A sermon preached at the funeral of reverend Mr. Will. Whitaker, late minister of…

Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the Lord hath commanded him (it is well that they would give him the hearing, and that they would hear him speak out) ⟨p. 6⟩that the Priests and the Prophets, and all the people took him, saying, thou shalt surely dye. Verse 12. Then spake Jeremiah unto all the Princes, and to all the people saying, the Lord sent me to prophesy against this City, all the words that ye have heard. Ver. 13. Therefore now amend your ways, and your doings, &c. Verse 14. As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you. Ver. 15. He doth as it were say, you may rid your hands of your Prophet, but you cannot do so of your punishment, though the Prophet were dead, his word would live; and though you may shuffle through many temporal dangers, yet the Word of God will certainly overtake you according to that in 1 Kings 19.17. —Him that escapeth the sword of Hazael, shall Jehu slay; and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu, shall Elisha slay. That is, though you escape falling by a foreign War, and though you may shift for your selves in a Civil War, yet you cannot escape the Words taking hold of you. Nay, though you were such Sons of Belial, such giantly sinners, that no man living durst speak to you, yet the Word of God will reach you. One Scripture-story I commend to you, to this purpose; 2 Chron. 21.12. And there came a Writing to him from Elijah the Prophet, saying, &c. Not that this Letter was written by Elijah in Paradise, and sent by the Ministry of Angels, as Menochius interprets it, but plainly; the Prophet wrote this before his rapture; and left it behind him, to be delivered to Jehoram, after he should have committed the forementioned abominations; we read a Prophecy of Josiah by name, 1 Kings 13.2. which Prophecy was not accomplished till three hundred and thirty years after: Another of Cyrus by name, Isa. 45.1. almost two ⟨p. 7⟩hundred years before the accomplishment. The plain truth was this, this Jehoram would not endure a living Prophet to declare the truth unto him; and therefore that he might be the more convinced, and confounded for his wickedness, here's a Writing brought him from one that was then in Heaven. These instances may serve for a Scripture-demonstration, That though Ministers dye, their message is immortal.