SECKER'S Health, which began now to be very bad, and was thought to have been injured by the Dampnefs of the Situation, obliged him to think of exchanging it for a more healthy one. And Dr. FINNEY, Prebendary of Durham, and Rector of Ryton, being old and infirm, Mr. BENSON requested the Bishop, through Dr. RUNDLE, that Mr. SECKER might fucceed him, and refign Houghton. This meeting with Difficulties, Mr. BENSON, in order to remove them, very generously gave up his Prebend of Sarum, to accommodate the Person for whom Ryton was defigned, and then Mr. SECKER was allowed to make the Exchange abovementioned. He went up to London, and was inftituted to Ryton and the Prebend, June 3, 1727, and for the two following Years lived chiefly at Durham, going over every Week to officiate at Ryton, and spending there two or three Months together in the Summer.

In July 1732, the Duke of Grafton, then Lord Chamberlain, appointed him Chaplain to the King. For this Favour he was indebted to Dr. SHERLOCK, who having heard him preach at Bath, had conceived the highest Opinion of his Abilities, and thought them well worthy of being brought forwards into public

9

public Notice. From that Time an Intimacy commenced betwixt them, and he re

ceived from that great Prelate many folid Proofs of Efteem and Friendship.

His Month of Waiting at St. James's happened to be Auguft, and on Sunday the 27th of that Month he preached before the Queen, the King being then abroad. A few Days after, her Majesty sent for him into her Closet, and held a long and gracious Conversation with him. In the Course of it he took an Opportunity of mentioning to her his Friend Mr. BUTLER. The Queen faid, she thought he had been dead. Mr. SECKER affured her

he was not. Yet her Majefty afterwards afked Archbishop BLACKBURNE if he was not dead? His Anfwer was; No, Madam, but he is buried. And indeed the Retirement of Stanhope, where he spent almost his whole Time, was too folitary for his Difpofition, which had in it a natural Caft of Gloominess. And though these reclufe Hours were by no Means loft either to private Improvement or public Utility, yet he felt at Times, very painfully, the Want of that felect Society of Friends, to which he had been accustomed, and which could infpire him with the greatest Chearfulness. Mr. SECKER, who knew this,

was

was extremely anxious to draw him out into a more active and confpicuous Scene, and omitted no Opportunity of expreffing this Defire to fuch as he thought capable of promoting it. And not long after this, on Mr. TALBOT's being made Lord Chancellor, he found Means to have Mr. BUTLER recommended to him for his Chaplain. fhip accepted and fent for him. motion bringing him back into the Queen very foon appointed him her Clerk of the Clofet, from whence he rofe, as his Talents became more known, to thofe high Dignities which he afterwards enjoyed,

His Lord

This Pro

the World,

Mr. SECKER now began to have a public Character, and ftood high in the Estimation of those who were allowed to be the best Judges of Merit. He had already given Proofs of Abilities that plainly indicated the Eminence to which he must one Day rife, as a Preacher and a Divine; and it was not long before an Opportunity offered of placing him in an advantageous Point of View. Dr. TYRWHIT,

who fucceeded Dr. CLARKE as Rector of St. James's in 1729, found that preaching in fo large a Church endangered his Health. Bishop GIBSON therefore, his Father-in-law, propofed to the Crown that he should be made

Refiden

Refidentiary of St. Paul's, and that Mr. SECKER fhould fucceed him in the Rectory. This Arrangement was fo acceptable to those in Power, that it took Place without any Dif ficulty. Mr. SECKER was inftituted Rector the 18th of May, 1733, and in the Beginning of July went to Oxford to take his Degree of Doctor of Laws, not being of fufficient Standing for that of Divinity. On this Occafion it was that he preached his celebrated Act Sermon on the Advantages and the Duties of academical Education, which was univerfally allowed to be a Masterpiece of found Reasoning and juft Composition. It was printed at the Defire of the Heads of Houses, and quickly paffed through feveral Editions. It is now to be found in the, Second Collection of his Occafional Sermons, published by himself in 1766.

He was cenfured in a Paper called The Weekly Mifcellany for not quoting Texts of Scripture in this Sermon. The only Notice he took of that Cenfure was by contributing very liberally for many Years towards fupporting the Author of it.

At his next Waiting, at Hampton-Court, the Queen again fent for him, and faid very oblig

ing Things to him of this Sermon.

And it

was thought that the Reputation he had acquired by it contributed not a little towards that Promotion which very foon followed its Publication. For in December 1734 he received a very unexpected Notice, by Letter, from Bishop GIBSON, that the King had fixed on him to be Bishop of Bristol. Dr. RUNDLE had a little before this been propofed by the Lord Chancellor TALBOT for the See of Gloucester, but on Account of fome Imprudences of Speech charged on the Doctor by Mr. VENN, the Bishop of London opposed this Nomination, and with much Difficulty prevailed on Dr. BENSON to accept that Dignity. Dr. FLEMING was about the fame Time promoted to the See of Carlisle; and the three new Bishops were all confecrated together in Lambeth Chapel, Jan. 19, 1734-5, the Confecration Sermon being preached by Dr. THOMAS, late Bishop of Winchester.

The Honours to which Dr. SECKER was thus raised in the Prime of Life did not in the leaft abate his Diligence and Attention to Bufinefs; for which indeed there was now more Occafion than ever. He immediately fet about the Vifitation of his Diocefe, confirmed in a VOL. I.

C

great