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and to this muft be afcribed his fidelity to his employers, 

 and the uncommon probity which he difplayed in the ma- 

 nagement of public affairs. He poffefTed great acutenefs 

 and difcernment, which enabled him to extricate himfelf 

 from many embarraflments ; and by his indefatigable appli- 

 cation, he found means to arrange and go through labours, 

 which would have overwhelmed almoll any other perfon. 

 His works are very numerous, but the raoit important and 

 confiderable is his " Commentary on Lutheranifm," which 

 was undertaken with the view of confuting Maimbourg. 

 Duke Erneft had folicited him to write the Hiftory of the 

 Reformation, or at leaft that part of it which related to 

 Saxony; which, in 1682, he agreed to undertake. So 

 highly were his talents eltimated, that as foon as his inten- 

 tion was known, mod of the German princes opened to him 

 their libraries and archives, and furnilhed him with fuch 

 documents as might be ufeful to his projeft. A part of 

 the work came out in i688 ; but it was not till 1692 that 

 the whole of it was given to the public, under the following 

 title, " Commentarius Hiitoricus et Apologeticus de Lu- 

 theranifmo, five de Reformatione Religionis ductu D. M. 

 Lutheri in magna Germanica, aliifque Regionibus et fpe- 

 ciatim in Saxonia recepta et ftabihta," &c. 3 vols. fol. 

 This work was received with great applaufe by tlie learned 

 of all parties. Bayle, in fpeaking of it, fays, " Whoever 

 is defirous of being thoroughly acquainted with the hiilory 

 of that great man (Luther), needs only to read the extenfive 

 work of Seckendorf. It is, of its kind, one of the befl 

 books that have appeared for a long time." 



Among the other works of Seckendorf, thofe moil de- 

 ferving of notice are, " The State of the Princes of Ger- 

 many ;" " A Defence of the Relation concerning Anto- 

 niettadeBourignoii, or a Refutation of that female Fanatic ;" 

 •' Hiftorical and Apologetic DiiTertations on the Dodlrine 

 of Luther in regard to Mafs, publifhed by Cafpar Sa- 

 gittarius ;" " The State of the Chriftians, in which Chrif- 

 tianity is examined in itfelf, and defended againft Atheills." 

 Gen. Biog. 



SECKENHEIM, or Sohernheim, in Geography, a town 

 of the duchy of Baden ; 4 miles E. of Manheim. 



SECKER, Thomas, in Biography, a celebrated arch- 

 bifhop of the church of England, was born in 1693, at 

 Sibthorp, in Nottinghamfhire. His father was a Protef- 

 tant diffenter, who lived upon a fmall paternal eftate, and 

 who was enabled to give his fon an excellent education. He 

 was firlt placed at a fchool at Chederneld, whence he was 

 removed to an academy at Atterchffe, near Sheffield, in- 

 tended for the education of young men defigned for the 

 miniltry among difii^nters : after this, he was fent to a 

 fimilar inftitution in the neighbourhood of Tewkfbury. 

 When he was about the age of 19, he had attained to a 

 good knowledge of the dailies, the Hebrew language, and 

 of thofe branches of the mathematical fciences which were 

 taught young men as preparatory to their Itudies in theology. 

 From tins time, till he was about 23 years of age, he pur- 

 fucd his theological courle with great vigour; when, for 

 fome reafons with which we are unacquainted, he determined 

 to abandon his plan and ftudy phyfic, and after attending 

 leftures two years in London, he went to Paris for farther 

 improvement, and carried his attention to all the branches 

 of medicine, including furgery and midwifery. During 

 this period he kept up a clofe correfpondence with Mr. 

