there nothing (though al, or most chanced to them in figure) that euer more aptly, more liuely, or more exactly prefigured Christ and his Church, with the rest of al mankind, then did Noe and the arke, & the drowning of the rest of the world in that deluge. Which S. Augustin declareth in many places, but most especially and of purpose in his twelfth booke against Faustus the Manichee, from the 14. chapter to the 22. and in his fifteenth booke of the citie of God, in the two last chapters: where he sheweth at large both the certaintie of the historie, and that as certainely it was a figure of things in the new Testament, and withal the great congruitie betwen the figure & the things figured. The same did Origen explicate (homil. 2. in Gen.) S. Gregorie (homil 12. in Ezech.) Rupertus (li. 4. comment. in Gen. c. 71. & sequent.) and diuers other ancient Doctors, confirming their expositions by S. Peters testimonie, saying: In the arke a few, that is eight soules (or persons) were saued (from drowning) by water, wherunto Baptisme being of the like forme now saueth you also. And by our Sauiours wordes saying: As in the dayes of Noe, so shal also the comming of the sonne of man be. In summe the Doctors teach, that Noe signifying rest was a figure of Christ, the very rest of mans soule. Whom who soeuer foloweth shal find rest for their soules. The arke signifieth the Church, the forme therof being six times so long as broad, and tenne times so long as hiegh, resembleth the proportion of mans bodie, lying prone or prostrate. The dore in the side representeth the wound in Christs side, from whence flowed the holie Sacraments, by which the faithful enter into the Church, and are sanctified. The timber wherof the arke is made, & the water bearing it vp, signified the Crosse of Christ and Baptisme. For as Noe (saith S Augustin) with his, was deliuered by the water and the woode, so the familie of Christ, by Baptisme signed with Christs Passion on the Crosse. Likewise the squarnes of the timber which both sustayned the burden of al contayned in the arke, and resisted the boystrous waues of the floud beating without, did signifie such men in the Church, as be constant & stand firmly in al sortes of tentations: especially godlie & lerned Doctors and Pastors, who by worde and example vphold and confirme the faithful people in al afflictions within, and withstand and conuince al Heretikes, and other Infidels that oppugne the Church without. Againe the hiegher & lower rowmes with the midle chambers & third loftes, & other distinctions of cabinets, and partitions, and al sortes of liuing creatures cleane and vncleane, receiued therin, did signifie the varieties of al states & functions, and diuersitie of maners and merites in the Church, in which are persons of al degrees, Clergie and Laitie, Potentates, Princes, subiectes, good and euil. The most strong kind of glew called bitumen, signified the permanent or euerlasting stabilitie, and vnseparable connexion of the Church, by the grace and continual assistance of the Holie Ghost conseruing the same. The consummation of the arke in one cubite signified the vnitie of the same Church, which is one in al times, and places. Neither would God almightie haue manie arkes, for Noe and his sonnes or other creatures, nor manie chiefe rulers (though he would that of them should come manie Nations) but one only arke, and one chiefe gouernour therof, and that al without the same should corporally dye, to signifie that al which dye without the Church do perish, and are eternally damned. wherupon S. Hierom, amongst other Fathers, sheweth that al within the Church, that communicate with the Sea Apostolique (wherin S. Damasus sate then gouernour) are as those in the arke of Noe, and al Schismatikes, Heretikes and other Infidels are in like case, with the rest of the world, that were drowned with the floud.
The end of the first age.
