17. CHAPTER IV. THE "HOLY SPIRIT" WHICH CAME UPON MARY SIGNIFIES THE DIVINE TRUTH, AND THE "POWER OF THE HIGHEST" WHICH OVERSHADOWED HER SIGNIFIES THE DIVINE GOOD FROM WHICH THE FORMER IS

1. The Holy Spirit is the Divine going forth, thus the Divine Truth teaching, reforming, regenerating, and making alive.

2. This is the Divine Truth, which Jehovah God spoke through the prophets, and which the Lord Himself spoke from His own mouth when He was in the world.

3. This Divine Truth, which also is "the Word", was in the Lord from His birth as a result of His conception. Afterwards it was increased beyond all measure, that is, infinitely, and this is meant by the Spirit of Jehovah having been put upon Him. [Isa. 42:1; Matt. 3:16.]

4. The Spirit of Jehovah is called the Holy Spirit inasmuch as "holy" in the Word is said of Divine Truth. It is because of this that the Lord's human born in Mary is said to be "Holy" (Luke 1); and the Lord Himself is said to be the "Only Holy" (Rev. 15:4); and that others are said to be holy, not from themselves, but from Him.

5. In the Word, Divine Good is termed "the Highest"; and so the "Power of the Highest" [Luke 1:35] signifies Power proceeding from Divine Good.

6. These two things, therefore, "the Holy Spirit coming upon" and "the power of the Highest overshadowing" signify both, namely, Divine Truth and Divine Good-the latter making the soul and the former the body-and their being communicated.

7. Consequently, in the Lord when newly-born those two were distinct, as soul and body are, but afterwards they were united.

8. In the same way as takes place in a man, who is born and afterwards regenerated.