Lazarus Seaman facts for kids

Lazarus Seaman (died 1675) was an important English church leader in the 1600s. He was a strong supporter of the Presbyterian way of organizing churches during the Westminster Assembly. He also became the head of Peterhouse, Cambridge, a college at Cambridge University, and was known as a nonconformist minister, meaning he didn't always follow the official rules of the Church of England.

His Life Story

Lazarus Seaman was born in Leicester, England, in the early 1600s. His family wasn't wealthy. In 1623, he started studying at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He was a sizar, which meant he received financial help for his studies, often by doing some work for the college. He earned his first degrees there.

Because he didn't have much money, he left Cambridge to become a teacher, likely in London. He later became a lecturer at St. Martin's, Ludgate church and worked for a powerful noble, Algernon Percy, 10th Earl of Northumberland.

In 1642, he was given a church job at Allhallows, Bread Street. This was arranged by William Laud, a very important Archbishop. In 1643, Lazarus Seaman was chosen to be a member of the Westminster Assembly. This was a big meeting of church leaders who were trying to decide how the church in England should be run. He attended regularly and was an active participant.

In 1644, he became the Master (or head) of Peterhouse, Cambridge. He took over from John Cosin, who had been removed from the position. Seaman wasn't always present at the college, and he had some disagreements with the other leaders there. He even arranged for his own son to become a Fellow (a senior member) of the college.

Lazarus Seaman was part of a group that wanted to make sure the Presbyterian church system was followed strictly. He was involved in talks with King Charles I about church matters. In 1649, he earned his higher degree, a Doctor of Divinity (D.D.). He also served as the Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University in 1653 and was appointed by Oliver Cromwell to oversee the university.

When King Charles II came back to power in 1660 (this was called the English Restoration), John Cosin was put back in charge of Peterhouse. Seaman was known for being very firm in his beliefs. He refused offers of important church jobs because he wouldn't compromise on his nonconformist views.

Because of a law called the 1662 Uniformity Act, he had to leave his church job in 1662. Later, another law, the Five Miles Act of 1665, made it harder for nonconformist ministers to preach. Seaman chose to remain quiet during this time, but he continued to lead a small group of his former church members in private. After the Great Fire of London in 1666, he started preaching publicly again. In 1672, when nonconformists were allowed more freedom, he built a new church in London.

He was respected as a "learned nonconformist" by people who knew him. Lazarus Seaman passed away around September 9, 1675. His large collection of 5,000 books was sold at an auction, which was one of the first of its kind in England.

His Published Works

Besides sermons he gave to Parliament and other important groups, Lazarus Seaman also published some books:

• The Διατριβὴ proved to be Παραδιατριβή. A Vindication of . . . the Reformed Church . . . from Misrepresentations concerning the Ordination (1647): This book defended the way the Reformed Church handled ordinations (making someone a minister).
• His Majesties Papers . . . with an Answer ... by ... Mr. Seaman (1648): This book contained discussions he had with King Charles I about how the church should be governed. It was later reprinted with a slightly different title.

He also wrote an introduction for a book called A Glance of Heaven (1638) by Richard Sibbes.