Five disputations of church-government and worship

can any believe that the famous Council of Nice, and the vigilant Emperor, that were so exceeding impatient of a diversity of observations of Easter, would have let a diverse observation of Christmas alone, without once thinking or speaking of it, when they were gathered about the like work, if the Church had commonly observed it then as a Holy day? Or was the Church of Judea where Christ arose, in any likelihood to have lost the true account of the day, if it had been observed by Apostolical Tradition from the beginning? 7. And it seems that God did purposely deny us the observation of this Day, in that he hath certainly kept the time unknown to the world. The confidence of some bewrays but their ignorance. Chronologers are never like to be agreed of the year, much less of the month or day; some think we are four years too late▪ some two years, &c. Many think that Christ was born about October (as Scaliger, Broughton, Beroaldus, &c.) and many still hold to the old Eastern opinion, for the Epiphany being the Nativity, on Jan. 6. and others are for other times; but none are certain of the time. 8. Sure we are, where there is no Law, there is no Transgression: but here is no Law of God commanding Christmas day or the other Holy days; therefore there is no transgression ⟨p. 415⟩in not keeping them. And then 9. it is not so sure that there is no transgression in keeping them: therefore the surer side is to be taken. 10. And it seems strange that we find not so much as any ancient ^*general Council making any mention of Christmas or such days (though of the Martyrs days some do.) All these reasons (which I run over hastily) and many more (which for brevity I pretermit) do seem to make it a very hard question, whether the keeping of this sort of Holy days be lawful.

can any believe that the famous Council of Nice, and the vigilant Emperour, that were so exceeding impatient of a diversity of observations of Easter, would have let a diverse observation of Christmas alone, without once thinking or speaking of it, when they were gathered about the like work, if the Church had commonly observed it then as a Holy day? Or was the Church of Iudaea where Christ arose, in any likelyhood to have lost the true account of the day, if it had been observed by Apostolical Tradition from the beginning? 7. And it seems that God did purposely deny us the observation of this Day, in that he hath certainly kept the time unknown to the world. The confidence of some bewrayes but their ignorance. Chronologers are never like to be agreed of the year, much less of the moneth or day; some think we are four years too late some two years, &c. Many think that Christ was born about October (as Scaliger, Broughton, Beroaldus, &c.) and many still hold to the old Eastern opinion, for the Epiphany being the Nativity, on Ian. 6. and others are for other times; but none are certain of the time. 8. Sure we are, where there is no Law, there is no Transgression: but here is no Law of God commanding Christmas day or the other Holy daies; therefore there is no transgression