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Until this period the bickerings between the Friends to Liberty and the idolaters of authority in Manchefter, were carried on with a fpirit of oppofition, indeed, but not of hatred. The Clergy, however, looked upon this liberality toward the Diffenters, as an act of open hoftility against themselves. Sermons were every where preached against all who favoured the repeal of these acts of Parliament, much in the fame way as of late they have been against what is called Sedition. This is a practice as pernicious as any that fanaticism or arbitrary power have ever employed for the doctrines delivered to an ignorant multitude from the pulpit are not to be repelled by oppofite doctrines, like fair public or printed arguments, but are like wounds in the dark which become fatal before a remedy can be procured.

Immediately after the Bill for the repeal of the Teft Acts was thrown out, the party in Manchefter who opposed that measure formed themselves into a body, which they stiled the CHURCH AND KING CLUB. Their first meeting was held on the 13th of March, 1790, with folemnities as ridiculous as

"VI. THAT as we conceive the Diffenters to enjoy already a compleat and uninterrupted Toleration (which we are far from wishing to deprive them of) it becomes every Member of the Established Church to take the Alarm at their Conduct, to be ready to meet them in Parliament, and oppofe with Vigour every Endeavour and undue Influence exercifed upon the Parliamentary Representatives of this Country, especially at the Eve of a General Election, for obtaining a Repeal of the Corporation and Test Acts.

"VII. THAT this Meeting are fenfible of their high Obligations to all thofe Members of the House of Commons, who lately in Parliament fo ably flood forward in Defence of our Conftitution, by oppofing the Repeal of the Corporation and Teft Acts.

"VIII. THAT the particular Thanks of this Meeting are due to the Chairman for his candid, upright, and impartial Conduct, and that the Chairman leave the Chair, and the Meeting be diffolved.

"EDWARD PLACE, Borough reeve and Chairman.”

any

any to be found in the hiftory of toryifm. They wore uniforms, with the reprefentation of the Old Church at Manchefter engraved on their buttons. They appointed a committee for the admiffion of members of fuitable lives and converfations, and struck medals to commemorate the fact, that the motion for the repeal had been negatived in Parliament. Every thing faid in favour of liberty or liberality, was to thefe gentlemen a declaration of war against the Conftitution in Church and State. The ftanding toast of their club, and in their private focieties, was, Church and King, and down with the Rump; and they feemed anxious to keep alive at their meetings the abfurd prejudices which diftinguished and difgraced their predeceffors of the last century.

Some months after this, (during which time these gentlemen kept up their clamour without oppofition) viz. in the beginning of October, 1790, feveral merchants and manufacturers in Manchester, together with fome members of the earned profeffions, agreed to form another fociety of a character very different from the Church and King club. We met monthly under the name of the MANCHESTER CONSTITUTIONAL SOCIETY; and endeavoured, to the best of our power, to oppofe the intolerant and flavish doctrines which were daily instilled into the people. The fundamental tenets of this fociety were expreffed in certain refolutions agreed to on the 5th of October, 1790. Some time afterward (viz. in June 1792) one of the divifions of the Church and King Club also (for at this time there were feveral,) thought proper to publish their political creed. That the reader may have an op

*Their Advertisement was as follows:

"MANCHESTER, March 5, 1790. "The Members of the Church and King Club intend to dine at the Hotel on Saturday the 13th Inftant, to celebrate the glorious Decifion of the Houfe of Commons on Tuesday laft upon the great Conftitutional Queftion, the Repeal of the Corporation and Test Acts."

They were afterwards called by fome wicked Wit, the TYTHE AND TAX CLUB.

portunity

portunity of comparing and judging of the principles of the fe different focieties, I have contrafted the two publications juft mentioned, in the note. *

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* "MANCHESTER CONSTITUTIONAL SOCIETY,

"Inftituted October, 1790.

"RESOLUTION I.—That in every civil Community, the legitimate authority of the Governors, can only be derived from the confent of the Governed.

"II. That the happiness of the people governed ought to be the fole end and aim of all civil government.

"III. That public honours and emoluments can only be due for fervices conferred on the State.

"IV. That every perfon, from the highest to the lowest, appointed to and accepting of any office or truft for the benefit of the Community, is ultimately responsible to the people for the complete discharge of the duties of it.

“V. That Actions only, and not Opinions, are the proper objects of civil jurifdiction.

