John Trapp on Daniel 1:8

Ver. 8. But Daniel purpoſed in his heart] The change of his name (though he utterly diſliked, yet) he could not help: but to ſhew that he was ſtill of the ſame religion, though he were but a childe of twelve years old or thereabouts, yet he purpoſeth (firſt, and then performeth it) to keep himſelf pure and free from Heatheniſh defilements.Ver. 2. What if the veſſels of the Temple (by being brough into the treaſure-houſe of Nebuchadnezzar's god) were defiled, yet theſe elect veſſels would not.Ad leonem potius quam lennem. Tertul. Anſelm. So the Primitive Chriſtians choſe rather to be thrown to Lions without, then left to luſts within. Yea I had rather be caſt pure and innocent into hell, ſaith an Ancient, then go to heaven, being polluted with the filth of ſin. Daniel's greateſt care is, ne contra legem Dei & conſcientiam impuretur, leſt he ſhould be defiled in the leaſt: fall back, fall edge, as they ſay, he is fully reſolved againſt that. So the Prince of Conly when, at the Pariſian Maſſacre, he was put to his choice by the French King, whether to go to Maſſe, to ſuffer death, or to endure perpetual impriſonment? anſwered, As for the firſt, by the grace of God, I will never do it: And for the two laſt, I humbly ſubmit to his Majeſty: let him do with me what he pleaſeth.

That he would not defile himſelf with the portion of the Kings meat] That which Scaliger ſaith of Matthew Beroaldus, Vir doctus, &, quod familiam ducit, pius, that he was a learned man; but (that which was his chief commendation) he was alſo a godly man, may be better ſaid of the Prophet Daniel. Godly he was betimes, and of a childe, as was alſo his Maſter Jeremy (in whoſe works he was well read, Dan. 9.2.) Samuel, Timothy, Athanaſius, Beza who (amongſt many other things) bleſſed God chiefly for this in his laſt will and Teſtament, that at the age of ſixteen years, He had called him to the knowledge of the truth. Daniel had this happineſſe at twelve or thirteen:De vita & obitu Sanct. neither was he like rath-ripe fruit that are ſoon rotten (Hermogenes was old in his childhood, and a childe in his old age) but although he lived 110 years, as Iſidor reckoneth, ſome ſay 130, yet he was beſt at laſt, and may very well paſſe for a Martyr, though he came again ſafe out of the Lions den, like as John the Evangeliſt alſo did out of the caldron of ſcalding oyle, wherein he was caſt by the command of Domitian, in contempt of Chriſtianity. Daniel's piety appeareth in this, that he maketh conſcience of ſmaller evils alſo, ſuch as moſt men in his caſe would never have boggled at. He would not defile himſelf with the portion of the Kings meat: he ſcrupled the eating of it, and why? 1. Becauſe it was often ſuch as was forbidden by the Law of God, Levit. 11. Deut. 14. 2. Becauſe it was ſo uſed,Ante c[illegible: 1 letter]bum ſua habebant prothymata, & laudabant deos ſuos. Jun. as would defile him and his fellows, againſt the Word of God: for the Heathens (to the ſhame of many Chriſtians) had their Grace afore meat, as it were, conſecrating their diſhes to their Idols before they taſted of them, Dan. 5.4. 1 Cor. 8.10. 3. They could not do it without offence to their weaker brethren, with whom they choſe rather to ſympathize in their adverſity, then to live in exceſſe, and fulneſſe, Amos 6.6. 4. They well perceived that the Kings Love and proviſions were not ſingle and ſincere, but that he meant his own profit, to aſſure himſelf the better of the land of Judah, and that they might forget their Religion. Laſtly, They know that intemperance was the mother of many miſchiefs, as in Adam, Eſan, the rich glutton, &c. That's a memorable ſtory that is recorded by William Schickard concerning eleven Jew doctors, whom the Heathen King of Pirgandy having in his power, Schickard. Jus reg. Hebr. c. 5. p. 149. put them to this hard choice, either to eat ſwines-fleſh, or to drink wine that had been conſecrated to idols, or to lie with certain harlots. They choſe rather to drink the wine then to do either of the other two. But when they had drunk wine liberally, they were eaſily drawn to do the other two things alſo. Any one of theſe five reaſons had been of force enough to prevail with Daniel and the other three to forbear. They knew well that the leaſt hair caſteth its ſhaddow: a barly-corn laid on the ſight of the eye will keep out the light of the Sun, as a mountain. The eye of the ſoul that will ſee God, muſt be kept very clear, Matth. 5.8, &c.

Therefore he requeſted] Modſtly and prudently he propounded it, non convitiando, ſed ſupplicando, and petitioneth for liberty of conſcience, confeſſing his religion.