. and Mrs. Inwood were to attend the conference -of West China missionaries to be held at Chung-king in January (1899) and Mr. and Mrs. Taylor had decided to accompany them. The journey, first by steamer and then by native boat hundreds of miles up the Yangtze, was no little undertaking in mid-winter, especially to those unaccustomed to the rapids ; but much help was found on the way at the various homes and business centres of the Mission, at which every possible arrangement was made for the comfort of the travellers. Very different had been Mr. Taylor's earlier experiences before the Mission had any business organisation, when in the midst of pressing work and responsibilities he had to look after such affairs himself, or risk their miscarrying. Of one journey, happily not a long one, he retained a feeling recollection-when the willing but unbusinesslike fellow-worker to whom he had entrusted his belongings (being so busy himself that he hardly knew how to get off) arrived with his coolie at the landing-stage just as the vessel was steaming away. Mr. Taylor, after waving farewell to his baggage, had to sleep on bare boards that night-making the best, as he said, of a shoe and an umbrella for a pillow and the cold wintry air for a coverlet. Now, things were on a very different footing, and no one appreciated the change, or the sacrifice at which able and devoted missionaries were facilitating the work of others, more than the leader of the Mission who had himself known so much of " serving tables."
But not all the loving care of fellow-workers by the way could keep from him the heavy tidings received at Hankow of the first martyrdom in the ranks of the C.I.M. Away in the distant province of Kwei-chow the tragedy had occurred, when William S. Fleming, from Australia, had been murdered with his friend and helper, P'an, a convert from the Black Miao tribe they were seeking to evangelise. In trying to protect the latter, Mr. Fleming's own life had been sacrificed ; and while thanking God for the spirit in which he had met his brief but terrible end, Mr. Taylor realised with a straitened heart something of what it meant that such an event should have happened.
" How sad the tidings ! " he wrote to Mr. Stevenson on the 22nd of November : " blessed for the martyrs but sad for us, for China, for their friends. And not only sad, but ominous ! It seems to show that God is about to test us with a new kind of trial : surely we need to gird on afresh `the whole armour of God.' Doubtless it means fuller blessing, but through deeper suffering. May we all lean hard on the Strong for strength .. . and in some way or other the work be deepened and extended, not hindered, by these trials."
" Deepened and extended, not hindered "-how often in the months that followed the thought must have been turned into -prayer as his own way was increasingly hedged about with ' difficulty. The conference at Chung-king proved a time of blessing. Attended by seventy to eighty missionaries of various societies it gave opportunity for Mr. Inwood's helpful ministry, and brought Mr. Taylor into touch with Bishop Cassels, Dr. Parry, and other leaders in the C.I.M. work. But the visits he and Mrs. Taylor hoped to pay to many of the western stations had to be abandoned. In the first place, a fresh outbreak of the Yu Man-tze rebellion made travelling extremely dangerous ; and further, a serious illness brought Mr. Taylor so low that his life was almost despaired of. Nursing him night and day, Mrs. Taylor at last saw that all that could be done was unavailing. It seemed as if, at any moment, his heart might fail. Realising what it would mean to the Mission if he were taken suddenly, with no one in view to fill his place, she had been holding on to God in prayer and faith for his recovery. Now, in the silent room, she could only kneel and cry:
"Lord, we can do nothing ! Do what Thou wilt. Undertake for us."
When he next spoke, knowing nothing of her prayer, it was to whisper, " I feel better, dear " : and from that time he recovered.
On the return journey to Shanghai he regained a measure of strength, but the summer (1899) had to be spent either on the hills or at Chefoo. It was a matter of concern to Mr. Taylor that the men for the Forward Movement seemed to be volunteering so slowly. Some had been sent out and some had offered from the ranks of the Mission in China, including his own youngest son, but quite a few were yet needed to make up the first twenty, though the money to sustain them was waiting in abundance. Contrasted with former experiences, such as the answers to prayer in connection with the Seventy and the Hundred, this seemed the more remarkable, and could not but confirm Mr. Taylor's life-long conviction that in God's work the silver and the gold, though very necessary, are of secondary importance. Still, the disturbed state of the country reconciled him to patience. Things seemed to be going from bad to worse politically. The anti-foreign movement fostered by the Dowager Empress was growing in power, and it might be long before normal conditions were restored. Meanwhile, a promised visit had to be paid to Australia and New Zealand, and then to New York for the (Ecumenical Missionary Conference. This journey, Mr. Taylor hoped, would greatly help the Forward Movement, as well as call forth much prayer for China.
