Additional Remarks on Dr. Horbery's Sermons." 3 James Dickson, 2 Sir Andrew Mitchell, Elgin. Peebles. Note, our publishing the above lift is with a view to the forming a fociety for the benefit of Widows upon a folid foundation. Suppofing each member to have depofited 5 guineas at the commencement of the last Parliament, and to have annually contributed 5 guineas, to the accumulating tock; Q. The capital the fociety would now have been poffeft of at the end of 6 years and 6 months, fuppofing 30l. a year, to have been paid to the widow of each deceased member, one year after his death ?-In the inveftigation of this queftion the keeping the number of members conftantly filled up as a death happens, is a material confideration, as likewife the growing interest of the capital placed in the funds. Mr. URBAN, GIVE with me leave to trouble you a few more remarks on that extract from Dr. Horbery's Sermons, inferted in your Magazine for July latt, p. 297. Another matter of fact, concerning which the Doctor feems to labour under fome miflakes, is that relating to church government by bishops; where be has this remarkable paffage, viz. "And there must be fubmiffion fomewhere. Who do you think should pay it? The governois or the people? The head is in a hopeful fituation, when the wickedness of his heels compaffeth him round about. Pial. xlix. 5. The civil community is in much fuch another, when fervants have rule over princes. Prov. xix. 10. and the church is in the fame predicament, when they will needs prescribe, who ought to obey; and every man will have a pfalm, a doctrine, an interpretation, 1 Cor. xiv. 26. his own fancies and conceits brought into the church, or elfe he himself will leave it." I would here oblerve, that the Doctor is certainly not very happy in his manner of quoting fcriptures. If the above quotations were intended to give a ludicrous turn to the subject, how unworthy the character of a minifier of God?-in the houfe of God; and in the midst of a Chriftian congregation, engaged in the moft folemn acts of public worship? But, if the Doctor meant feriously to quote thefe fcriptures to prove his point, he has most undoubtedy mistaken the fente of them, as any one may be fully fatisfied by attending to the connection in the places 503 referred to. But in regard to that church government by bishops---where the people should pay submission to their governors--whom they ought to obey-and which is here eftablished by the laws both of the church and realm of England (as the Doctor afferts) I ftill apprehend that I have good authority for repeating what I said in my former letter on this fubject, viz. "That no fuch power as is here claimed now exifts, or ever did exift, in the Church of England, fince the Reformation." I know that this epifcopal jurifdiction is claimed by high church as of divine right, ard, confequently, as independent of the state. Here the real fact is, that such a claim has no foundation in fcripture, common fenfe, or the laws of the land. If we attend to feveral acts of parliament made fince the Reformation, and to the conftant practice of the civil magistrate, relating to church affairs, from that time to the prefent, we fhall find that Archbishops and Bishops have been always made or unmade at the pleasure of our kings and queens. And by feveral acts made in the reigns of K. Henry VIII. K. Edward VI. and Q. Elizabeth, (in force to this day), it is enacted, that no Archbishop or Bishop fhall exercife any epifpocal jurifdiction, but by authority obtained from the King or Queen, as fupream head of the church." In confequence of this, the Archbishops and Bishops, each for himself, took out licences from the crown, in the reigns of K. Henry VIII. and K. Edw. VI. to exercife their ecclefiafiical functions, and even to ordain only during the King's pleasure. And the prefent. proteftanteftablishment of the Church of England was framed, formed, and founded, not by the Archbishops, Bihops, and their Clergy, but by the ci vil powers of this land. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, when the prefent church was established by the Act of Uniformity, all the Bishops, except one (i. e. Kitchen, Bishop of Landaff), refuled to fubmit, and they were accordingly turned out of their places. My authorities for the above hints are Fuller's Church Hiftory, and Bishop Burnet's Hiftory of the Reformation. Now, Sir, if it be true, that the abovementioned particulars are fome effential parts of our conftitution, I would ask what kind of government is that of the Church by Bishops, face it is plain that Biceps have no right to govern at all? The power, the right, 504 Explanation of a Painting found in Herculaneum. Jies entirely and alone in the King and Subfcription to articles of faith of Explanation of the PAINTING found in the Ruins of Herculaneum. THE picture here reprefented was found in digging at Refina. contained two landscapes in two compartments: this, in the upper compartment, contains a fhield fufpended by a purple ribband, on which is carved a Medusa's head, in a golden circle, in allufion, perhaps, to that in the temple of Jupiter Olympus, on which, as Paulanius relates, were infcribed thefe verfes :' Να με φιαλαν χρυσίαν εχεις εκ Τε τανάδρασ Της Δακεδαίμονι θις συμμαχίδες γει τεθε Δωρον, απ' Αργείων και Αθηναίων και Ιωνων, Ταν δικαίαν νίκας είνκα τω πολεμών Be this as it may, it is certain, fay the editors of l'Antichita d' Ercolano, that the ancients were accustomed to hang up hields of gold,filver, and other metals, in their houses, te.rples, and other public places for ornament; and that they carved upon them the heads of their ancestors, or fome of their gods. Auguftus, continue they, adorned the courts of juftice with fhields of this kind, which bore the refemblances of those who had fignalized themselves in the arts of peace or war. In the middle of this picture rifes an oak, near the trunk whereof ftands a nymph with a bill in her hand, and from her middle, instead of limbs, a number of roots extend themselves in a grotesque tafle, shooting forth and twisting about in all directions. Thefe nymphs are known by the names of Dryads or Hamadryads, and are fo called from the Greek word deues, oaks, Because it was feigned that they were produced from thofe trees, and died when they decayed. The bill, or axe, is happily put into the hand of the nymph by the painter, to denote the office affigned to thefe imaginary beings, which was to guard their respective trees, and to avenge the injuries that were done to them. Appolonius tells the story of a nymph who avenged herfelf on fuch an occafion, and his commentator fpeaks of another who was grateful to the man who preferved her oak. On each fide the oak is a fmalt palm, but without fruit, which is properly enough reprefented, as Pliny obferves that the palm bears no fruit in Italy or in Europe. Numbers 111. and IV. on this plate do not belong to the painting, but are antient coins communicated with others on the mifcellaneous plate by a correpondent who requests the opinion of the antiquaries concerning them. ME |