“No Continuing City”¹

A Sermon by Donald Cargill

Hebrews 13:14. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come.

In vain could we hope to bring men to a course of godliness – considering how averse the flesh is to it – if there was no great and real advantage in taking that way, and in vain could we deal with ourselves for that purpose. Whatever the flesh sees as a disadvantage, there is no real disadvantage in a religious life. Indeed there is more advantage in this course; it will make up for all other disadvantages. It would be good for us to consider what advantages there are in this way, and to compare our advantages with our disadvantages. This would gain our affections to it, considering that our Lord is calling us to leave all that will at last prove our eternal ruin. As for anything lawful, He is not calling us to leave that, but we are not to make an idol or a god of it, as it were. Consider what He is calling us to pursue. It is what we cannot be eternally happy without.

Now the Apostle is here pressing that exhortation which he was giving in verse 13. He says, “Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach”. But this seems heavy, and therefore he puts this reason into the text: “For here have we no continuing city”. In these words, we have:

1. The shortness of man’s life indicated. It is here compared to a city. In opposition to the present life, Paul sets forth the length of eternity: “But we seek one to come”.

2. Their employment. How are they occupied? They are as travellers going from one place to another, until they at last come to their long abode or resting place, which is heaven.

Now the words hold forth these few things to us:

1. Man’s continuing on earth and his enjoyments of earthly things are only for a short time.

2. The consideration of this short time on earth should take our hearts off earthly things and set them upon Christ only.

3. We must all remove from this earth, “for here we have no continuing city”.

4. All should be seeking after Christ and that city, or eternal habitation, of rest.

Now we shall speak to some of these:

¹Taken, with editing, from Sermons Delivered in Times of Persecution in Scotland. Cargill (c1627-81) was one of the best known of the Covenanters. His life was told by Maurice Grant in No King but Christ. Points of application are headed “Use”.

1. Man has only a short time on earth. The Spirit of God points it out by various expressions: “Lord, make me know to mine end, and the measure of my days”. And what is the answer? “Behold, Thou hast made my days as an handbreadth”. Indeed it is shorter: “and mine age is as nothing before Thee”. Says Moses, when speaking of man’s life, “They are as a sleep; in the morning they are like grass which groweth up . . . in the evening it is cut down, and withereth”. Our days are but as a thought; no, the Holy Ghost points them out to be shorter: “For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” It is rather a vapour than a reality. It is but a vapour that continueth for a little time. And does experience not prove all this? Are we not here today and away tomorrow? The great thing we ought to consider is that our time here is but short – a truth seldom remembered and more seldom laid to heart.

Use 1. If our time here is short, it ought to be put to better use. It should make us give time to our main work. It is appropriate for us:

(1.) To consider our ways and what belongs to our peace. It is good advice that Solomon gives us: “Remember . . . thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the evil days come”; yet most of us, for all that is spoken from the Word of the Lord concerning the shortness of man’s life, do not think that our time is short, but long enough, and so do not remember that the evil days are coming upon us.

(2.) We lie down and do not know if we shall ever rise up again. Should we not then make good use of our time? For is anyone so certain of his life that he can say, I shall live such and such a time? And is it not of God’s good providence that it is so short and so uncertain to us?

(3.) Consider that it is not only short and uncertain, but also full of trouble and misery. And is it not enough for everyone? What is dying and a decaying old age but labour and misery? Should we not consider this, and lay it to heart, that our life is not only short and uncertain but full of misery? And should not the time we now have be well employed on that account?

(4.) To incite you to employ your time well, consider that the time is short and the task is great. Are there not many strongholds of sin and corruption to subdue and conquer? Has man not a little world to subdue in his own heart? Now lay these two together – that your time is short and your work great – and this may make us use it to the best advantage.

(5.) To provoke you to a right use of time, consider further that there is nothing of greater moment or importance than eternity – an eternity of happiness or an eternity of misery. It would be good for us to be considering this and laying the preciousness of the soul in the balance with all earthly things, so that we might see which of them is of most value. As the Lord says, “What

is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

(6.) Consider that eternity is fast approaching, and the Lord Jesus is coming to judgement. His last words are, “Surely I come quickly”. And is Christ hastening? Should not every believer then be hastening to meet Him? If believers loved Christ as well as He loves them, they would hasten more to meet Him. It is a wonder to see what we are occupied in and yet never employing our time aright.

(7.) Consider that the Bridegroom is coming, and the bride must be prepared. It ought to be all our work and talk here, to be ready to meet Him, that we may not be found unprepared. O what a dreadful thing it will be to be found unprepared when Christ comes – when the midnight cry is made: “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him”!

Use 2. To incite you further to use your time aright, consider the advantages that those have who do so:

(1.) It keeps them from many challenges of conscience that they otherwise might have. Those who employ their time aright have much peace! Much comfort and good are spoken to them. Indeed none have such a peaceful departure as the man who is always preparing and looking for it.

(2.) They will have a clear and comfortable departure when they enter into eternity, when about to launch out of time. They then have nothing to do but to step into their Master’s house. But what sad thoughts they will have who have employed their time otherwise!

(3.) It has this advantage also: all that refreshes him is sweet who uses his time aright. His sleep is sweet; his waking is sweet; all is sweet. The wise man says that the “rest of a labouring man is sweet”, but especially when he has been about his Master’s work.

Now we shall give you some directions how to employ your time aright:

[1] You ought to divide your work into tasks, setting so many hours apart for hearing, so many for reading, praying, meditating etc, and so many for your ordinary calling. It would be an excellent thing if we were tasking ourselves and saying, Such a thing we resolve to do, and such a thing we must do. O this would make a Christian’s work sweet to him!