A tender tender and special interest necessarily attaches to those spring and summer days that witnessed his last ministries in scenes and to-fellow-workers long held dear. So unconscious was he that his work in China was drawing to a close that he entered heartily into plans for building a cottage to which he and Mrs. Taylor could retire for rest from the busy Mission-house at Shanghai. This little summer home, the only dwelling they ever planned for themselves, consisted of a sitting-room and two small bedrooms, over kitchen and servants' quarters, with an upstairs verandah on three sides. The latter was the great attraction, for from it the well-wooded hills stretched away in beautiful vistas to the plain two thousand feet below. Cool even on summer nights, the spot seemed ideal for a sanatorium, and Mr. Taylor had purchased a strip of the hill while property up there was still of little value. It was soon, however, to become a favourite resort for foreign residents, and a service of steam-launches brought it within two days of Shanghai.
Thus it was that Mr. and Mrs. Taylor found themselves in the old home at Hang-chow once more, for having missed the north-bound launch they had just time to go down while waiting for the next train of boats to start. The visit was only for a few hours, but how many recollections it brought-! More than thirty years had elapsed since the Lammermuir party had found shelter in the house next door, beginning there the work that had now spread to the most distant provinces. Fuh Ku-niang, the bright-faced girl who had been the first to visit the women in their homes, and had led many to the Saviour, was still remembered and loved. Long had she borne with her husband the burden and heat of the day. Its working hours were numbered now. How gladly would they have spent them to the last with the dear old Pastor in the care of the church, and in soulsaving work which had always had a first place in their hearts. But the Mission needed them, needed them in some ways more than ever, and in service to their fellowworkers all those last weeks and months were filled. No one could sympathise, counsel, or comfort as they could ; no one had so sure an access, by way of the Throne, to other hearts.
In much perturbation of spirit, for example, one devoted worker had come down to Shanghai in May, determined to leave the Mission unless the principle of not appealing to Consuls for redress could be so far set aside in his case as to admit of his wrongs being righted in connection with a recent riot, Mr. Taylor greatly valued both the brother in question and his work. He knew him to be a man of intense convictions and strong feelings, and being warned of his attitude by Mr. Stevenson, who had travelled with him, gave himself specially to prayer, and delayed the interview for a day or two. It was a case for putting into practice his own words.
What is spiritual ministry ? It is that if you see me to be wrong you are able by prayer, by spiritual power, by tact, by love, forbearance and patience to enlighten my conscience, and thus cause me gladly to turn from my mistaken course to the right one.1-{1-" Though we cannot scold people right we may often love them right," he had written to Mr. Stevenson before leaving England. " It will not do for us to lose expectant faith and Holy Ghost power, and let those whom God gives us drift away, if prayer and fasting, pains and patience will hold them together. . . . We must claim from God by faith the love and spiritual power that will make men wish to obey. I do long for myself and for all of us to be more filled with the Spirit, and thus fitted for God's work. Then we shall always overflow with love, joy, peace, gentleness, and all the fruit of the Spirit, and every one will be attracted and helped as far as possible."}
Meanwhile the young missionary, eager, and impatient as he was, began to see things, somehow, in a different light. Though no word was said against his position, he could. not but feel as he reconsidered the matter that it was, perhaps, rather out of keeping with the spirit of Christ. He little knew that Mr. Taylor, who seemed too busy to spare him a few minutes, was spending not minutes but hours in earnest pleading on his behalf. But that hidden influence did what no reasoning, far less exercise of authority, could have accomplished.
