It E S 



R E T 



regions of the world, without fuppofing that " Chrilt. rofe 

 from the dead," afcended into heaven, and enabled his dif- 

 ciples, by the miraculous gifts of his holy fpirit, to furmount 

 fuch obstacles, as no mere human abilities could poffibly 

 overcome. See Ch Religion. " Obfervations on 



the Hiftory and Evidences of the Refurrceti.m of Jefus 

 Chrift," by Gilbert Weft, cfq. " Obfervations on the 

 Conversion of St. Paul," by the right hon. George lord 

 Lyttelton. " The Trial of the Witneffes of the Refur- 

 rection of Jefus." Rees's Sermons, vol. i. Serm. 4. 



The refurrection of Chrilt is a molt important fact, not 

 only as it certifies his divine miffion, the character he affurned, 

 and the truth of the doctrine he taught, but as it allures us 

 of the reality of a future ftate of righteous retribution. This 

 event exhibits a triumph over death, which proves not 

 merely the poflibility, but the certainty, of a general refur- 

 rection of mankind. It is the pledge and earned of that 

 reltoration to life, which Jefus Chrilt, as a divine teacher, 

 both predicted and promifed. Many curious questions have 

 been propofed on the mode of the future exiftence of man- 

 kind ; as well as on the place of abode of the good and 

 wicked (fee Heaven and Hell); and alfo on the time 

 when this interefting event fhall happen. (See Sleep of the 

 Soul. 1 With regard to the mode of our future being, it is 

 generally allowed, both by thofe who believe and thofe who 

 deny the efTcntial distinction between matter and fpirit, that 

 we lhall exift hereafter in a corporeal form ; but the differ*- 

 ence between our prefent bodies and thofe in which we fhall 

 exilt after the general refurrection is a fubjedt, which, how- 

 ever it may have engaged the attention and employed the 

 pens of metaphylicians and polemical theologians, is more 

 curious than ufeful ; and provided that we fliall exift here- 

 after, we need not be anxious about the decifion of this 

 queftiori. It is important merely as it relates to the doctrine 

 of a future exiftence in general, the truth of which, what- 

 ever may be the conjectures of the learned, it does not in- 

 validate. 



Many Chriltians believe the refurredlion of the fame 

 identical body, the very fame flefh and bones, at the day of 

 judgment. The two principal philofophical objections 

 againit it are thefe : 



1. That the fame piece of matter, or fubftance, may hap- 

 pen to be a part of two or more bodies. Thus a fifh feeding 

 on a man, and another man afterwards feeding on the fifh, 

 part of the body of the firlt man becomes firft incorporated 

 with the fifh, and afterwards in the lilh, with the laft man. 

 Again, inftances have been known of one man's feeding im- 

 mediately on another ; and, among the cannibals of the Weft 

 Indies, the practice has been frequent. 



Now, where the fubftance of one is thus converted into 

 the fubftance of another, each cannot rife with his whole- 

 body ; and to which lhall the common part be allotted ? 



To this objection fome anfwer, that, as all matter is not 

 fit or difpofed to be affimilated to the body, and incorpo- 

 rated with it, human flefh may very probably be of this 

 kind; and, therefore, what is thus eaten, may be again ex- 

 creted, and carried off. But Mr. Leibnitz's anfwer fecms 

 the more folid. All that is effential to the body, he urges, 

 is the original ftamen which exifted in the femen of the la- 

 ther ; nay, and on the footing of the modern theory of ge- 

 neration, which cxilted in the femen of the firft man. This 

 we may conceive as the molt minute fpeck or point ini. 

 able ; and therefore, not to be feparated, or torn afundcr, 

 and any part of it united with the llamen of any other man. 

 All this bulk we fee in the body, is only an accretion to 

 this original ftamen ; an addition ol foreign matter, of new 



juices, to the primary, folid ftamen : there is, therefore, no 

 reciprocation of the proper matter of the human body. 



The fecond objection i; this : the human body, we know, 

 by the late diicoveries in the animal economy, is continually 

 changing; a man has not entirely the fame body to-day as 

 he had yckerday ; and it is even computed, that in lefa than 

 feven years' time, his whole body undergoes a change, and 

 not a particle of the fame body remains. Which of thofe 

 many bodies, then, which the fame pcrfon has in the courfe 

 of his life, is it that fliall rife ? or docs all the matter that 

 has ever belonged to him rife again ? or does only fome par- 

 ticular fyftcm thereof? The body, e.gr. he had' at twenty, 

 at thirty, or at fixty years old ? If only this or that body 

 arife, how fhall it be rewarded or puuilhed for what 

 done in the other ? with what juftice does one perfon fuffer, 

 &c. for another ? 



To this it may be anfvrercd on Mr. Locke's principles, 

 that perfonal identity, or the famenefs of a rational being, 

 confilts in felf-confcioufnefs ; in the power of confidering 

 itfelf the fame thing in different times and places. By this 

 every one is to himfelf what he calls felf; without confider- 

 ing whether that felf be continued in the fame or divers fub- 

 Itances. So far reaches the identity of that perfon. It is 

 the fame felf now it was then ; and it was by the lame felf 

 which now reflects on an action, that action was per- 

 formed. 



Now, it is this perfonal identity that is the object of re- 

 wards and punifhments, which we have obferved may exift 

 in different fuccefiions of matter ; fo that to render the re- 

 wards and punifhments juft and permanent, nothing needs 

 but that we rife again with fuch a body as that we retain 

 the confeioufnefs of our pait actions. 



RESUSCITATION. See Resurrection, and Re- 



V1V1F1CATION. 



Resuscitation of Plants, in Chemifiry, the art of repro- 

 ducing a plant from its allies. See Palincenesia. 



Many have pretended to this art, and have (hewn refufci- 

 tated plants in vials ; but all thefe feem only particular in- 

 ftances of artificial chemical vegetations, of which many 

 others may be given. The external appearances of thefe 

 refemble plants, and the ignorant may ealily take them for 

 fuch ; but when clofely confidered, there is a great differ- 

 ence to be found. See Artificial Vegetation. 



RETAIL, in Commerce, &c. the buying of goods in 

 the great, or by wholefale, and felling them out again in 

 fmall parcels. — " Qui rem integram ementes, per minutiores 

 earn partes diftrahebant." 



RETAIN, To, fpoken of mares, fignifies to hold, i.e. to 

 conceive after covering. 



RETAINER, in Law, a fervant not menial or do- 

 meftic, that is, not continually dwelling in the houfe of his 

 lord and matter, but only wearing his livery, and attending 

 on fpecial occafions. 



This livery was anciently given by a great man, and fre- 

 quently for the maintenance of quarrels ; whence it was 

 juitly prohibited ral ftatutes; as under Richard II. 



on pain of imprilonment, and grievous forfeiture to the 

 king. 



It was further prohibited by other ll.ttutc:; of the fuc- 

 cceding kings, by which the delinquents were fubject to 

 make ranfom at the king's plealinv ; and knights and 

 efquires hereof duly attainted were to lofe their laid liveries, 

 and forfeit their fee. for ever. 



Edward IV. added a lpecial penalty of five pounds per 



month <>n every man that gave Inch livery, and as much 



on every pgrfon (o retained, either by writing, word, or 



L 2 oath. 



