The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-11-03 00:00:00

THE ANTI-STATE CHURCH ASSOCIATION

Having, in a former number, laid before our readers
the somewhat impudent circular signed by the secretaries
of the " British Anti-State Church Association," and ad-
dressed to all the money-giving members of the An,i-
Corn Law League, we now proceed to fulfil our promise
by bringing under their notice the machinery of this Asso-
ciation.

It has its treasurer, its secretaries, its auditors, and
lastly, its executive committee, which is composed chiefly
of Dissenting Reverends, located in different parts of
England, Scotland, and Wales. Its "scheme of organisa-
tion" declares that this society is to be based upon the
following principles :—"That in matters of religion man
is responsible to God alone; and that all legislation by
secular Government in affairs of religion is an encroach-
ment upon the rights of man, and an invasion of the
prerogatives of God ( ) and that the application by
law of the resources of the State to the maintenance of
any form or forms of religious worship and instruction, is
contrary to reason (I), hostile to human liberty, and
directly opposed to the word of God." It would not be
easy to cram a greater quantity of trash into this space.
The object of the society is then declared to be " the
liberation of religion from all governmental or legislative
interference ;" and this object is to be sought " by lawful
and peaceable means, and by such means only." Every
person " contributing not less than one shilling annually
to the general fund is to be admissible as a member."
The functions of the executive committee are thus de-
fined :

1. They shall meet once a month, at least, being sum-
moned by circular from the secretaries, at some fixed
place of business to be selected by themselves.
2. It shall be their first duty to carry out the plans of
the Council.
3. They shall take measures for ti'e collection and di-
gest of statistical and other information relative to State
Churches, and shall procure, by public competition or
otherwise, the writing of such tracts, or larger treatises,
on the question of national religious establishments, as
they may deem requisite to further the objects of the So-
ciety._ _ _

4. They shall regulate the movements of the public lec-
turers engaged in the name of this Society.
5. They shall carry into execution, as opportunities
present themselves, the several modes of action prescribed
by the Council ; shall act as a central committee of advice
whenever occasion may require; and shall have power to
call together the Council whenever, in their judgment, it
may appear desirable.
6. They shall hold themselves responsible to the Coun-
cil, by whose decisions they shall be bound.

Next come the " modes of action contemplated by the
Society," which are embodied under eight heads :
I. The collection and digest, from authentic and public
documents, of all such information as may throw light
upon the nature and tendency of State Churches.

2. The securing original essays on the question of State
Churches, for popular use, and fitted to supply to the
public, and especially to Dissenters, needful and useful
information on the subject.
3. The employment of lecturers, gratuitous or other-
wise, under the sanction and direction of the Executive
Committee; to explain and enforce the fundamental prin-

ciple of this Society; to expose the evils which have re-
sulted, and are inseparable, from any form of alliance
between Church and State; and to rouse the public, and
especially Nonconformists, to an earnest consideration of
their duty in this matter.
4. The promotionof the return to Parliament, wherever
practicable, of men of known integrity and ability, c in-
versant with the principles of this Society, and disposed
to avail themselves of all suitable occasions for existing
4iscussion thereupon, and ready to promote its object;
and the furnishing of such members, when returned, with
all the special information the Society can command.
5. The support of such members, whenever the Council
shall deem it advisable to agitate the question of State
Churches in the Legislature, by means of petitions to the
Houses of Parliament, and memorials to the Throne, and
in other appropriate and constitutional ways. _

6. The removal of the question of national religious
establishments as much as possible from under the influ-
ence of party feeling ; the placing it upon the ground of
what is due to pure and undefiled religion, and to the best
interests, temporal and spiritual, of the people ; and the
enlistment of the sincerely religious of all classes of the
community by energetic appeals to conscience.
7. The adoption of preparatory measures for obtaining
the repeal of all the existing laws directly or indirectly
involving the union of the Church with the State; and
the enactment of laws to carry out, to their legitimate
extent. the principles of religious liberty.
8. The employment of whatsoever lawful and peaceful
means may be adapted to promote the one great object of
" The British Anti-State-Church Association."
We especially invite the attention of our readers, and of
the electoral bodies throughout the kingdom, to the
fourth and fifth of the above " modes of action." On
several occasions we have warned the latter, that no con-
fidence must be repose() in Dissenters at the hustings,
and we placed before them proofs of the fact. Supporters
of Nlaynooth Grants and Popish Colleges will be supported
in return ; if they will only bind themselves not to sup-
port the Established Church. Churchmen therefore,
must fight their own battle, and fight it manfully, or the
unholy alliance of schismatics of all kinds will overpower
them. They must never forget, too, that these schisma-
tics, however much they may hate each other, have one
common bond of love and union in their more intense and
compaehensive hatred of the Church.—John Bull.