" Before the interview took place, or Mr. Taylor said a word to me on the subject," he recalled with thankfulness, " my whole position was changed. I saw I had been utterly wrong, and that the C.I.M. principle was right, even in such a peculiar case as mine. During our first conversation, Mr. Taylor did not refer to the matter. He talked about other things, asking my opinion as to the use of certain drugs, and when the dinner-bell rang said that he would like to have further talk with me that afternoon at three o'clock.
" I felt guilty over taking up so much of his time, and so, though I had resolved not to open the subject, I decided to tell him frankly of my change of position. At the. appointed hour I went to him and said:
" ` Mr. Taylor, I feel I ought to let you know at once that I see things differently, and am prepared to submit the whole matter to you and act as you may direct.' "
It was a manly decision, worthy of a strong character, and Mr. Taylor's relief was so great that he could only exclaims " Thank God ! "
" This experience was a crisis and turning-point in my life," continued Dr. Keller. " It taught me in a most practical way how even strongly formed purposes can be changed and men's hearts influenced by prayer alone. I have always felt that surrenders made and principles accepted at that time, together with real changes in character that then took place, were God's direct and gracious answer to Mr. Taylor's prayers." 1-{1 When Dr. Keller was willing to accept Mr. Taylor's advice and help, the latter arranged for a more experienced missionary, the Rev. Ed. Pearse, to go to the capital of the province and call on the Governor to make a friendly representation. This, by the blessing of God, proved entirely successful. The Governor sent a. deputy to Cha-ling-chow, who arranged with the local authorities to repair the house and re-establish the missionaries according to Chinese law. In order that the landlord might be fully compensated, Dr. Keller waived all claim to indemnity. " Every one was delighted with this arrangement," the Doctor wrote after his return, " and all the secretaries and petty officials in the ye-men rushed in to thank us for our gracious ,treatment of the Chow (the local Mandarin). From this time the Chow and his family were our warm friends. I became their family physician . . . and the Chow himself came to Chang-sha (the capital) years after to be treated by me in his last illness. They proved the sincerity of their friendship at the time of the Boxer uprising. After the Italian priests had been killed at Hengchow, a band of soldiers came over to Cha-ling and wanted to kill me. The Chow protected me for a week in his ya-men, and at last, when things got beyond control and his own life was in danger, he got me away by night, and sent me with a strong escort safely to Kiang-si. A year later we went to Chang-sha, and our kindly reception there, together with the confidence and friendship of the officials which were such a help to us, were largely due to the settlement at Cha-ling made in answer to Mr.Taylor's prayers. '}
Then at Chefoo that summer Mr. and Mrs. Taylor had many opportunities of coming into touch with the staff and pupils of the three flourishing schools. The month spent in their midst was full of interest.
" Over a hundred and fifty children," Mrs. Taylor wrote, " all in good health and doing well in their work, is something to be thankful for."
Delighting in the happiness of the boys and girls, Mr. and Mrs. Taylor never tired of watching their games and seeing all they could of them personally. Foundation Day was a great occasion. A boat race in the early morning, followed by cricket and tennis matches, prepared the young folk to enjoy the quiet noonday hour with plenty of singing and an address from Mr. Taylor. After tea, under the willows, several photographs were taken, and the cool of evening brought a delightful " social " in the quadrangle.
" It was a warm, moonlit night," wrote Mrs. Taylor, " and the lights in the room near the pianos were all that was necessary. One of the teachers, Miss Norris, is a beautiful musician, and with songs and recitations the pleasant day ended."
In the serious work of the schools with all that it involved for the teachers of strenuous, self-denying labour they were still more interested. Few could realise better what it meant to have the constant care of so many young lives in a climate and amid surroundings that were often trying. The strain upon patience and endurance was great indeed, and to no members of the Mission did Mr. and Mrs. Taylor's hearts go out in deeper sympathy. Writing to the ladies in the Girls' School especially, Mrs. Taylor said, as they were leaving the beautiful harbour for the last time (June 26, '99) :
I do love and value you, and am so glad to know you better! Though we have left, our hearts are still with you, and we would fain have had longer together. I do thank you for giving me your confidence, and I want to send to all of you a good-bye message : it is this : Determine to Prove what faith and love will do. " Grip God," as Mr. Inwood says, for one another. Believe that God will make you helpers, each one to all the rest. Covet earnestly to put joy into one another's lives, and by love conquer all that otherwise would be trying. Our calling in Christ Jesus is to live supernatural lives, to be " more than conquerors " day by day. Yield yourselves to God to be more fully indwelt, and to serve only in His strength, and then expect Him to do all that you need, for " nothing shall be impossible to you. . . ."
