203# 欲见对应之学曾久存于亚洲诸外邦，尤在其所谓占卜者、智者，以及某些人称为术士者之间，今可举撒母耳记上第五、六章一例以明之。
经中记载：约柜——其中存有镌刻十诫的两块石版——曾为非利士人所掳，并被置于亚实突的大衮庙中；大衮在约柜前仆倒在地，后来其头与两手掌脱离身体，落在庙的门槛上。又记载：亚实突人与以革伦人因约柜之故，数千人受痔疮之灾，其地亦被老鼠毁坏。于是，非利士人召集其首领与占卜者；为避免自身灭亡，便议定造五个金痔疮、五只金老鼠，另备一辆新车，将约柜置于其上，并将金痔疮与金老鼠置于旁边；又以两头母牛驾车，使其在车前沿路鸣叫，将约柜送还以色列子孙。其后，以色列人将母牛与车献为祭，如此，以色列的神便得以平息。
凡此种种，皆为非利士占卜者所设计之对应；此由其意义可以看明：“非利士人”本身表示那些处于与仁义分离之信的人；“大衮”代表此种宗教形式；他们所受的“痔疮”表示属世之爱，此等爱若与属灵之爱分离，便是不洁的；“老鼠”表示教会因真理被歪曲而遭荒废；“新车”表示教会的属世教义，因为圣言中的“车”表示出于属灵真理的教义；“母牛”表示良善的属世情感；“金痔疮”表示属世之爱经过洁净而成为良善；“金老鼠”表示教会的荒废藉良善而被除去，因为圣言中的“金”表示良善；“母牛在路上鸣叫”表示属世人的恶之欲望转化为良善情感乃为艰难；母牛连同车被献为燔祭，则表示以色列的神由此得以平息。
故非利士人依其占卜者劝导所行的这一切，无一不是对应。由此可见，此学曾长期保存于外邦人中。
203# 为了说明对应的知识曾长期被保存在亚洲或中东的外邦民族中，尽管是在那些被称为占卜者和智者，以及被一些人称为博士的人当中，我将从撒母耳记上第5章和第6章中举一个例子。那里提到，装有两块上面刻着十诫的石版的柜子被非利士人掳去，放在亚实突的大衮庙中，那大衮在约柜前仆倒在地，后来他的头和手掌从身体上折断，躺在庙的门槛上；亚实突人和以革伦人因约柜的缘故，有成千上万人生了痔疮，他们的田地被老鼠荒废；因此，非利士人把祭司和占卜的召集起来；为了推迟这种毁灭，或即将到来的死亡，他们决定制造五个金痔疮和五个金老鼠，并一辆新车，把约柜放在车上，把金痔疮和金老鼠放在柜旁；两头母牛拉着车一路上哞哞叫着，把它送回到以色列人那里，以色列人将母牛和车都献了祭；这样，以色列的神被安抚了。非利士人的占卜者所想出的这一切都是对应，这一点从它们的含义明显看出来，含义如下：“非利士人”自己表示那些处于与仁分离之信的人；“大衮”代表这种宗教形式；他们所生的“痔疮”表示属世之爱，当与属灵之爱分离时，属世之爱是不洁的；“老鼠”表示对真理的歪曲对教会的毁坏；“新车”表示教会的属世教义，因为在圣言中，“车”表示源于属灵真理的教义；“母牛”表示良善的属世情感；“金痔疮”表示被洁净并变得良善的属世之爱；“金老鼠”表示通过良善被移除的教会的荒废，因为在圣言中，“金”表示良善；“母牛在路上哞哞叫”表示属世人的邪恶欲望转化为良善情感的艰难；“将母牛和车一起献为燔祭”表示通过这种方式，以色列的神被安抚了。非利士人根据占卜者的建议所做的这一切都是对应。由此清楚可知，对应的知识曾长期被保存在外邦民族或教会之外的人中。
203. I wish to bring out an example from 1 Samuel chapters 5 and 6 so you can see that the study of correspondences was long preserved among the nations in the Middle East, particularly among those who were called the diviners and the wise ones, referred to by some as the magi.
This passage mentions that the ark containing the two tablets with the Ten Commandments written on them was captured by the Philistines. It was placed in the shrine of Dagon in Ashdod. On the first day, Dagon fell before it to the ground. On the next day, Dagons head as well as the palms of its hands lay severed from its body across the threshold of the shrine. Because of the ark, as many as several thousand inhabitants of Ashdod and Ekron were afflicted with hemorrhoids and their land was devastated by rats. The Philistines therefore called together their provincial governors and diviners. To stave off impending death, they decided that they should make five hemorrhoids and five rats out of gold, and make a new cart and put the ark on it. They would send the ark back to the children of Israel on this cart, pulled by two cows that would bellow all the way, and the children of Israel would sacrifice the cows and the cart. If the Philistines accomplished this, the God of Israel would be appeased.
