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was unanimously chosen to be . his successor in the pastoral office , in which he remained till he was removed by death , a period of upwards of fifty-three years . JNfot many rridliths after his election by the congregation of George's Meeting , he was solemnly ordained , after the custom , which was universally practised by the dissenters of the last generation , and which might Still perhaps have its useful tendencies . -There -were- about
thirty ministers present at this ceremony ; those who officiated were Mr Manning's co-pastor , the truly venerable Micajah . Towgood ; Mr . Tozer , then the minister of another dissenting society in Exeter , but afterwards one of the ministers of George ' s Meeting ; Dr . Harris , of London ; and Sir Harry Trelawney , of Cornwall ; who afterwards conformed to the establishment , and is still living , a member of the Roman Catholic
Church . About the same period , Mr . Manning was united to his first wife , the daughter of Walter Oke , Esq ., of Finney . This very . amiable lady , died in less than two years after her marriage , leaving one son , the present William Oke Manning Esq ., of London . He was again married , in the year 1780 , to his present greatly respected widow , the daughter of John Edye , Esq . of Bristol . =-
Mr . Manning always testified that this connexion had been to Bm- a source of uumingled benefit , and of the purest earthly happiness ; indeed , it was impossible to visit him in his domestic circle , without observing that few men ever found greater pleasure and satisfaction in the bosom of their families , than he found in his ; and he fully repaid his
family that pleasure . The fruits of his second marriage were three children , who all survived him ; James Manning Esq ., Barrister at Law , John Edye Manning , Esq ., Kegistrar of the colony of New South Wales ; and a truly beloved daughter , whose affectionate and exemplary attentions to him ceased only with his latest breath .
In the long course of his public ministry , Mr . Manning had many colleagues ; the liev . Micajah Tovygood , whom he greatly venerated , and whose character appears to have had no little influence on his mind , in the formation of his own ; the llev . Abraham Tozer , the
Kev . Timothy Kenrick , the Kev . Dr . Carpenter ; the llev . William Hi neks ; and the present minister of ( George ' s Meeting , the Kev . Henry Acton . Towards all these gentlemen he behaved with uniform candour and kindness ; but with some , especially with Dr . Carpenter , he lived on , terms of the most
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perfect friendship , and-true Christian affection . There was no pride , or mean - ness , or jealousy , in his disposition , but a sincere desire to please , and to be pleased with all ; and he took an evident delight in the performances of good offices towards all men . To attempt a formal delineation of the character of this worthy minister of Christ , seems scarcely to be required ;
nor-would—the- attempt— be -a-very-easy one ; but we shall say a few words on the subject . Though possessed of a sound , strong understanding , and good talents , he was one Of those men , ( perhaps the happiest class in the world , ) in . whom the moral qualities of their character are more conspicuous than the intellectual . His temper was admirable , mild and patient , serene and cheerful , to a very remarkable degree . There was usually a smile upon his
countenance , and it was faithfully indicative of the spirit within . His very voice and step were characteristic of his dispositions . If you met him , he generally looked as though he were going about doing good ; and so he was . It was one of his most favourite Occupations to pay visits of charity and consolation to the poor and sick , and of kind civility to his friends . He was peculiarly earnest and active in his personal attentions to all the charitable and benevolent
institutions with which , he was connected ; and these were numerous . His reputation was deservedly high in the city of Exeter , and indeed in the county of Devon , amongst all ranks and denominations of people , for the services which he was always so willing and so able to render to undertakings of public utility . In 1798 , in conjunction with Bishop Bailer , Lord Rolle , and other influential persons > he was mainly instrumental in
the establishment of the Lunatic Asylum at JExeter ; and continued to the time of his- death one of the most sjealous and efficient governors of that well-conducted institution . He was also chosen by his fellow-citizens to be one of the corporate guardians of the poor in Exeter ; and it is well known how frequently he accompanied the discharge of his official duties ,
in this capacity , with acts of private charity . He was likewise one of the vice-presidents and visitors of the Devon County Hospital , where he found another field for the habitual exercise of his kind and benevolent feelings , In short both towards his own flock , and towards his neighbours and fellow-creatures of all classes , he shewed himself a true disciple of his master . In his public services as a Christian teacher Mr , Manning was eminently
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14 UNITARIAN CHEONICJLE , ¦ ¦ ••¦ ¦ ' v . . .,
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Feb. 1, 1832, page 14, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1805/page/14/
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