The Second Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians

Thus, brethren, if we do the will of our Father,[*](The preexistent Church) God, we shall belong to the first Church, the spiritual one which was created before the sun and moon; but if we do not the will of the Lord, we shall fall under the scripture, which says, My house became a den of brigands. Therefore let us choose to belong to the Church of life, that we may win salvation.

Now I imagine that you are not ignorant that the living Church is the body of Christ. For the scripture says, God made man male and female; the male is Christ, the female is the Church. And moreover the books and the Apostles declare that the Church belongs not to the present, but has existed from the beginning; for she was spiritual, as was also our Jesus, but he was made manifest in the last days that he might save us;[*](The translation she was made . . . that she might save us is grammatically more probable, but seems to be excluded both by the context and by the history of doctrine.)

and the Church, which is spiritual, was made manifest in the flesh of Christ, showing us that if any of us guard her in the flesh without corruption, he shall receive her back again in the Holy Spirit.

Now if we say that the flesh is the Church, and the Spirit is Christ, of course he who has abused the flesh, has abused the Church. Such a one therefore will not receive the Spirit, which is Christ.

So great a gift of life and immortality has this flesh the power to receive, if the Holy Spirit be joined to it, nor can any man express or speak of the things which the Lord hath prepared for his elect.