The meaning of these details clearly shows that everything the Philistine diviners thought of was a correspondence. The Philistines themselves meant people who have faith but lack goodwill. Dagon was a portrayal of their religion. The hemorrhoids that afflicted them meant earthly loves that become unclean when separated from spiritual love. The rats meant the devastation of the church by people falsifying the truth. The new cart meant the earthly teaching of the church. (A chariot or carriage in the Word means teachings that are based on spiritual truths.) The cows meant earthly feelings that are good. The hemorrhoids made of gold meant earthly loves that have been purified and have become good. The golden rats meant goodness remedying the devastation of the church, since gold in the Word means goodness. The bellowing of the cows along the way meant the difficulty of turning the lower self's cravings for evil into desires for goodness. The offering of the cows and the cart as a burnt offering meant that by these spiritual actions the God of Israel would be appeased.
All these actions that the Philistines undertook on the recommendation of their diviners were correspondences. This clearly shows that the study of correspondences was preserved for a long time among people outside the church.
203. To show that the science of correspondences was long preserved among the nations of Asia, by those who were called soothsayers and wise men, in some cases scorcerers, I should like to quote one example from 1 Samuel, chapters 5-6. There is there a description of how the Ark containing the two tables on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed was captured by the Philistines and placed in the shrine of Dagon in Ashdod. Dagon fell to the ground in the presence of the Ark, and later his head torn from the body, together with the palms of his hands, was found lying on the threshold of the shrine. On account of the Ark the people of Ashdod and of Ekron to the number of several thousand were smitten with haemorrhoids, and their territory was laid waste by rats. Consequently the Philistines summoned satraps 1 and soothsayers, and as a remedy for their plague they decreed that they were to make five models of haemorrhoids and five models of rats out of gold, and a new wagon, and to put the Ark upon it, with the gold haemorrhoids and rats next to it. Then the Ark was to be sent back to the Children of Israel pulled by two cows, which lowed on the way before the wagon. The Children of Israel sacrificed the cows and the wagon, and by this the God of Israel was propitiated.
[2] It is clear from their meaning that all these details were thought up by the Philistines' soothsayers as correspondences. The meanings are as follows. The Philistines themselves mean those whose faith is separated from charity; Dagon symbolised their religion. The haemorrhoids with which they were smitten meant natural loves, which, when separated from spiritual love, are unclean. The rats meant the wasting of the church by falsifying truth. The new wagon meant the natural teaching of the church, for a vehicle in the Word means teaching derived from spiritual truths. The cows meant natural good affections. The haemorrhoids made of gold meant natural loves which have been purified and made good. The rats made of gold meant the wasting of the church being removed by good, since gold in the Word means good. The lowing of the cows on the way meant the difficult transformation of the evil longings of the natural man into good affections. The cows together with the wagon being sacrificed as a burnt-offering meant that the God of Israel was by this propitiated. All these things which the Philistines did on the advice of their soothsayers were correspondences; and this shows plainly that the science of correspondences was long preserved among the gentiles.
Footnotes:
1. 'Priests' in most versions of the Bible.
203. To show that a knowledge of correspondences was long preserved among the nations of Asia, although among those called diviners and sages, and by some Magi, I will present one example from 1 Samuel 5, 6. It is there recorded that the ark containing the two tables on which the Decalogue was written was captured by the Philistines and placed in the temple of Dagon at Ashdod, and that Dagon fell to the ground before it, and afterwards his head and the palms of his hands, severed from his body, lay upon the threshold of the temple; also that on account of the ark the men of Ashdod and Ekron were smitten by thousands with tumors and their land laid waste by mice, and that therefore the Philistines called together their lords and diviners; and to stay this destruction they determined to make five tumors of gold and five golden mice and a new cart, and upon the cart to place the ark, and beside it the golden tumors and mice; and by two cows, which lowed on the way before the cart, to send it back to the children of Israel, by whom the cows and the cart were offered in sacrifice; and thus the God of Israel was propitiated. That all these things studied out by the diviners of the Philistines were correspondences is evident from their signification, which is as follows:
"The Philistines" themselves signified those who are in faith separate from charity; "Dagon" represented that religion; "the tumors" with which they were smitten, signified natural loves, which when separated from spiritual love are unclean; "the mice" signified the devastation of the church by falsifications of truth; "the new cart" signified natural doctrine of the church (as doctrine from spiritual truths is signified in the Word by "a chariot"); "the cows" signified good natural affections; "the golden tumors" signified natural loves purified and made good; "the golden mice" signified the vastation of the church removed by means of good ("gold" in the Word signifying good); "the lowing of the cows in the way" signified the difficult conversion of the natural man's lust of evil to good affections; the offering of the cows together with the cart as a burnt offering, signified that thus the God of Israel was propitiated. All these things which the Philistines did by the advice of their diviners were correspondences from which it is clear that that knowledge was long preserved among the nations.
