But our men / as they are veraye bolde to abuse the scripture for their purpose / go on further and aske / how it happened that Daniel was not throwen into the fierie fornace with his felowes?
seing lyke punishement was appointed vnto all men which did not worshippe. They will of necessitie haue it graunted them therfor / that Daniel did dissemble / (as they now do) and that therfor nothing was done vnto hym: And that thinge which Daniel dyd / they thincke that they maye do. I aunswer our men thus / that they do not reason well to saye / He was not punished / therfor he was ther and worshipped / they do out more in the consequẽt / then is in the antecedẽt / and so to reason is to make a subtill cauillacion / taking that to be a cause which is no cause. For there might be many other causes / wherfor Daniel was not likewise punished: happilie the Image ãd he did not meete together: or yf he did meete it / men did not mark what he did: or els though men marcked that he did not worshipp / yet he was not accused: or yf he were accused / yet through the singular fauour which the King did beare vnto him he was delyuered from punishmẽt. It must not then forthewith folowe / that Daniel for feare of death did present himself before that Idoll / and did dissemble his Religion / doing there as other Idolatrors did: this we must not iudge of Daniel /
seing in the lyke quarell / he was not afrayde to be thrown vnto the lyõs. Now seing there may be many other causes why he was not caste into the fire with his felowes / why do these men chose vnto them selues this one cause? and that such a one / as is sclaũderous vnto that holy man / of which in the holy scriptures / there is not so much as a suspicion contayned. Yet they do thinke that they do not vnaptly saye for themselues / and defend their cause / when they do alledge that out of the Actes of the Apostles:
where mencion is made howe that Paule / through the councell of the Elders of the churche of Hierusalem / did take on hym a vowe with other foure men / and did purifye hymself after the maner and custumme of the Iues. Yf (saye they) suche an Apostle dyd take thys lybertye to vse in Iurie the ceremonies which were now abrogated / euẽ we also maye vse / and comme vnto the rites / and ceremonies now vsed in our countrithe. For the better vnderstõding of this matter we must first well consider what the somme of Paules preachinge was: