A Funeral Sermon Preach'd on the Decease of the Right Honourable the Lady Elizabeth Cutts Late Wife of the Right Honourable the Lord Cutts, on the 5th of December, 1697, at Kensington Church

In this rare 1697 sermon, the chaplain William Wigan stands before the congregation of Kensington Church to honor the recently deceased Lady Elizabeth Cutts. Delivered on an Advent Sunday, the address weaves the liturgical calendar with a sober meditation on the fleeting nature of earthly status. Wigan draws vivid contrasts between the grandeur of noble life and the inevitable return of dust, reminding listeners that wealth and titles cannot shield anyone from God's summons. The language is strikingly earnest, offering a window into the spiritual concerns of late‑seventeenth‑century England.

The sermon unfolds as a call to personal preparation rather than a comfort for the grieving, urging every listener—regardless of age or rank—to examine their own devotion. It celebrates Lady Cutts as a model of modesty and piety, suggesting that a brief, virtuous life is worth emulating. Through rich biblical allusion and plain‑spoken counsel, the discourse invites the audience to contemplate their ultimate end while finding steadiness in faith. Listeners will appreciate both the historical texture and the timeless reminder that mortality unites us all.