Part 10 — The Hill Difficulty by John Bunyan audio

The Hill Difficulty by John Bunyan read-along text

I beheld, then, that they all went on until they came to the foot of the Hill Difficulty, at the bottom of which was a spring. Here there also were two other ways besides that path which came straight from the narrow-gate — one turned to the left hand, and the other to the right; however the narrow way went straight up the Hill Difficulty.

Christian now went to the spring, and drank to refresh himself, and then began to go up the hill, saying,

“The hill, though high, I choose to ascend,
The difficulty will not me offend;
For I perceive the way to life lies here.
Come, take heart, let’s neither faint nor fear;
Better, though difficult, the right way to go,
Than wrong, though easy—where the end is woe.”

The other two men also came to the foot of the hill. When they saw that the hill was very steep and high, and that there were two other easier ways to go; and supposing that these two ways might meet again on the other side of the hill with the same hard way that Christian chose; they resolved to go in those easy paths.

Now the name of one of those ways was Danger — and the name of the other Destruction. So one took the way called Danger, which led him into an enormous bewildering forest — and the other took the way to Destruction, which led him into a wide field full of dark pits, where he stumbled and fell, and rose no more.

I then looked at Christian going up the hill, where, because of the steepness of the hill, I saw he went from running to walking, and from walking to crawling on his hands and knees. Now, about midway to the top of the hill was a pleasant arbor, made by the Lord of the hill for the refreshment of weary travelers. When Christian arrived there, he sat down to rest. He then pulled his scroll out of his bosom, and read to his comfort. He also began to examine the garment that was given him while at the Cross.

Thus refreshing himself for a while, he at last fell into a slumber, and thence into a sound sleep, which delayed him there until it was almost night. While asleep, his scroll fell out of his hand.

Now, as he was sleeping, one came and awakened him, saying, “Go to the ant, you sluggard — consider her ways, and be wise!”

With that, Christian suddenly jumped up, and hurried on his way until he came to the top of the hill.