 (afterwards bilhop) Butler, who had been a fellow-ftudent at 

 Tewkfbury. His friend had already conformed, and per- 

 fuaded Seeker to follow his example, affuring him of the 

 patronage of bilhop Talbot. Seeker now began to think 

 fcrioufly of thofe profpeits which were held out to hira in 



6 



the eftabliftied church. He was already amply provided 

 with theological knowledge, and he had exprelled a difla- 

 tisfaftiou with the divifions exifting among the diflenters, 

 and with the authority too frequently affumcd by the 

 heads of their congregations ; he therefore clofed with the 

 invitation held out to him. It was thought right by his 

 friends that he fhould have a degree from Oxford, with 

 this view ; and in order to expedite the procefs, he took the 

 degree of M. D. at Leyden, in the year 1721, oh which 

 occafion he did himfelf great credit by a theCs which he 

 delivered on the occafion, " De Medicina Statica." He 

 then entered himfelf a gentleman-commoner of Exeter 

 college, Oxford, and in a few months obtained the degree 

 of B. A. in that univerfity. He was ordained by Dr. Tal- 

 bot, at that time bilhop of Durham, and preached his firfl 

 fermon in March, 1 723. The prelate now took him into 

 his family as chaplain, in which office he had Dr. Rundle 

 for an affociate. In 1724 he was prefented to the valuable 

 reftory of Houghton-le-Spring, in Durham ; and being in 

 a fituation to maintain a family, he married the filler of 

 Mr. Benfon, afterwards bilhop of Gloucefter ; and Mrs. 

 Talbot, the widow of the prelate, by whole advice Seeker 

 had conformed, came to live with Mr. and Mrs. Seeker, 

 from whom flie received, to the end of life, the mofl affiduous 

 attentions, in return for the lervices he had received from 

 her late hufband. 



Seeker now fet himfelf down ferioufly to the duties of 

 a country reftor ; but the place in which he lived did not 

 agree with the health of Mrs. Seeker, and he exchanged 

 Houghton for a prebend of Durham, with the reftory of 

 Ryton. He continued to refide in the north till 1732, 

 when, being nominated one of the chaplains of the king, he 

 came to the metropolis, and in the following year he was 

 prefented with the reftory of St. James. Upon this oc- 

 cafion he went to Oxford, to take the degree of doftor of 

 laws, not being of fufficient Handing for that of divinity, 

 when he preached what was denominated an aft fermon, 

 " On the Advantages and Duties of Academical Education," 

 which was regarded as a mafler-piece of found reafoning 

 and good compofition. It was printed at the defire of the 

 heads of the houfes, and pafTed through feveral editions ; 

 and the reputation derived from it was thought to be the 

 principal means of his advancement to the epifcopal bench, 

 which took place in January, 1734 — 5, when he was con- 

 fecrated bifliop of Briltol, Dr. Benfon, his brother-in-law, 

 being at the; fame timeconfecrated to the fee of Gloucefler. 

 In his high office as prelate he exhibited the moll Itriking 

 proofs of a confcientious attention to all parts of his duty. 

 He now delivered, twice a-week, in his parilh church, a 

 courfe of leftures on the church catechifm, which were 

 afterwards publifhed, and which were generally regarded as 

 admirably adapted to give a compendious view of the 

 principles of the Chriitiap. religion as profefTed by the 

 church of England, and as ellablilhed by law. 



In 1737, Dr. Seeker was tranflated to the fee of Oxford, 

 which he held more than twenty years, and no one could 

 perform with greater affiduity and earnellnefs the effential 

 duties of his funftion ; his exterior deportment likevvile was 

 grave, dignified, and perfeftly adapted to the importance 

 of the charafter which he maintained. In 1748, Mrs. Seeker 

 died, leaving no iffue, and the bifliop did not marry again. 

 In 1750 he exchanged his prebend of Durham and reftory 

 of St. James for the deanery of St. Paul's ; and in 1758 he 

 was raifed to the archbilhopric of Canterbury. His ori- 

 ginal education among the diffenters did not render him lefs 

 zealous in the intereils of the church to which he had con- 

 formed : he even went farther than inofl of his contem- 

 poraries 



