wood; but when her services were needed no longer, she yielded to the suggestion of instinct, and waited in the forest, the liberation of her mate. This last circumstance was intended to satisfy Noah, that the earth was now ready to receive him and his family, and all the creatures that he had with him in the ark. In these incidents, we can easily discover a wisdom and prudence, far superior to the inspiration of instinct; we discern the finger of God, regulating all the motions of this animal in favour of Noah, and the hopes of a reviving world.

It is extremely probable, she found the olive leaf, the symbol of peace, on the declivities of Ararat, and did not need, as Bochart supposes, to visit the distant hills of Assyria; for in succeeding ages, geopraphers assure us, the lower regions of that lofty chain were adorned with numerous groves of olive trees, many of which might have éxisted at the time of the deluge.

- Some have asked how the olive could remain so long verdant under the waters; but the answer is easy: the sacred writer only states the return of the dove with the olive leaf in her mouth, but says nothing of its freshness and verdure. It is however asserted by the ancients, that the olive is one of those trees, which not only lives, but even flourishes under the water, and never sheds its leaves." Hence, that line of the poet :

.

66 ramum semper frondentis oliva." The leaf is so very strong and durable, and particularly resists so long the action of water, that it was in ancient times often employed by the orientals, to cover the roofs of their habitations. A leaf of this texture must have been easily found adhering to its parent tree, in spite of the stormy tempest and the raging billow.

n

Plin. Nat. Hist. lib. xiii, cap. 25. Strabo, lib. xvi. Diodor. lib. iii. VOL. II.

X

T

ώσει

The dove is also supposed by some writers, to be the proper emblem of the Holy Spirit, when he descended upon the Saviour at his baptism. In the gospel according to Luke, the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape, like a dove upon him. As the dove brought intelligence to Noah of approaching deliverance; so did the Holy Spirit, at the baptism of Christ, announce the spirtual restoration of perishing sinners, by the obedience and death of the Redeemer. For this reason, many have supposed, that the third person of trinity on that occasion, assumed the real figure of a dove; but the sacred writer seems to refer, not to the shape, but to the manner in which the dove descends from the sky. Had it related to the shape or form, it would not have been ru igiga, as a dove; but gigas, as of a dove. In this manner, the likeness of fire is expressed by the same evangelist, in the Acts of the apostles: "There appeared cloven tongues (ru Tugos) as of fire." The meaning of the clause therefore is, that as a dove hovers on the wing, and overshadows the place upon which she intends to perch, so did the Holy Spirit, in the form of a luminous cloud, like the Schechinah which rested on the tabernacle, gradually descend, hovering, and overshadowing the Saviour as he came up from the water.o This exposition refutes another opinion, which was entertained by many of the ancients, that it was a real dove which alighted upon the head of our Lord; for if the sacred writer describes only the manner of descending, neither the form nor the real presence of a dove can be admitted. But although the evangelist alludes only to the manner in which that bird descends from the wing, he clearly recognizes her as the chosen emblem of the Holy Spirit, the messenger of peace and joy to sinful and miser• See Whitby in loc.

able men. He descends from the Father," to lead his people unto all truth," to "teach them all things" neces→ sary to their salvation, " to help their infirmities, and make intercession for them, with groanings which cannot be uttered." It may be truly said of him, that he is without gall; for "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, tem, perance." These precious dispositions, the Spirit of God infuses into the hearts of all genuine believers, although they exist in a much higher degree, and shine with a far superior lustre, in the spotless humanity of Christ. The Father anointed him with the oil of gladness above his fellows; "he is fairer than the children of men;"" he is altogether lovely.”

The Turtle.

The form and manners of this bird, so nearly resemble those of a pigeon, that a particular account of her is unnecessary. They are only different species of the same family, and exhibit the same general character, although they differ in some important particulars, to which the sacred writers occasionally refer. The voice of the turtle is hoarse and plaintive, and heard so frequently in the grove, that it has brought upon her the reproach of troublesome loquacity." Still it is pleasing to the ear of the husband. man and the musing wanderer, because it announces the arrival of spring, a season so dear to every creature possessed of life and sensibility. The following allusion to the plaintive harbinger of the reviving year, is exquisitely beautiful:"Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away; for, lo! the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth, the time of the singing of * John xvi, 13. Rom. viii, 26. 4 Gal. v, 22. Bochart. Hieroz. lib. i, p. 54. Elian de Nat. Animal. lib. xii, c. 10.

birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land." By the turtle in this invitation, the Hebrew writers understand the Holy Spirit; and the Chaldee paraphrast thus interprets the words: Ye have now heard the voice of the Holy Spirit, that is, the deliverance which I promised to your father Abraham. In a succeeding age, the prophet Jeremiah alludes to the annual migration of this bird: "The turtle, the crane, and the swallow, observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the Lord." She differs in this respect from the rest of her family, which are all stationary. The fact to which the prophet alludes, is attested by Aristotle, in these words: "The pigeon and the dove are always present, but the turtle only in summer; for she is not seen in the winter ;"" and in another part of his work, he asserts, that the dove remains, while the turtle migrates. The statement of the Grecian sage, is supported by Varro and other ancient writers of Greece and Rome;" but Pliny and others are of opinion, that the turtle rather conceals herself during the winter, than departs in search of a milder clime;" and Aristotle himself, does not refuse that some turtles may remain behind in the warmer parts of Greece. But the concealment of the turtle during the winter, is not supported by any proof; it is therefore a gratuitous supposition, which cannot invalidate the authority of the prophet, nor the decided testimony of so many writers of antiquity, confirmed by the most eminent natural historians of modern times.x

It has already been obversed, that the turtle dove never admits a second mate, but lingers out her life in sorrowful

* Buffon's Nat. Hist. vol. i, p. 488.

▾ Varro de Re Rust. lib. iii, cap. 5, et Cicero de Finibus.

w Nat. Hist, lib. x, c. 24.

widowhood.

To this remarkable circumstance, these words of David are by many thought to refer: "O de liver not the soul of thy turtle dove unto the multitude of the wicked; forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever." As the turtle cleaves to her mate with unshaken fidelity, so these interpreters say, had Israel adhered to their God. But it is well known that God's ancient people were a stiff-necked and rebellious race, equally fickle and perfidious, and discovering on almost every occasion a most violent and unreasonable inclination to the worship of heathen deities. It is, therefore, more natural to suppose, that the holy Psalmist, by this term, alludes to the weak and helpless state of his people, that like the turtle had neither power nor inclination to resist their numerous enemies. The dove is a harmless and simple creature, equally destitute of skill and courage for the combat; and the turtle is the smallest of the family. She is therefore a most proper emblem of the national imbecility into which the people of Israel had sunk, in consequence of their numerous iniquities, with which they had long pro voked the God of their fathers. They who were the terror of surrounding nations, while they feared the Lord and kept his commandments, whom God himselfinstructed in the art of war, and led to certain victory, had by their folly, become the scorn of their neighbours, and an easy prey to every invader.

The Swallow.

This bird is more than once joined with the turtle, in the holy Scriptures; and may, therefore, be properly introduced in this place : but, except in the circumstance of annual migration, she is exceedingly different in disposi

y Psa. lxxiv, 19.