Ezekiel 16

^{1 !} The Prophet declareth the benefites of God toward Jerusalem.

^{3 a} Thou boastest to be of the sede of Abraham, but thou are degenerate and followest the abominacions of the wicked Canaanites, as children do the maners of their fathers, {Isa. 14, & 53, 3}

^{4 b}When I first broght thee out of Egypt, & planted thee in this land to be my Church.

^{6 c} Being thus in thy filthines and forsaken of all men, I toke thee & gaue thee life whereby is ment that before God wash his Church & giue life, there is nothing, but filthines and death.

^{8 e} That thou shuldest be a chaiste wife vnto me, and that I shulde mainteine thee & endue thee with all graces.

^{8 d} These wordes, as blood, pollucion, nakednes & filthines are oftimes repeted, to beate downe their pride, and to cause them to consider what thei were before God receiued them to cercie, fauoured them & couered their shame.

^{9 g} I sanctified thee with mine holy Spirit.

^{9 f} I washed away thy sinnes.

^{12 h} Hereby he sheweth how he saued his Church, enriched it & gaue it power and dominion to reigne.

^{14 i} He declareth wherein the dignitie of Jerusalem stode: to wit, in that the Lord gaue them of his beautie and excellencie.

^{15 k} In abusing my giftes and in putting thy confidence in thine owne wisdome and dignitie, which were the occasions of thine idolatrie.

^{15 !} Their vnkindnes.

^{15 l} There was none idolatrie so vile wherewith thou didest not pollute thy selfe.

^{16 m} This declareth how the idolaters put their chief delite in those things, which please the eies, and outwarde senses.

^{17 n} Thou hast conuerted my vessels & instruments, which I gaue thee to serue me with, to the vse of thine idoles.

^{20 o} Meaning, by fyre, read {Leu. 18, 21}, {2 King. 23,10}.

^{25 /} Or, head.

^{26 p} He noteth the great impietie of this people who first falling from God to seke helpe at strange nacions, did also at length imbrace their idolatrie, thinking thereby to make their amitie more strong.

^{27 /} Or, cities.

^{30 /} Or, that wil beare rule.

^{31 q} Meaing, that some harlots contemne smale rewardes, but no louers gaue a rewarde to Israel, but thei gaue to all others: signifying that the idolaters bestowe all their substance, which thei receiue of God for his glorie, to serue their vile abominations.

^{36 /} Or, nether partes.

^{37 r} Egyptians, Assyrians and Caldeans, whome thou tokest to be thy louers, shal come and destroy thee, {Chap. 23,9}

^{38 s} I wil judge thee to death, as the adulterers and murtherers.

^{42 t} I will vtterly destroy thee & so my jelously shal cease.

^{43 u} I haue punished thy fautes, but you woldest not repent.

^{44 x}As were the Canaanites & the Hittites & others your predecessors, so are you their successors.

^{45 y} That is, of Samaria and Sodom.

^{46 /} Ebr. thy syster younger then thou.

^{46 z} That is, her cities.

^{46 !} He justifieth the wickednes of other people in comparison of the sinnes of Jerusalem.

^{47 a} But done farre worse.

^{49 b} He alledgeth these foure vices, pride, excesse, idlenes & contempt of the poore, as foure principal cuases of suche abomination, wherefore they were so horribly punished, {Ge. 19,24}

^{49 !} The cause of the abominacions, into which the Sodomites fel.

^{51 c} Which worshipped the calues in Bethel and Dan.

^{51 d} Thou are so wicked, that in respect of thee Sodom & Samaria were juste.

^{53 e} This he speaketh in comparison, saying, that he wolde restore Jerusalem when Sodom shulde be restored, that is, neuer: and this is ment of the greatest parte of the Jewes.

^{54 f} In that thou hast shewed thy self worse then they, and yet thogh test to escape punishement.

^{55 g} Meaning, that it shulde neuer come to passe.

^{56 /} Ebr. was not a rumour in thy mouth.

^{56 h} Thou woldest not call her punishemtn to mynde when thou wast aloft, to learne by her example to feare my judgements.

^{57 i} That is, til you wast broght vnder by the Syrians & Philistims, {2 Chro. 28,19}.

^{57 k} Which joyned with the Syrians, or compassed about Jerusalem.

^{59 l} When their brakest the couenant, which was made betwene thee & me, as {vers. 8}

^{60 m} That is, of mercie and loue I wil pitie thee, and so stand to my couenant, thogh thou hast deserued the contrary.

^{60 !} Mercie is promised to the repentant.

^{61 o} But of my fre mercie.

^{61 n} Whereby he sheweth that among the moste wicked he had euer some sede of his Church which he wolde cause to fructifie in due tyme: & here he declareth how he wil cal the Gentiles.

^{63 p} This declareth what frutes Gods mercies worke in his, to wit, sorow, and repentance for their former life.