1 Samuel 13:17

And three companies went out to pillage from the camps of the Philistines, etc. And everyone who legitimately fights in her camps feels that the Church is daily tested by these three companies. For three companies go out to pillage from the camps of the Philistines when impure spirits attempt to assault the guard of our inner man, either his rational part, or his irascible part, or his concupiscible part, trying to strip them of the riches of virtues, whether individually in each of them or all in one. To these parts, indeed, also correspond the names of those places and the said companies that went out. The way of Ephrath, which means the growing one, against which the first company marched, is the concupiscible part of the soul; rightly named thus, because it never ceases seeking increase; indeed, of good things, if it is ruled by Israel, that is, by the soul that longs for uprightness and the vision of God; but of evil things, if setting itself against the laws, it is ravaged by the wickedness of vices and unclean spirits. And it is fitting that when speaking of the first company, he said, "It marched against the way of Ephrath," he added, "to the land of Saul"; for the first and indeed greatest aim of the wicked spirits is to turn the leaders themselves of the holy struggle away from the undertakings of virtues by the concupiscence either of the soul or of the flesh; so that from the deprivation of the leaders of justice, the wicked contagion may more freely spread among the unsuspecting people. The road to Bethoron, which means the house of wrath, to which the second company was heading, indicates even by its name the passion of the mind it signifies. This house was well governed by the Israelite owner when that exceedingly meek man, who was more meek than all the men who dwelt on the land, left Pharaoh, being greatly angered, to liberate the people of God. The Philistine, however, was plundered, when Cain, who was of the evil one, greatly angered by the righteousness of his good brother, was provoked to such an extent that by his wrath he broke the first laws of brotherhood through murder. The valley of Seboim, which means of the roes or the deer, to which the third company turned, figuratively announces the rational insight of the mind. For these animals are said to excel in keen sight; hence they are also called Dorcades by the Greeks from keen…

28. What does it mean that the Philistines form three companies, except that evil spirits strive to introduce wicked things into our heart, tongue, and deed? For since every sin is committed by thinking, or speaking, or doing, the three companies of the Philistines signify this: that evil spirits are eager to drive souls to sin through negligence of the heart, unbridledness of the mouth, and boldness of perverse deed. Hence the first company is said to advance against the way of Ephraim, because they begin by assaulting innocence from the heart. For the way of Ephraim, that is, of the fruitful heart, is good thought. Against the way of Ephraim, therefore, the first company of the Philistines advances, because the hidden adversaries, if they do not first remove the practice of good thought from the mind, cannot succeed in uprooting the fruits of its virtues. They come therefore against the way of Ephraim when they lay ambush against good thought, by which way it is said to lead to the land of Saul. For what else is the mind of the chosen disciple but the very fruitful land of the teacher? Hence the Lord also, explaining the parable of the seeds in the Gospel, says: "That which fell on good ground, these are they who receive the word in a good and excellent heart, and bring forth fruit with patience" (Luke 8:15). It is said therefore of the first company of the Philistines, "They advanced against the way of Ephraim," so that while we grasp the spiritual sense of the text, we may block the entrance of evil spirits to our thoughts. But while we fortify the heart, we are compelled equally to restrain the tongue from superfluous speech. Hence the second company is said to enter by the way of Beth-horon; for Beth-horon is interpreted as "house of wrath." The house of wrath is the mind that serves the use of a quarrelsome tongue. This house that wise man certainly suggests, who says: "Anger rests in the bosom of a fool" (Ecclesiastes 7:9). Through this indeed enemies enter the heart of the fool, because evil spirits, while they loose the tongue to unbridled words, kindle wrath and strike at the mutual charity of the faithful. He therefore who has learned to guard against harmful thoughts, if he does not know how to keep watch over his mouth, has overcome the assault of one company but has not escaped that of another. The third company turned itself toward the way…