united to the Divine nature, is called a Lamb, on account of its purity and freedom from evil, which by trials and temptations had been ejected; and also because it was the truth united to Divine good. The Holy Spirit is compared to a Dove, and so called; and, under this appearance, the Divine Operation was seen to descend at the baptism of the Lord by John. "The Holy Spirit descended like a dove, and lighted upon him"—acting as a symbol to instruct us, that when Divine Truth enters the mind, before it can be of use in the church, it must be aided by the Divine Operation or influence. The love of truth must be united with thé love of good.
Under the Mosaic ritual, the dove was a frequent object of sacrifice, shewing that the love of truth for truth's sake must be sanctified by the fire or fervency of Divine love: hence a woman after child-birth brought for her purifying two turtle doves or two young pigeons; thereby figuring that, when the mind has given birth to either good or truth, that affection to which truth gives rise must be sanctified and offered up to the Lord, otherwise the mind will continue in a state of pollution to self-pride and to worldly affections. As the lion denotes the power of truth conjoined with good, and is thus representative of the Lord as the "Lion of the tribe of Judah;" as the lamb denotes the good of innocence, and represents the Divine humanity of the Lord; so the dove denotes the spiritual affection of truth—the love of truth for the sake of benefiting others—or the love of truth derived from good in simplicity and innocence.
