AE 700 - the Philistines and the travels of the Ark

AE 700 [20, 26, 27]

The Philistines represented, and thence signified,
those who make no account of the good of love and charity,
and thus no account of the good of life;
placing everything of religion in knowledge and cognition;
therefore they were like those at the present day
who make faith alone, that is, faith separated from charity,
the essential of the church and the essential of salvation.
This is why they were called "the uncircumcised,"
for to be uncircumcised signifies
to be destitute of spiritual love, thus of good;
and because they had reference to those within the church
they were not spiritual, but merely natural,
since he who makes no account
of the good of charity and of life
becomes merely natural, and even sensual,
loving only worldly things,
and is unable to understand any truths spiritually,
and the truths he apprehends naturally
he either falsifies or defiles.
Such are they who are meant in the Word by the "Philistines."
Thence it is evident why
the Philistines so frequently fought with the sons of Israel,
and that sometimes the Philistines conquered,
and sometimes the sons of Israel.
The Philistines conquered
when the sons of Israel departed from
the statutes and precepts in not doing them;
but when the sons of Israel lived according to these
they conquered.
To live according to the precepts and statutes
was their good of love and good of life.

. . . the transference of the ark
represented the progress of the church with man,
from its ultimate to its inmost,
as from one heaven into another,
even to the highest, which is the third heaven.
"Baal-Judah," where Abinadab was,
signified the ultimate of the church,
which is called its natural,
for this was represented by "Gibeah,"
where "Baal-Judah" was.
But "Gath," where Obed-edom was,
who was therefore called a Gittite,
signified the spiritual of the church;
and this signification it took on
after the sons of Israel had taken from the Philistines
the cities from Ekron even to Gath (1 Sam. 7:13-15);
while "Zion," where David was,
signified the inmost of the church,
which is called its celestial.

From this it is evident that the transference of the ark
signified the progress of the church with man
from its ultimate to its inmost;
and this because such progressions
are effected by means of Divine truth,
which was signified by the ark;
for the man of the church progresses
from the natural to the spiritual,
and through that to the celestial,
and this continually from the Lord
by means of His Divine truth;
the natural is the good of life,
the spiritual is the good of charity toward the neighbor,
and the celestial is the good of love to the Lord.
As the goods of the three heavens have a like progression,
so the ascent through them in their order is also represented.