A Lecture and Sermon
James Dodson
ca. 1678-Donald Cargill.-In these two pieces, Cargill uses biblical narratives to deliver a fierce indictment against compromising with ungodly rulers and a sobering warning of divine judgment. In the lecture on Jehoshaphat, he argues that the king's alliance with Ahab was a sinful association that halted reformation, drawing a direct parallel to Scotland’s compromise with the “Malignant Party.” He contends that true reformation must encompass the people, the civil state, and the ministry, insisting that judges rule for God rather than man and that kings are not above God’s law. He boldly asserts that hatred of God nullifies all earthly obligations, making it a duty to reprove even monarchs. In the sermon from Isaiah, Cargill poses three terrifying questions to those who enact unrighteous laws: what will they do in the day of visitation, to whom will they flee for help, and where will they leave their glory? He warns that both the makers and obedient followers of wicked laws will face God’s tribunal, where no earthly power can shelter them and their ill-gotten glory will only testify against them.
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