Page 93 - Living Epistles

He thankfully realized that faith, the faith he longed for, was a "gift of God,"
and that it might "grow exceedingly." But for growth, exercise was needed,
and exercise of faith was obviously impossible apart from trial. Then
welcome trial, welcome anything that would increase and strengthen this
precious gift, proving to his own heart at any rate that he had faith of the
sort that would really stand and grow.

And here it should be remembered that in taking this attitude before the
Lord, Hudson Taylor was wholly earnest and sincere. He was bringing "all
the tithes into the storehouse," a most important consideration; living a life
that made it possible for him to exercise faith to which God could respond in
blessing. In a word, there was no hindrance in himself to the answer to his
prayers; and experiences followed that have been made an encouragement
to thousands the wide world over...

"To learn before leaving England to move man through God by prayer
alone," this and nothing less was the object Hudson Taylor had before him
now, and it was not long before he came to see a simple, natural way of
practicing this lesson.

At Hull my kind employer, always busy, wished me to remind him whenever
my salary became due. This I determined not to do directly, but to ask that
God would bring the fact to his recollection, and thus encourage me by
answering prayer.

At one time as the day drew near for the payment of a quarter's salary I was
as usual much in prayer about it. The time arrived, but Dr. Hardey made no
allusion to the matter. I continued praying. Days passed on and he did not
remember, until at length on settling up my weekly accounts one Saturday
night, I found myself possessed of only one remaining coin, a half-crown
piece. Still, I had hitherto known no lack, and I continued praying.

That Sunday was a very happy one. As usual my heart was full and
brimming over with blessing. After attending Divine Service in the morning,
my afternoons and evenings were taken up with Gospel work in the various
lodging-houses I was accustomed to visit in the lowest part of the town. At
such times it almost seemed to me as if heaven were begun below, and that
all that could be looked for was an enlargement of one's capacity for joy, not
a truer filling than I possessed.