1 Samuel 13:5

And going up, they camped in Magmas, etc. Magmas, as we have said, signifies humility; Bethaven sounds like the house of an idol, or a useless house. But ascending from their hidden machinations, unclean spirits, either by secretly persuading like a common pedestrian crowd, or like horse riders and charioteers seducing through deceived men, first attempt to take away all the defenses of humility from their conquerors so that, by which they themselves fell from heaven, they insert the plague of pride into human hearts; striving together that whatever useless house of the mind dedicated to themselves they find, camping as if to the east of Bethaven, they block all the rising of true light with their intermediary darkness.

And the remaining crowd, like the sand which is on the shore of the sea, is numerous. For this sand is exposed to the frequent waves of neighbors' vices, and also always unstable and fleeting due to the wind of pride, above which the house constructed without the foundation of the rock of faith collapses when the moment of temptations arrives, and its ruin is great. Not without a specific mystery, the army contrary to virtue is encompassed by the number thirty and a hundred, or even a thousand, which are accustomed to signify the perfection of faith and work. For even Satan transforms himself into an angel of light (II Cor. 11). What wonder, then, if his ministers are transformed as ministers of righteousness? Among such often-transformed deceptions, they also show themselves to be perfect in faith or work. Otherwise, they are included in the number six and do not know how to ascend to the number seven, who, loving only this life which was created in six days, neglect to strive for the future rest. Thirty also, because they figuratively express the wicked, is understood, because the Lord Savior was not only once sold by Judas for thirty pieces of silver, but also is daily sold by many false brethren; for whoever, neglecting the truth of the faith with which they were imbued, subject all their senses of the body to the allurements of this world, as if betraying the Lord for thirty pieces of silver multiplied by five.

7. Above, King Saul is described as having chosen three thousand men for himself. If, therefore, we wish to compare the forces of each army, against each one of Saul's men, ten chariots and two horsemen of the Philistines are assigned. For ten times three thousand is thirty thousand. In the number six as well, three is doubled. By this battle, indeed, both the multitude and the ferocity of hidden enemies is signified. They come against us in chariots and on horses, because they strive to present now evil thoughts to the hearts of the elect, now harmful enticements of visible things to their bodily senses. For horses are swift in running and strong in assault. To these, indeed, evil thoughts are fittingly compared, which come swiftly to the heart and pierce it forcefully. Horsemen come against us in battle when malign spirits both quickly arouse evil thoughts in us and powerfully assail us through them. But two horsemen come against each one of the faithful, because if we gather up the hidden ambushes of reprobate spirits into a general consideration, their special aim is this: namely, to strike at our principal virtue and to utterly extinguish the love of God and of neighbor. One horse is seen to rage when, by a reprobate thought, the malign spirit suggests to us that our neighbor should be held in hatred. But the horse that appears alone is not alone, because no one who hates his brother loves God (1 John 4:20). Likewise, since divine charity agrees with no principal vice in the mind, whenever a spiritual vice is suggested to us by the fraud of demons, we must beware the excessive speed and violent ferocity of raging horsemen. In comparison with a horseman, the blow of an archer or foot soldier is altogether feeble. But the charge of a horseman is violent with the strength of the horse, because indeed the power of the malign spirit is nothing in the contest of the elect if he is not permitted to sit upon an evil thought. Because, therefore, our enemies are exceedingly strong in battle when they are permitted to mount upon interior thoughts, a throng of horsemen is counted in the Philistine army. Ten chariots, moreover, are assigned against each elect one in battle. For we have five bodily senses through which we receive the experience of pleasure. But malign spirits, when they eagerly seek to deceive the mind through the enticements of the flesh, display…