HUDSON TAYLOR The man who believed God by Marshall Broomhall

XX
ALWAYS ADVANCING
WE have now reached a point in the life of Hudson
Taylor, where it becomes so intimately bound up with
the history of the China Inland Mission that it is by no
means easy to follow the one without the other. But the
Story of the Mission has already been told more than
once, 1 and unless this volume is to exceed the limits proposed,
some new mode of treatment must be adopted for
the remaining chapters. Hitherto it has been possible to
follow a strictly chronological order, but from this point
onward, while not ignoring historical developments, and
the main outlines of the Mission's history, events will be
grouped in such a way as to bring into prominence the
life and influence of the Founder. It is more important
to know the mind and character of the man than to
follow a bare record of happenings in order of time. The
method adopted will, it is hoped, lay emphasis upon his
spirit and character, his motives and methods, his ruling
ideas and ideals, his principles and practice. At the
same time, the main sequence of events will be clearly
indicated, and the chronological table, provided in the
Appendix (see pages 237-24r), will enable the reader,
at a glance, to trace his movements from place to
place, and from year to year.
1 Hudson Taylo, and the China Inland Mission: The Growth of a
Wo,k of God, by Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor. The Jubilee Story of
the China Inland Mission, by Marshall Broomhall.
164