Hill Difficulty
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Reaching the Hill Difficulty
I beheld then, that they all went on till they came to the foot of the Hill Difficulty, at the bottom of which was a spring. There was also in the same place two other ways besides that which came straight from the Gate; one turned to the left hand and the other to the right, at the bottom of the Hill; but the narrow way lay right up the Hill, and the name of the going up the side of the Hill is called Difficulty. Christian now went to the Spring, and drank thereof to refresh himself, and then began to go up the Hill, saying,
The Hill, tho' high, I covet to ascend,
The difficulty will not me offend;
For I perceive the way to life lies here:
Come, pluck up, Heart, let's neither faint nor fear;
Better, tho' difficult, the right way to go,
Than wrong, though easy, where the end is woe.
The other two also came to the foot of the Hill; but when they saw that the Hill was steep and high, and that there were two other ways to go; and supposing also that these two ways might meet again with that up which Christian went, on the other side of the Hill; therefore they were resolved togo in those ways. Now the name of one of those ways was Danger, and the nameof the other Destruction. So the one took the way which is called Danger, which led him into a great Wood; and the other took directly up the way to Destruction, which led him into a wide field, full of dark Mountains, where he stumbled and fell, and rose no more. Shall they who wrong begin yet rightly end?
Shall they at all have Safety for their friend?
No, no; in headstrong manner they set out,
And headlong will they fall at last no doubt.
I looked then after Christian to see him go up the Hill, where I perceived he fell from running to going, and from going to clambering upon hishands and his knees, because of the steepness of the place. Now about the mid - way to the top of the Hill was a pleasant Arbor, made by the Lord of the Hill for the refreshing of weary travellers; thither therefore Christian got, where also he sat down to rest him. Then he pulled his Roll out of his bosom, and read therein to his comfort; he also now began afresh to take a review of the coat or garment that was given him as he stood by the Cross. Thus pleasing himself awhile, he at last fell into a slumber, and thence into a fast sleep, which detained him in that place until it was almost night; and in his sleep his Roll fell out of his hand. Now as he was sleeping, there came one to himand awakened him, saying, Go to the Ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and
be wise. And with that Christian suddenly started up, and sped on his way, and
went apace till he came to the top of the Hill.
At the Hill top with two men
Now when he was got up to the top of the Hill, there came two men running against him amain; the name of the one was Timorous, and the other, Mistrust; to whom Christian said, Sirs, what's the matter you run the wrong way? Timorous answered, that they were going to the City of Zion, and had got up that difficult place; but, said he, the further we go, the more danger we meet with; wherefore we turned, and are going back again. Yes, said Mistrust, for just before us lie a couple of lions in the way, (whether sleeping or waking we know not) and we could not think, if we came within reach, but they would presently pull us in pieces. Christian: Then said Christian, You make me afraid, but whither shall I fly to be safe? If I go back to mine own country, that is prepared for fire and brimstone, and I shall certainly perish there. If I can get to the Celestial City, I am sure to be in safety there. I must venture: To go back is nothing but death; to go forward is fear of death, and life everlasting beyond it. I will yet go forward.
So Mistrust and Timorous ran down the Hill, and Christian went on his way. But thinking again of what he heard from the men, he felt in his bosom for his Roll, that he might read therein and be comforted; but he felt, and found it not. Then was Christian in great distress, and knew not what to do; for he wanted that which used to relieve him, and that which should have been his pass into the Celestial City. Here therefore he began to be much perplexed, and knew not what to do. At last he bethought himself that he had slept in the Arbor that is on the side of the Hill; and falling down upon his knees he asked God's forgiveness for that his foolish act and then went back to look for his Roll. But all the way he went back, who can sufficiently set forth the sorrow of Christian's heart? Sometimes he sighed, sometimes he wept, and oftentimes he chided himself for being so foolish to fall asleep in that place, which was erected only for a little refreshment for his weariness. Thus therefore he went back, carefully looking on this side and on that, all the way as he went, if happily he might find his Roll, that had been his comfort so many times in his Journey. He went thus till he came again within sight of the Arbor where he sat and slept; but that sight renewed his sorrow the more, by bringing again, even afresh, his evil of sleeping into his mind. Thus therefore he now went on bewailing his sinful sleep, saying, O wretched man that I am, that I should sleep in the daytime! that I should sleep in the midst of difficulty! that I should so indulge the flesh, as to use that rest for ease to my flesh, which the Lord of the Hill hath erected only for the relief of the spirits of Pilgrims? How many steps have I took in vain! (Thus it happened to Israel for their sin, they were sent back again by the way of the Red Sea), and I am made to tread those steps with sorrow, which I might have trod with delight, had it not been for this sinful sleep. How far might I have been on my way by this time! I am made to tread those steps thrice over, which I needed not to have trod but once; yea now also I am like to be benighted, for the day is almost spent. O that I had not slept!
Now by this time he was come to the Arbor again, where for a while he sat down and wept; but at last, as Christian would have it, looking sorrowfully down under the settle, there he espied his Roll; the which he with trembling and haste catched up, and put it into his bosom. But who can tell how joyful this man was when he had gotten his Roll again! for this Roll was the assurance of his life and acceptance at the desired Haven. Therefore he laid it up in his bosom, gave thanks to God for directing his eye to the place where it lay, and with joy and tears betook himself again to his Journey. But Oh! how nimbly now did he go up the rest of the Hill! Yet before he got up, the Sun went down upon Christian; and this made him again recall the vanity of his sleeping to his remembrance; and thus he again began to condole with himself.
O thou sinful sleep: how for thy sake am I like to be benighted in my Journey! I must walk without the Sun, darkness must cover the path of my feet, and I must hear the noise of doleful creatures, because of my sinful sleep.
Interpretation:
We should not avoid the way to the Hill Difficulty. We should carry our crosses, deny ourselves and follow our Lord. "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Matt.16:24). The two men who came to the foot of the Hill Difficulty but did not choose to climb the Hill Difficulty.
So the one took the way which is called Danger, which led him into a great wood; and the other took directly up the way to Destruction, which led him into a wide field, full of dark mountains, where he stumbled and fell, and rose no more. There are multitudes who want to avoid the Hill Difficulty but want to be saved from climbing the Hill Difficulty. They heard preachers who promised them an easy passage to the City of Zion by their prayers of intercession. They have stumbled in a wide field, full of dark mountains. Many have fallen in their spiritual life, not to rise again.
They should now rise up from their death trap beholding the Cross and Sepulchre and should retract from the path of danger and destruction.
The other category of Christians is those who climb the Hill Difficulty but look back and go down the Hill when they face afflictions. Timorous is those who suffer from nervousness and show lack of confidence.
Mistrust is those who imagine death and destruction on the hill top and do not trust Jesus Christ who has promised His abiding presence with them. "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I (Jesus) have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen". Both these men do not trust Jesus though they call themselves believers. They are afraid of the devil who has no power over them.
On the Hill Difficulty, God provides us refreshments in His Arbour. But we should not stay there longer so as to take a slumber there and to forget the Roll. We go on vacations to take rest and to enjoy with our families. But we do not pray and meditate on His word during such period of pleasure. Some Christians have experienced robbery or ailments during such times because they forgot to seek God's guidance through His word and prayers.
Christians do forget to read the Roll given to them as they always want to hear what preachers teach them. When a false preacher preaches a different gospel, they believe it because they do not check the same with the Roll in their hand. They should now rediscover the Roll by reading it prayerfully after unlearning what the false teachers have taught them.