BUNYAN'S "PILGRIM'S PROGRESS."

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9551, 26 July 1909, Page 3

BUNYAN'S "PILGRIM'S PROGRESS."

ADDRESS BY THE REV. C. E. PORTER. In spite of the very wet state of the weather on Wednesday evening last, there was a very good attendance at the mid-werk meeting in the Methodist Schoolroom. The characters of the "Pilgrim's Progress" with «>hich Mr Porter dealt were '•Formalist" and "Hypocrisy." The speaker, in opening, said that these two men were observed by "Christian" tumbling over the wall on to the way which led to Mount Zion. They told "Christian" that they were born in the town of "Vain Glory," and were "going for praise to Mount Zion." Their motive in entering the way leading to Mount Zion was bad. God is concerned not only with conduct but with the motive of which it is the expression. Men count actions, God weighs them. Quality is more to God than quantity. Gorl looks to tne heart, where man < oks only to the outward appearance God asks no Why? We do this or that and it is the anwer to this question that makes our actions valuable or worthless. When asked why they came over the wall and not through the "Wicket Gate." They replied that they believed in the "short cut." The temptation to take the short cut is one of the greatest and most successful that we have to face. Many go down hopelessly before it. It was present to Christ when He was shown all the kingdoms and the glory of them, and promised that they should be His if He would but bend the knee for a second to the Tempter. He was being urged to take the short cut to the great object and aim of His life. The kingdoms of this world were to become His, then why not lay hold on them speedily? Why go such painful and roundabout ways to the goal, when a short and easy path was revealed? The temptation to take the short cut to wealth instead of the hard, honest, long and old path explains the presence of many capable men in our gaols to-day. "Christian" tried to show these men that if they did not Begin right they could not possibly End right. That ruin alone must be met by those who refused to enter according to the Kina's directions. "Christian"' also spoke about the deep inner experiences of the Christian life, but at all this they only laughed. Soon the three travellers came to a hill. A road ran round either side, and another went straight up the steepest grade. These roads were called "Danger." "Destruction," and "Difficulty." which went over the hill. "Formalist" and "Hypocrisy" took the easy paths and were never again heard of. "Christian" .faced the way of "Difficulty" and rejoiced at being able to choose the right, though hard, path. In these two men the abstract things known as formalism and hypocrisy are made concrete. Mr Porter then dealt with formalism in prayer and worship, and showed how" cleverly some hypocrites personate the Christian so as to completely deceive the verv elect.