The Diatribe Proved to be Paradiatribe, Title page – Imprimatur
THE ΔΙΑΤΡΙΒΗ Proved to be ΠΑΡΑΔΙΑΤΡΙΒΗ.
OR, A VINDICATION of the Judgement of the Reformed Churches, and Proteſtant Divines, From miſrepreſentations
Concerning Ordination, and Laying on of hands.
Together with a brief ANSWER to the Pretences of Edmond Chillenden, for the lawfulneſſe of Preaching without ORDINATION.
By Lazarus Seaman.
LONDON, Printed by T. R. & E. M. for John Rothwell, at the Sun and Fountain in Pauls church-yard. 1647.
TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE, Edward Earle of Mancheſter, Viſcount Mandeville, Baron of Kimbolton.
My Lord,
MAY it pleaſe Your HONOUR to take this Dedication as an humble and gratefull acknowledgement of thoſe many favours and incouragements which out of YOUR exuberant Goodneſſe alone, and not for my deſert, (which is not) have been vouchſafed to me: And as a token, that I would be thankfull, and duly reſpectfull, if I did know how to expreſſe either. Theſe are Times, wherein Truth muſt learn to go alone, & to ſtand by her own ſtrength: The methods and depths of Satan, with the power of darkneſſe, are all improved againſt Light; and an arm of fleſh will prove a broken re…d to thoſe who truſt in it. Yet I ſhall ever repute YOUR LORDSHIP among thoſe who have not the faith of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt the Lord of glory, with reſpect of perſons, JAM. 3. 1. & who are willing [foreign] to contend earneſtly for the maintenance of the faith once given unto the Saints, JUDE. 3. And therefore though I dare not preſume, or in any wiſe expect to ingage You on my part in the debate about Ordination and Laying on of hands, which is preſented in the enſuing Papers; yet upon experience of YOUR naturall love to Godly Miniſters upon all occaſions, I make bold to creep under the wing of YOUR Patronage, upon occaſion of this Publication.
That Honours and Dignities are ſlippery places; Theſe, ſtormy and bluſtrous times; And, that Chriſt ownes none as being of his ſide, but thoſe who are Called, Choſen, and Faithfull, REV. 17. 14. YOUR LORDSHIP knows aſſuredly. And YOU need not be put in mind by me, that they who do wickedly againſt the Covenant (whether God's or Mans) are ſuch as are corrupled by ſlatteries. Neither is this without the bounds of YOUR conſideration, That (Without underſtanding, Covenant-breakers, ROM. 1. 31.) are joyned together, in the ſad Catalogue of thoſe who are given up [foreign] to vile affections, ROM. 1. 26. and [foreign] to a reprobate minde, verſ. 28. As the words [foreign] ſound alike, ſo are the things thereby ſignified of like nature; and ſerve not only againſt Covenant-breakers, but againſt Non-covenanters, if the ſenſe of [foreign] be well obſerved. There's onelyonly one thing which remains for me to be YOUR Remembrancer in; CHRIST'S promiſe to the Angel of the Church of Smyrna, REV. 2. 10. Be thou faithfull unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. Which Grace; to be faithfull unto death, that it may abide with You, and abound; and Glory, to receive a Crown of life; That YOUR LORDSHIP may attain in Heaven, after fulneſſe of dayes on Earth, is and ſhall be the prayer of
YOƲR HONOƲRS humbly devoted in the ſervice of CHRIST our Lord, L. S.
To the READER.
