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

'Tis true neighbour what you say, I have pitied you heartily, and prayed for you many a night when you were fast asleep, or worse employed, I have pleaded with you, till you were angry at my importunity, and I have begged mercy for you, as for mine own soul; but I can do so no more, I have not lost my Graces, but they must henceforth be employed in another kind of exercise: I thankfully grant, the Judge is my friend, but I must withal tell you, I must justify his denying mercy to those that refused it; every thing of Religion was burdensome to you, and now you are going where you shall never be troubled with it more; you have no cause to complain of any but your self, you have had ⟨p. 22⟩time, and then cared not how you spent it, and now the Judge hath sworn, that time shall be no longer: Have you therefore any more to say? Oh that I might be but once heard before I am eternally concluded by an irreversible sentence.

'Tis true neighbour what you say, I have pitied you heartily, and prayed for you many a night when you were fast asleep, or worse employed, I have pleaded with you, till you were angry at my importunity, and I have begged mercy for you, as for mine own soul; but I can do so no more, I have not lost my Graces, but they must henceforth be imployed in another kind of exercise: I thankfully grant, the Judge is my friend, but I must withal tell you, I must justifie his denying mercy to those that refused it; every thing of Religion was burdensome to you, and now you are going where you shall never be troubled with it more; you have no cause to complain of any but your self, you have had ⟨p. 22⟩time, and then cared not how you spent it, and now the Judge hath sworn, that time shall be no longer: Have you therefore any more to say? Oh that I might be but once heard before I am eternally concluded by an irreversible sentence.

I grant all that you say, my conscience is now awake; I have other thoughts of sin and Christ, of Heaven and Hell, than ever I had while upon earth; might I have a little respite; I would spend every moment of it about the working out of my salvation: Oh that God would trust me once more, I confess I have broke all the promises I have made, but I have now other kind of experiences than ever I had before; and therefore by all the arguments that your self have used to me, with the utmost importunity that ever poor creature begged any thing, I beg that you would now befriend me; beg me but one hours respite, but one hour to plead for my poor soul unto eternity. To all this and a thousand times more that extreme anguish will force from you, you can expect but such a kind of answer.