A confession of faith made by common consent of divers reformed churches beyond the…A confession of fayth made by common consent of diuers reformed churches beyonde the…

This holy Church of God, is called the house of the living Lord, built ¹of living and spiritual stones, and sect upon an unmoveable rock, upon such a foundation, that there can none other foundation be laid then it. And in that ²respect, it is also called the pillar, and ground of truth: It erreth not, as long ³as it testeth upon Christ the Rock, and foundation of the Prophets and Apostles. But no marvel if it err, as often as it forsaketh him, who only is the truth. The Church also is called the virgin, and spouse of Christ, and the only and well beloved spouse of Christ: For the Apostle sayeth, I ⁴joined you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ: ⟨p. 50⟩It is also called the flock of sheep, under one shepherd Christ, both in the xxxiiij. Chap. of Ezech. and. x. of John. And it is named Christ his body, because the faithful are the living men bers of Christ, under Christ their head: The head is, that which hath preeminence, and the highest room in the body, giving life to it, and ruling it so in all things, with the vital spirits coming from thence, that it increaseth & groweth thereby. There is also but one head of that body, wherewith it doeth well agree: For the church ⁵can not have any other head then Christ: and as the Church is a spiritual body, so it is meet that it have a spiritual head agreeably. Neither can it be ruled by any other spirit, then by Christ his spirit. Paul writeth: he is the head of the body of the church: He is the beginning; & first borne ⁶of the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence. Again, Christ is the head of the church, and ⁷the same Christ is the saviour of his body: And again he sayeth: Which is ⟨image 95⟩