A godly and learned exposition or commentary upon the three first chapters of the…A godly and learned exposition or commentarie vpon the three first chapters of the…

And knowest not how thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. Christ intending to strike this sin of pride to the very heart, doth here set down the true cause thereof; to wit, Ignorance, as if he should say, Thou knowest not thine own natural estate, as thou art borne of Adam out of Christ, and therefore thou art proud, and thy pride maketh thee luke-warm. Then he showeth whereof they were ignorant, namely of their natural estate.

And knowest not how thou art wretched, and miserable, and poore, and blinde, and naked. Christ intending to strike this sin of pride to the verie heart, doth here set downe the true cause thereof; to wit, Ignorance, as if hee should say, Thou knowest not thine owne naturall estate, as thou art borne of Adam out of Christ, and therefore thou art proude, and thy pride maketh thee luke-warme. Then he sheweth whereof they were ignorant, namely of their naturall estate.

For the first; Christ making Ignorance the cause of their Pride, teacheth us that Pride is not the first sin, that ever was in the world, as many both Papists and others have thought. True it is, Pride is a great and mother sin, and the cause of many foul iniquities: but yet Ignorance is a mother sin, whereof Pride springeth. The cause why any person swells with pride in himself, is Ignorance of his own natural estate. By this then we are taught to learn to know our own estate, what we are by nature in our selves without Christ, for that is the way to pull down our hearts. For this cause the Prophets of God, used to call men, To a searching of themselves, Zeph. 2.1, when they would bring the people to humility and grace, that men seeing their estate, by reason of their sins to be damnable, might be humbled and caused to forsake themselves, and come unto Christ. And surely till such time as men be humbled for their sins, they will never get sound grace, but be as the proud Pharisee, hypocrites and dissemblers though they have much knowledge. But when a man hath searched his natural estate, then besides knowledge of himself come other most excellent graces, as humility, the fear of God, and true obedience with good conscience. And therefore first of all, let us labour to be acquainted with our own estate in our selves & with our personal sins, & with Gods judgments