Only take firm hold of God, for yourselves and for one another, and look out to see what God will do. You have His Almightiness amongst you always, for everything.... More and ever more of Christ in our lives, more of dependence upon Him, is the remedy for every lack, the solution of every difficulty.
To the last this loving ministry was maintained, by letters and in other ways, so that it was difficult to get off to the steamer even when their luggage was on board and they were starting for America via Australia and New Zealand. Mr. Taylor was still writing letters when Mrs. Taylor left for the dock-letters of sympathy and comfort to one and another whose needs were upon his heart. It was midnight before he could tear himself away, a fine night in September. Only Mr. Stevenson accompanied him, the Mission-house being all asleep and farewell said some hours before. Together they went by rickshaw through the quiet streets, and alone Mr. Stevenson returned to the heavy responsibilities that awaited him.
For events were moving with startling rapidity, now, to the denouement of 1900. Mr. Taylor was still in the midst of his campaign in Australia, joined by the writers, when the Dowager Empress put forth the inflammatory edict with which that fateful year opened. Posted up in every city of importance, those burning words lost nothing through the free translation given by scholars to the great mass of the illiterate. It was seen to be war to the death, and the secret society of patriotic " Boxers," pledged to the extermination of all foreigners, flourished under Imperial protection till the movement spread like wildfire throughout the land.
By this time Mr. Taylor and his party, having found warm friends and addressed many meetings in New Zealand, had crossed the Pacific to California, and were on their way to New York, where they were among the speakers expected at the (Ecumenical Conference. From all parts of the world representative missionaries and others gathered for this great occasion, and much prayer was made for China, where the situation was becoming desperate. After the Conference, sending his son and daughter-in-law before him, that they might take part in the annual meetings of the Mission in London, Mr. Taylor remained on for further work. Concern about the state of things in China and an over-full programme when he was single-handed proved just too much, and brought about a rather serious breakdown.
England was reached in June, and under a feeling of urgency that she hardly understood, Mrs. Taylor arranged for the continuation of their journey to the quiet spot among the mountains where Mr. Taylor's health had been so wonderfully restored some years previously. He was quite unable for meetings or correspondence, and consented to the course that offered best prospect of recovery, thankful to leave the work in London, as in Shanghai, so well provided for. At Davos they had found warm friends in an English lady and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. Hofmann, who received visitors in a homelike Pension at moderate charges. Simply writing to say they were coming, the travellers set out-a few days only before the prayer meeting at Newington Green, at which Mrs. Hofmann herself was present, when the first announcement was made of the terrible events even then transpiring in China. Had Mr. and Mrs. Taylor delayed for that meeting or for a reply from the Villa Concordia, they probably would never have reached the shelter of that quiet home. For' 'when the telegrams began to come they could not have left London. The Boxers had already entered Peking, and the work of destruction was begun. Hundreds of Christians were massacred, and war openly entered upon by the Chinese authorities. The Foreign Legations were in a state of siege, and Imperial decrees had gone out commanding viceroys and governors everywhere to support the rising.
Hearing that Mr. Taylor would already be at Davos, Mrs. Hofmann hastened back to do all in her power to help and comfort in that time of sore distress. And there it was the blow fell, and telegram after telegram was received telling of riots, massacres, and the hunting down of refugees in station after station of the Mission-until the heart that so long, in joy and sorrow, had upheld these beloved fellowworkers before the Lord could endure no more, and almost ceased to beat. But for the protection of that remote valley where news could, in measure, be kept from him, Hudson Taylor would himself have been among those whose lives were laid down for Christ's sake and for China in the oversweeping horror of that summer. As it was he lived through it, holding on to God.
" I cannot read," he said when things were at their worst ; " I cannot think ; I cannot even pray but I can trust."
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