ive golden mice
and a new cart, and on this placed the ark with the golden hemorrhoids
and mice beside it; with two cows that lowed before the cart along the
way, they sent the ark back to the children of Israel and by them cows
and cart were offered in sacrifice (1 Sa 5 and 6).

[12] To state now what all this signified: the Philistines signified
those who are in faith separated from charity; Dagon signified that
religiosity; the hemorrhoids by which they were smitten signified natural
loves which when severed from spiritual love are unclean, and the mice
signified the devastation of the church by falsification of truth. The
new cart on which the Philistines sent back the ark signified a new but
still natural doctrine (chariot in the Word signifies doctrine from
spiritual truths), and the cows signified good natural affections.
Hemorrhoids of gold signified natural loves purified and made good, and
the golden mice signified an end to the devastation of the church by
means of good, for in the Word gold signifies good. The lowing of the
kine on the way signified the difficult conversion of the lusts of evil
of the natural man into good affections. That cows and cart were offered
up as a burnt offering signified that so the Lord was propitiated.

[13] This is how what is told historically is understood spiritually.
Gather all into a single conception and make the application. That those
who are in faith severed from charity are represented by the Philistines,
see _Doctrine of the New Jerusalem about Faith_ (nn. 49-54), and that the
ark was the most holy thing of the church because of the Decalog enclosed
in it, see _Doctrine of Life for the New Jerusalem_ (nn. 53-61).

327. (iii) _Man himself is in fault if he is not saved._ As soon as he
hears it any rational man acknowledges the truth that evil cannot issue
from good nor good from evil, for they are opposites; consequently only
good comes of good and only evil of evil. When this truth is acknowledged
this also is: that good can be turned into evil not by a good but by an
evil recipient; for any form changes into its own nature what flows into
it (see above, n. 292). Inasmuch as the Lord is good in its very essence
or good itself, plainly evil cannot issue from Him or be produced by Him,
but good can be turned into evil by a recipient subject whose form is a
form of evil. Such a subject is man as to his proprium. This constantly
receives good from the Lord and constantl