[2] You should employ your time well. You must have much heavenly and sweet prayer. Say with the psalmist: “Lord, make me to know mine end”. “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” If this were our main care and principal petition, there would not be so much misspent time amongst us as there is.

[3] In the morning, when we rise, we should be thinking upon our last end. And in the evening we should take account of how we have spent the day, and then be mourning over what we have done amiss in it.

Use 3. We should not be troubling our thoughts with vain prospects. Are there not many who have projected things for 20 years from now? And who knows if they shall live so long? But it were good for us to be employing our time, in casting off vain and foolish prospects. The Apostle James speaks well about this: “Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow, we will go into such a city, and continue there a year . . . whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow”. If we would consider the shortness of our time, we would consider the care of every day enough for it. But this is to burden ourselves with unnecessary cares, adding a load to a burden. Are not the cares of a day sufficient for it? Why then do we care for tomorrow, or for many days hence?

Further, you should consider that these unnecessary cares put the heart out of frame. They indispose the heart so that we cannot get our time so well spent as we ought. They not only indispose for duty, but duties are jostled out; these things that are at hand are put far off, and these things that are afar off are brought near. You know far-off thoughts put death and eternity out of mind. And are there not many who, when they put death, judgement and eternity far out of mind, are suddenly surprised by them. Now consider which of these is most necessary and, having discovered what is most necessary, let your thoughts be occupied about it.

Use 4. To consider the shortness of our time should not only take our hearts off earthly things, but it should even help to mitigate the cross, and help to render it more easy, that we may suffer more contentedly. Our longest afflictions must be, as it were, but for a moment, since our time is but as a moment, and shall shortly be at an end.

(1.) Consider that, even while we are eating, drinking, sleeping etc, our time is fast elapsing, and all our crosses and afflictions shall be ended before long. We speak this to believers; but for unbelievers, however bad their crosses may be, it were better for them that they were thus continued and lengthened out to them through all eternity. At death they emerge out of one woe only to enter into a greater woe and misery. But death to believers is an entrance into eternal happiness, and they ought to long for it more earnestly, as the hireling for the end of the day. It is strange that there is any intermission of afflictions in our moments of time. A cross does not abide for ever; there is some intermission of it. Hence our life is compared to a weaver’s shuttle: it slips through many threads in a little time, and so steals away unperceived or insensibly.

(2.) Consider that though you may be under many crosses or afflictions, yet, if believers, you shall be freed from them all by Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ shall make up all your hardships. You shall shortly arrive at rest. And rest unto them that are weary, O how sweet it is! And a sweet rest it is for

those who are seeking after Him. But those who do not remember Christ have nothing to do with this rest “that remaineth for the people of God”. But, believer, in thy “Father’s house are many mansions”. Thou mayest well be in difficulties here, but there are no such circumstances there.

2. Our life is short. Then it is appropriate for us to be moderate in all things, even in the use of lawful enjoyments. Paul inculcates this: “The time is short: it remaineth that both they that have wives be as though they had none; and they that weep, as though they wept not . . . and they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away”. It is appropriate for us to be taking our hearts off all earthly things and studying to be weaned from them, for what are they? They are as nothing. It is strange that we, who seek after other things, should be so taken up with such frivolous things. But those who weep for Christ’s presence shall be made to rejoice. Now for directions how to get your hearts taken off earthly things, take these two matters:

(1.) Do not bestow too much of your time upon those things that are of a perishing nature. It is strange to see even believers so much taken up with the world, and the cares of this life. This eats out the comfort of the soul, and where there is very much of this, there cannot be much prosperity in true godliness. And where there is much real godliness there cannot be much of this, these two being inconsistent with one another. We cannot serve God and mammon; for, as the thoughts of the one rise up, the other goes down. Is it not strange that we should be so much taken up with these things? The Apostle Paul gives it as a mark of those that perish: “But they that will be rich fall into temptation . . . and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition”.

(2.) If thou wouldest have thy thoughts weaned from the world, as thou shouldest let it have little of thy time, so give it little of thy affections. If believers were doing this, they would be more cheerful; and he that is most cheerful in going about duty is most taken up with this city. “But we seek for one to come.” And consider what a stir it would make if Christ should come and take these things away, and if our mountain were moved. Think what you would do if put to difficulties. Indeed it would be better if this world had none of our affections.

3. This doctrine reproves those who cast away all thoughts of using their time aright, and whose consciences do not tell them that they are mis-spending time. It is the Apostle’s direction: “See then that ye walk . . . not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil”. There are few of us but have bygone time to take again and redeem it. In the short time we have to live, we ought to be as travellers who have sat till the day is far spent and are now obliged to run more in one hour than in three before.

1. We would ask, Are you ready to meet Christ and ready for eternity? Have you nothing to do but to come and meet Him? We say, Are ye ready to step into eternity? Well, if it is not so, you need to be serious in time, for we are not sure of another day or another sermon. Consider that eternity will come once, and if you do not spend your time well, it will be ill with you. Take Christ’s advice: “Walk while ye have the light”. Has God given you a day? Then you should be serious in it, for we do not know if we shall have another. And is it not a mercy that we are not lying in the bosom of the earth unprepared and unconverted? If you misspend this time, then wrath will come upon you. To sum up, these words are a direction to you, to consider that time is passing on, and before long we must all go away, “for here we have no continuing city, but we seek for one to come”.