I Know not well how to appeare in Print, either with, or without an Apologie. To ſpeak of mine own inſufficiencie, eſpecially in matters of Controverſie, (which will too much evidence it ſelf) or to plead incumbrance by imployments otherwiſe; is but to put that Queſtion into the mouths of others againſt me, Who required this at your hands? And ſeeing One hath already poſſeſſed the mindes or hands of many (as he pretends to prove) with [The Judgement of Reformed Churches and Proteſtant Divines concerning Ordination, &c] For me to adde more, may ſeem ſuperfluous; And to contradict him, if his Evidence be true, and full, (whereof he ſeems to be confident) is at the leaſt a raſh adventure. I know not better how to extricate my ſelf, and ſtand cleare with thoſe who are to judge of all that is hereafter preſented, but by this ingenuous account. It moved me not a little to finde in print ſome ſheets pretending one way, and intending another. To ſhew the Judgement of the Reformed Churches; this way the Ivie-buſh held out: and hereupon an Hiſtoricall collection out of their Conſeſſions, or Agenda's, and Books of Diſcipline, might be expected; and yet nothing is to be found out of either: And that which is produced, is only Negative, concerning one or two particulars, to the ſenſe of the Socinians and Anabaptiſts, rather then agreeable to the generall opinion of thoſe who are Orthodox. Whereas Teſtimony was the faireſt way to have proceeded in, that's waved for the moſt part, and a flouriſh of Arguments ſerv'd in inſtead of it. I conſidered, on the one hand, the preſumption of many, intruding into the work of the Miniſtery, and taking the profit, or ambitious of the credit of it; and how Some preach others out of the Calling, to preach themſelves into it; and that of late, many Old Errors are revived, under the name of New-Light, as by ſome others, ſo by many inordinate or unordained Preachers; and People, in ſtead of bleſſing God (as they ought to do) for that Miniſtery which is famous through all the Reformed Churches, and to which, as a meanes under God, Saints in England now living, or dead in this laſt Century, owe themſelves & all that they are, do notwithſtanding withdraw themſelves and ſeparate from it. And on the other hand, that Both the Houſes of Parliament had witneſſed againſt thoſe who Preach unordained; and one of them about the time of publiſhing of thoſe Papers which I direct an Anſwer unto, was in a way of queſtioning thoſe who Preached contrary to their Order: And that it is Miniſters duty to ſtrengthen the hands of Magiſtrates in well-doing, when they ſhew themſelves to be (as they ought to be) Nurſing fathers to the good, and a terror to the evill. And fearing alſo that the Diatribe was intended in oppoſition to thoſe proceedings of the Parliament, or at leaſt, that it might prove prejudiciall thereunto, I was inclined to conſider of it; hoping, that as the ſheets were not many, ſo the Animadverſions which I ſhould need to make upon them, would not be long. And becauſe I had reaſon to think he looked not only forward, as if Ordination was not neceſſary for the future; but backward, as if it were nothing for the time paſt; I thought my ſelf, with all other the Miniſters of the Church of England, the more concerned in his Poſitions. And however ſome may be offended, that Papacie and Epiſcopacie ſhould be both exploded, and yet, that that Calling in a way of Ordination, which is ſucceſſively from both, or one at leaſt, either in deed, or in ſhew, ſhould be reteined ſtill, and not renounced: though in my own particular I am moved at it no more, then to find Rahab and Thamar among thoſe through whoſe loynes the naturall ſucceſſion of our bleſſed Saviour is propagated from Adam, yet I have endeavoured in the following Anſwer, pag. 49. & 84. to remove that ſtone of ſtumbling, and rock of offence.
But whatever becomes of Calling to the Miniſtery in the manner uſed heretofore; I hope it will appeare, that for the time to come it ought to be (in part at leaſt) by Ordination; and Ordination, by Laying on of hands: and that this is the Judgment of the Reformed Churches and Proteſtant Divines. Some will blame me for having ſaid ſo much; and others ſay, they expected more. But if this may be of any uſe toward the cleare diſcovery and deciſion of the Queſtion under debate, till thoſe who are better able unite their ſhrength and bring in their ſupplies, this labour is not loſt.
But how comes it to paſſe, that thoſe who maintain, That any one ſufficiently gifted may Preach; and he whom the People accept of as a Miniſter to them, is thereby made a Miniſter, raiſe ſuch a duſt about the Calling of others, who have both their gifts received from God, and the Peoples acceptance to plead, as well as themſelves; and do not rather quiet the People, by inſtructing of them, that diſputes about the externall Calling may be laid aſide, when as the internall Call of God is evident, and a further reformation about the outward Calling is every day endevoured? My hope was, to have at large examined that Poſition alſo, A man may lawfully preach the Word, who is not called to be a Miniſter; which in the cloſe of all, I call a Paradox, meaning a thing incredible, as it relates to the ordinary practiſe of many in our times. But for the preſent, I have only hin…ed ſome heads of an Anſwer to another, who hath written ſince to the ſame effect; and deſire a little reſpite for the reſt.
Touching the Author of the Tract which I deal with, as he is to me uncertain, ſo would I hauehave been to him, if the Preſſe were not now under more reſtrictions then it was at the time of his writing; that there might be no occaſion of digreſſion from the matter, to either of our perſons.
If any where I have miſtaken his ſenſe, fallen ſhort in anſwering, or uſed any expreſſion which proves diſpleaſing, I ſhalbe willing to be rectified. So the Truth, and thoſe who are ſtudious in things of this nature, may gain any reall advantage, though more by him, and leſſe by me, it ſhall not, I truſt (through Him that ſtrengthens me) be any grief of ſpirit to me, whoſe deſire is (with the Italian Martyr) that Chriſt may live, though Idie; and that HE may increaſe, though all the Miniſters of England decreaſe. For your part, who are to judge betwixt us both, you are intreated to weigh all things ſoberly, and without prejudice.
That GOD, who hath promiſed his Spirit to lead his into all Truth, guide us to the knowledge and love of Truth. Amen.
Imprimatur,
Edm. Calamy.