'Tis the peculiar faith of a Christian to believe Christ Risen': A Restoration era Easter Day Sermon

From a 1671 collection of sermons by John Torbuck, Extraordinary dayes, or, Sermons on the most solemn Feasts and fasts throughout the year, a sermon for Easter Day. Alongside the sermon's orthodox proclamation of the salvific nature of the Lord's Resurrection, the reference to the reception of the Sacrament on Easter Day is particularly noteworthy, with its insistence that it is in the Sacrament that we experience the truth "that he is alive".

Well may then be rehearsed with abundance of joy, a Surrexit Dominus, the Lord is risen, since such infinite benefit doth arise to us from his Resurrection.

Is the Lord risen indeed?

Let us be risen with him; Then is he risen indeed to us, when our affections are risen with him. Christ's Resurrection must work in us a Resurrection to grace, before it can work for us a Resurrection to Glory. Blessed and Holy is he, that hath part in the first Resurrection, on whom the second death shall have no power.

Let us strive to find Christ this day risen; with the same haste as Peter and John, the same care, constancy, and rapture of Joy, as Mary; by the same means as the Disciples in the verse following our Text, viz. Breaking of Bread, in the Sacrament. Here we may with Thomas thrust our hands into the print of the nails, and the wounds in his side to convince us of the truth of his Resurrection.

I know not; Our Church will not, at this time especially, excuse us from this duty; and certainly the life every worthy Communicant finds in Christ (fed on here) cannot but sufficiently inform him, that he is alive ...

And having thus found him, we cannot but be Glad ... In that a Man, one of our own flesh and blood hath gotten such a victory, even for Humanity's sake ... in that he hath foiled a common enemy, for amity's sake ... in that he hath wiped away the Ignominy of his fall, with the glory of his Rising again, for Virtue and Valour's sake: for all these we have cause to rejoice, but chiefly ... his Resurrection was for us, how ought our souls to overflow with gratitude?

'Tis the peculiar faith of a Christian to believe Christ Risen, (Mortuum esse Christum pagani etiam credunt, resurrexisse verò, propriafides est Christianorum. St. Austin) and the property peculiar to this faith to create in us Joy, for his Resurrection ...

O Heavenly Father, who didst raise thy Son from death, raise our dull Souls to a due thankfulness, for this mercy!

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After a short break laudable Practice will return on 12th April. A happy and blessed Easter.

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