203. To show that a knowledge of correspondences was long preserved among the Gentile nations of Asia, albeit with those called diviners and wise men, and by some, Magi, I will give an example from 1 Samuel 5 and 6 It is there related that the Ark, containing the two tables on which were written the Ten Commandments, taken by the Philistines and placed in the temple of Dagon in Ashdod. Dagon fell to the ground before it, and later his head with the palms of his hands torn from his body, lay on the threshold of the temple. On account of the Ark the people of Ashdod and Ekron, to the number of many thousands, were smitten with emerods, and their land laid waste by mice. The Philistines therefore called together their lords and their diviners; and in order to prevent their destruction, they resolved to make five golden emerods and five golden mice, and a new cart; and to place upon it the Ark, with the golden emerods and mice beside it; and drawn by two cows, which lowed in the way before the cart, to send it back to the Children of Israel. By these the cows and the cart were offered up in sacrifice; and in this way the God of Israel was propitiated.
All these things which the diviners of the Philistines decided upon were correspondences, as is evident from their signification, which is as follows. The Philistines themselves signified those who are in faith separated from charity; and Dagon represented that form of religion. The emerods, with which they were smitten, signified natural loves, and these, if separated from spiritual love, are unclean; and mice signified the devastation of the Church by falsifications of truth. The new cart signified the natural doctrine of the Church; for a cart in the Word signifies doctrine derived from spiritual truths. The cows signified good natural affections; the golden emerods signified natural loves purified and rendered good; and the golden mice signified the vastation of the Church brought to an end by means of good, for gold in the Word signifies good. The lowing of the cows in the way signified the difficulty of converting the lusts of evil in the natural man into good affections. The offering up of the cows and the cart as a burnt-offering signified that in this way the God of Israel was propitiated. All these things which the Philistines did on the advice of their diviners were correspondences, and from this it is clear that a knowledge of correspondences was long preserved among the Gentiles.
203. Ut videri possit, quod Scientia Correspondentiarum diu conservata fuerit apud Gentes in Asia, sed apud illos qui vocabantur Divinatores et Sapientes, et a quibusdam Magi, adducere volo Unum Exemplum ex 1 Samuelis 5 et 6 Ibi memoratur, quod Arca, in qua binae Tabulae, quibus inscriptus erat Decalogus, fuerunt, a Philisthaeis capta sit, et posita in Fano Dagonis in Aschdodo, et quod Dagon coram illa in terram deciderit, et postea Caput ejus cum volis manuum a corpore divulsum super limine Fani jaceret, et quod Aschdodaei et Ekronitae propter Arcam percussi sint haemorrhoidibus ad plura millia, et quod Terra illorum devastata sit a muribus: et quod Philisthaei propterea convocaverint Satrapas et Divinatores, et quod ad obviam eundum interitui illorum, concluserint quod facerent quinque Haemorrhoides, et quinque Mures ex auro, ac Plaustrum novum, et super hoc ponerent Arcam, et juxta illam haemorrhoides et mures ex auro, et per binas Vaccas, quae boabant in via ante Plaustrum, Arcam ad Filios Israelis remitterent, a quibus Vaccae et Plaustrum sacrificabantur, et sic Deus Israelis propitiatus est.
[2] Quod omnia haec a Divinatoribus Philisthaeorum excogitata fuerint Correspondentiae, constat ex significatione illorum, quae haec est; ipsi Philisthaei significabant illos qui in fide separata a charitate sunt; Dagon repraesentabat Religiosum illud; Haemorrhoides, quibus percussi sunt, significabant amores naturales, qui separati ab amore spirituali immundi sunt; ac Mures significabant devastationem Ecclesiae per falsificationes veri; Plaustrum novum significabat Doctrinam Ecclesiae naturalem; nam Currus in Verbo doctrinam ex veris spiritualibus; Vaccae significabant Affectiones bonas naturales; haemorrhoides ex auro significabant amores naturales purificatos et factos bonos; Mures ex auro, significabant vastationem Ecclesiae per bonum sublatam; Aurum enim in Verbo significat bonum; Vaccarum boatio in via significabat difficilem conversionem concupiscentiarum mali naturalis hominis in affectiones bonas; quod Vaccae cum Plaustro in holocaustum oblatae sint, significabat quod sic Deus Israelis propitiatus sit. Haec omnia, quae Philisthaei ex Suasu Divinatorum suorum fecerunt, fuerunt Correspondentiae; ex quibus patet, quod Scientia illa apud gentes diu conservata fuerit.