In 1770, the 55-year-old Whitefield continued preaching in spite of poor health. He said, "I would rather wear out than rust out." His last sermon was preached in a field "atop a large barrel".[56] The next morning, 30 September 1770, Whitefield died in the parsonage of Old South Presbyterian Church,[57] Newburyport, Massachusetts, and was buried, according to his wishes, in a crypt under the pulpit of this church.[4] A bust of Whitefield is in the collection of the Gloucester City Museum & Art Gallery.
George Whitefield's grave in the crypt of Old South Presbyterian Church in Newburyport, Massachusetts, between Jonathan Parsons and Joseph PrinceIt was John Wesley who preached his funeral sermon in London, at Whitefield's request.[58]
Whitefield left almost £1,500 (equivalent to £221,000 in 2021) to friends and family. Furthermore, he had deposited £1,000 (equivalent to £147,000 in 2021) for his wife if he predeceased her and had contributed £3,300 (equivalent to £487,000 in 2021) to the Bethesda Orphanage. "Questions concerning the source of his personal wealth dogged his memory. His will stated that all this money had lately been left him 'in a most unexpected way and unthought of means.'"[4]
In an age when crossing the Atlantic Ocean was a long and hazardous adventure, he visited America seven times, making 13 ocean crossings in total. (He died in America.) It is estimated that throughout his life, he preached more than 18,000 formal sermons, of which 78 have been published.[59] In addition to his work in North America and England, he made 15 journeys to Scotland—most famously to the "Preaching Braes" of Cambuslang in 1742—two journeys to Ireland, and one each to Bermuda, Gibraltar, and the Netherlands.[60] In England and Wales, Whitefield's itinerary included every county.[61]
Whitfield County, Georgia, is named after Whitefield.[62] When the act by the Georgia General Assembly was written to create the county, the "e" was omitted from the spelling of the name to reflect the pronunciation of the name.[63]
George Whitefield College, Whitefield College of the Bible, and Whitefield Theological Seminary are all named after him. The Banner of Truth Trust's logo depicts Whitefield preaching.[64]
Kidd 2014, pp. 260–263 summarizes Whitefield's legacy.
- "Whitefield was the most influential Anglo-American evangelical leader of the eighteenth century."
- "He also indelibly marked the character of evangelical Christianity."
- He "was the first internationally famous itinerant preacher and the first modern transatlantic celebrity of any kind."
- "Perhaps he was the greatest evangelical preacher that the world has ever seen."
Mark Galli wrote of Whitefield's legacy:
George Whitefield was probably the most famous religious figure of the eighteenth century. Newspapers called him the 'marvel of the age'. Whitefield was a preacher capable of commanding thousands on two continents through the sheer power of his oratory. In his lifetime, he preached at least 18,000 times to perhaps 10 million hearers.
— Galli 2010, p. 63
