Jeremiah 2

^{2 !} God rehearseth his benefites done vnto the Jewes.

^{2 a} According to that grace, and fauour, which I shewed thee from the beginning, when I did first chuse thee to be my people, and maried the to my self, {Ezek. 16,3}.

^{2 b} When I had deliuered thee out of Egypt.

^{2 c} Chosen aboue all other to serue the Lord onely, & the first offred to the Lord of all other nations.

^{3 d} Whosoeuer did chaleng this people, or els did annoy them, was punished.

^{5 e} That is, fallen to moste vile idolatrie.

^{5 f} Altogether giuen to vanitie, and are become to blinde and insensible as the idoles, that thei serue.

^{6 g} Where for lacke of all things necessarie for life, ye colde loke for nothing euerie houre but present death.

^{7 h} By your idolatrie, & wicked maners, {Psal. 78,58} and {no 6, 38}.

^{8 !} Against the Priests and false prophetes.

^{8 i} Thei taught not the people to seke after God.

^{8 k} As the Scribes, which shulde haue expounded the Law to the people.

^{8 l} Meaning, the princes and ministers: signifying hat all estates were corrupt.

^{9 m} That is, spake vaine things, and broght the people from the true worship of God to serue idoles: for by Baal, which was the chief idole of the Moabites, are ment all idoles.

^{9 n} Signifying, that he wolde not as he might, streight way condemn them, but sheweth them by euident examples their great ingratitude, that they might be ashamed, and repent.

^{10 o} Meaning, the Grecians & Italians.

^{10 p} Vnto Arabia.

^{11 r} Meaning, the idoles, which were their destruction, {Psal. 106, 36}.

^{11 q} That is, God which is their glorie, & who maketh them glorious aboue all other people: reprouing the Jewes, that they were lesse diligent to serue the true God, then were the idolaters to honour their vanities.

^{12 !} The Jewes are destroyed, because they forsake God.

^{12 s} He sheweth, that the insensible creatures abhorre this vile ingratitude, and as it were tremble for fear of Gods great judgements against the same.

^{13 t} Signifying that when men forsake Gods worde, which is the fountaine of life, they reject God himself, and so fall to their owne inuencious, & vaine considence, and procure to them selues destruction, {Jona 2,8}, {Zach. 10, 2}.

^{14 u} Haue I ordered them like seruants, & not like derelie beloued children {Exo. 4, 22}, therefore it is their faut onely, if the enemie spoile them.

^{15 x} The Babylonians, Chaldeans & Assyrians.

^{15 y} Not one shal be left to dwell there.

^{16 z} That is, the Egyptians: for these were two great cities in Egypt.

^{16 a} Haue grieuously vexed thee at sondrie times.

^{17 b} Shewing, that God wolde haue stil led them aright, if thei wolde haue followed him.

^{18 c} To seke helpe of man, as thogh God were not able ynough to defende thee, which is to drinke of the puddels, and to leaue the fountain, read {Isa 31, 1}.

^{18 d} To wit, Euphrates.

^{19 e} Meaning, that the wicked are insensible til the punishment for their sinne waken them, as {verse, 26. Isa. 3,9}.

^{20 f} When I deliuered thee out of Egypt, {Deu 27, 12} {Josh. 24, 16}, {ezra. 10, 12}, {nehem 8, 7}.

^{21 /} Ebr. sede was all true.

^{22 g} Thogh thou vse all the purifications and ceremonies of the Law, thou canst not escape punishment, except thou turne to me by faith, and repentance.

^{23 h} Meaning, that hypocrites denie that thei worship the idoles, but that they honour God in them, and therefore they call their doings Gods seruice.

^{23 i} He compareth the idoles to these beastes, because they neuer cease running to and fro: for bothe valleis, and hils are ful of their idolatrie.

^{24 k} He compareth the idolaters to a wilde asse: for she can neuer be tamed, nor yet wearied: for as she runneth, she can take her winde at euerie occasion.

^{24 l} That is, when she is with sole, & therefore the hunters waite their time: so thogh thou canst not be turned backe now from: thine idolatrie, yet when thine iniquitie shal be at the ful, God wil mete with them.

^{25 m} Hereby he warenth them that thei shulde not go into strange countreis to seke helpe: for thei shuld but spend their labour, & hurt them selues, which is here ment by the bare sorte and thirst, {Isa. 57, 10}.

^{26 n} As a thfe wil not acknowledge his faute, til he be taken with the dede, & ready to be punished, so they wil not sonfesse thei idolatrie, til the plagues due to the same light upon them.

^{27 o} Meaning, the idolaters spoyle God of his honour: & where as he hathe taught to call him the father of all flesh, tey atrribute this title to their idoles.

^{28 p} Thou thoghtest that thy gods of blockes and stones colde haue holpen thee, because they were many in nomber & present in euery place: but now let vs se whether ether the multitude, or their presence can deliuer thee from my plague, {Chap. 11,13}.

^{29 q} As thogh I did you iniurie in punishing you, seing that your fautes are so euident.

^{30 r} That is, you haue killed your Prophetes, that exhorted you to repentance, as Zechariah, Isaiah, &c.

^{31 t} But wil trust inn our wone power & policie.

^{31 s} Haue I not giuen them abundance of all things?

^{33 u} With strangers.

^{34 x} The Prophetes and the faithful are slayne in euery corner of your countrey.

^{36 y} For the Assyrians had taken away the ten tribes out of Israel, and destroyed Juda, euen vnto Jerusalem: and the Ebyptians slewe Josiah, and vexed the Jewes, in sondry sortes.

^{37 z} In signe of lamentacion, as {2 Sam. 13, 19}