THE HILL DIFFICULTY:

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THE JEWISH PILGRIM'S PROGRESS.

EVERY man has a Hill Difficulty to encounter in his Christian life. We all march upwards, and we have to climb. There are a thousand expedients to avoid the necessity of climbing, but they are very vain, and all the way there is conflict and trial. But in proportion to the patient and persevering zeal with which the soul maintains and endures the conflict, will be the ease with which afterwards it shall be borne forward in the victory. At the summit of the Hill there are winged cars, in which you step, and are carried swiftly and sweetly onwards. Such is the power of Christian habit. It is a Hill Difficulty at first, it is a winged car at last. They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” "It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places."

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The time of trial must be encountered. We will not say whether it lasts the life long, or precisely at what point the habits become wings; whether the cars at the top of the Hill are those which receive the soul at death, and cause it to glide through the air to the abodes of the blessed, or whether the movement begins this side the

grave, by the top of the Hill being reached before death, and the airy flight of the soul beginning even in the body, through the great celestial power of peace with God, and a love and joy unspeakable and full of glory. We think Paul stepped into those winged cars before he put off his mortal tabernacle. And every Christian may do so, for God has made it possible. But it depends greatly on the manner in which the Pilgrim travels up the Hill, in those parts of the pilgrimage where climbing is necessary. "My soul followeth hard after thee; thy right hand upholdeth me." There must be labor, intense labor. "Striving according to his working, that worketh in me mightily." That was Paul's experience. "So run I, not as uncertainly, so fight I, not as one that beateth the air. I would that ye knew my conflict. Night and day praying exceedingly."

We say not, therefore, when the top of the hill is reached, or may be reached, but this we do say, that the Hill Difficulty is long, and the climbing of it is a great discipline for every soul. This also we say, that Christian habit, though difficult in the formation and establishment, turns into wings, and whereas at first the soul had to carry its habits forward with great difficulty and labor, at the last habit carries the soul forward.

I had a sight of this Hill Difficulty lately, as in a trance, in which I looked, and saw a great variety of characters laboring up. There was a bright light at the summit, and a vast, dark, wild-looking plain at the base; but so far as sight was concerned, the Hill seemed to me to constitute the whole of the Christian life; for the top of the Hill, and the winged cars in waiting, were out of sight ordinarily, and only now and then I seemed to be raised where I could see them floating in light. But I watched with exceeding great interest the progress of the various multitude. Some were going up, some were going back. Some set out with great apparent zeal at first, but soon became

tired, and turned away disgusted with the labor. I thought of the text, that the hypocrite will not always call upon God, and also of the text, "He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved;" and also of that, "Ye have need of patience, and shall live by faith; but if any man draw back, my soul hath no pleasure in him."

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Some seemed to take the Hill very hard, others more leisurely. Some disencumbered themselves of everything but what was absolutely necessary to a becoming appearance as Pilgrims, saying among themselves, We brought nothing into the world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out; others took an immense quantity of luggage, and various unnecessary burdens along with them. thought of the text, "Laying aside every weight, and the sin that doth so easily beset us, let us run with patience the race that is set before us." Some laid in a great stock of provisions, and even of fresh water, for the top of the Hill, fearful that by and by they might find themselves destitute of everything to eat and drink; others seemed to have little or no anxiety about the future, but just to get forward. I thought of the text, "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof," and also of our Lord's prayer, "Give us, day by day, our daily bread." And I thought of the text, "He shall drink of the brook by the way;" for there was a stream of living water running down the Hill, by the way-side, from top to bottom, and there was no need of any one suffering from thirst, whose soul thirsted after God.

Some of the Pilgrims were in plain russet garb-travelstained and dusty, yet strong and useful garments, easily brushed, and fitted for a path over craggy mountains. There were others in elegant and costly dresses, with gold and pearls, and broidered array, which it cost a great deal of time and care to keep in the least order, and which greatly interfered with the progress of the wearers. Indeed, to see them thus arrayed for so laborions a pilgrimage

seemed quite ridiculous. I thought of Peter's warning about the hidden man of the heart, and the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, and I remembered also that beautiful remark of good Archbishop Leighton, that we must keep our loins girt up, and cannot wear our flowing robes here in our pilgrimage, for they will be dragged in the mire, or perhaps will entangle our feet in climbing; but that when we get to heaven we can wear our long flowing robes without danger of defilement, for the streets of that city are pure gold.

It may seem strange, but it is no less true, that there were some who made great provision for amusements by the way, thinking that it would be a dreary life if they had nothing to do but climbing. Sometimes they went so far as to club together, and hire companies of musicians, who could pitch a tent here and there, where a bit of tableland, with green grass, might be found among the crags of the Hill, as often perhaps as every Saturday night, and so enliven the pilgrimage. Out of these materials they contrived to make up a kind of Christian Opera, which was thought to be good for low spirits. And besides this, they had various Tabernacular concerts, imitated from the plains below, and public readings of Shakspeare. It was said to be Į as great a shame that the devil should keep all the amusements of life for his purposes in the plains, as that he should keep all the best music to himself, as he always had done. It was argued also, that if some of the same fun which they had in the plains were not carried up the Hill, and kept in exercise there, (only consecrated, of course,) people fond of the gayeties of life, and especially children, could not be induced to set out from the plains below, to go up the Hill Difficulty. It was argued also, that the Hill had been long enough, and too long, occupied only with sourfaced Puritans, with the whites of their eyes turned up, (see Macaulay's History of England) and speaking through their noses, and that it was high time there should be a

sweeter, more accommodating and genteel kind of piety. Some thought that these things could better be managed by all for themselves, without need of any regulations, and that they might very well have dancing schools for the children, and French conversations to keep up their accomplishments. One lady remarked that for her part, she always, in travelling, took her Bible and Byron, and did not need anything else. There were many discussions about these things, and various opinions.

For my part, I thought of Paul's instructions, "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil: speaking to yourselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." And I thought of the text in James, which some regarded as rather quaint, "Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms." And I could not help thinking also of Peter, "Be sober, be vigilant: And if ye call on the Father, pass the time of your sojourning in fear." I thought also of the experience of Solomon, who sought upon a time to go up this same Hill Difficulty with men-singers and women-singers, and the delights of the sons of men, musical instruments, and that of all sorts; and who, moreover, took up great possessions of great and small cattle into the Hill, and builded him houses, and planted him vineyards, and made him gardens and orchards. But he found out, after all, that that was not the way, but that all was vanity and vexation of spirit. And I heard him say himself, that a single handful is better with quietetness, than both hands full with vexation of spirit. Also I heard him say, that the laughter of the fool is as the crackling of thorns under a pot, and that it is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than the song of fools. Also he said, that the house of mirth was the fool's heart's tavern; and that, on the whole, sorrow was better than laughter.

I am now to speak of a strange thing. There were