"VI. That no Law or Statute can be fairly made, which is not enacted by and with the consent of a majority of the people, given either expressly by themselves, or by means of a full, fair, and adequate Representation.

VII. That the People of Great Britain are not fully, fairly, and adequately reprefented in Parliament; and that the defective state of the Reprefentation of this country, and the extended duration of Parliaments, require a speedy and effectual reform, and are objects to which the attention of this Society ought to be particularly directed."

"THE CHURCH AND KING CLUB,

"Held at the house of Mr. Jonathan Fofter, the Weaver's Arms, on Cockpit-Hill, Manchester, think it neceffary, openly, in the following Declaration, to ftate their reafons for publishing their Principles.

"DECLARATION.

"This Society beholds with infinite concern the many dangerous plots and affociations that are forming in different parts of this kingdom, for the avowed purpose of diffeminating difcord, and for subverting the order of one of the most beautiful systems of government, that the combined efforts of human wisdom has ever yet been able to accomplish.

To the Manchester Conftitutional Society their adverfaries imputed as a political offence never to be forgiven, that they approved of the French Revolution, and the then conftitution of that country; and as we profeffed it to be the principal object

"When we see such deadly wounds aimed at our glorious constitution, we confider it the duty of all good citizens, publicly to step forward, and exprefs their abhorrence of the malevolent and most wicked intentions of those disappointed men, who are audacioufly clamorous for a reform in parliament, but whose real object is to excite civil commotion in this our bappy and wellgoverned state.

"We are far from believing, should they ever effect their purpose, (which Heaven forbid!) that the change would be for the better, but must always regard those persons as the bane of civil fociety, who have given fo many proofs of an innate propenfity for power, and of that restlefs ambition which has long been their most distinguished characteristic.

"PRINCIPLES OF THE CHURCH AND KING CLUB.

"It is a principle of this Society, to revere the Conftitution and obey the King, according to the Laws of that Constitution.

"It is a principle of this Society, to reprobate the wild theories and feditious doctrines refpecting the Rights of Man, which have been lately promulgated by the enemies of our most excellent conftitution in church and state, as they are fubverfive of all civil authority; and that, if they were put in practice, would tend to nothing but anarchy and confufion, which is contrary to all order.

"It is a principle of this Society, that the Constitution of this country was renovated and fixed at the time of the glorious Revolution.

"It is a principle of this Society, that the Conftitution has not fince that time been effentially departed from.

"It is a principle of this Society, that the Legislature of this country ought ever to confist of King, Lords, and Commons.

"It is a principle of this Society, that all other modes of legislation, than by King, Lords, and Commons, has always been found, by experience, repugnant to the genius of Englishmen.

"It is a principle of this Society, that the Establishment in Church and State, is not to be altered but by the Legiflature itself; confequently any other mode would be attended with extreme danger.

object of our wishes and pursuits, that there might be fome speedy and effectual reform in the defective representation of the people of Great Britain, they urged this as a proof of our designs to overturn the conftitution of our own country, and to introduce a state of anarchy and confufion.

Thefe are now become the hackneyed topics of ariftocratical calumny. They have come upon us, as they have upon all the worthiest and best men of the country; and if there be any crime in the cafe, we must certainly plead guilty. I believe nothing has yet happened which has materially altered our fentiments on thefe fubjects.

In the affairs of France, we faw, as we thought, the most perfect and yet the moft peaceful revolution to be found in

"It is a principle of this Society, that it is requifite in every good governed ftate, that there must exist an established Church, and that no one is to bear any office, either in church or ftate, but fuch as will conform, and be in communion with that church.

"It is a principle of this Society, that the Corporation and Teft Acts are the great bulwarks of our conftitution in church and state, therefore ought never to be repealed.

“It is a principle of this Society, that Toleration in religious matters is to be extended to Diffenters of every denomination.

"Finally, it is the fixed determination of this Society, at all times and in all places, to avow and maintain the above principles to be truly conftitutional.

"Signed by Order of the Society.

"Manchester, June 23, 1792."

"W. NIGHTINGALE, Prefident."

Thofe who wish to fee a collection of the abfurdities which have been publicly avowed by the adherents of Church and State Politics, in the enlightened kingdom of Great Britain toward the close of the 18th century, will do well to procure the Refolutions on the fubject of the Corporation and Test Acts of the various meetings in fupport of those bulwarks of our conftitution. They are collected and printed in octavo, for Meff. Rivingtons, St. Paul's Church-yard.

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