r. It is well
known in Christendom that faith apart from charity does so; see _Doctrine
of the New Jerusalem about Faith._

[2] The curse on Cain portends the spiritual state into which those come
after death who separate faith from charity or wisdom from love. But lest
wisdom or faith should perish, a mark was put on Cain lest he be slain,
for love cannot exist without wisdom, nor charity without faith. As
almost the same thing is represented by this as by eating of the tree of
knowledge, it follows next after the account of Adam and his wife.
Moreover, those in faith separate from charity are in intelligence of
their own; those who are in charity and thence in faith are in
intelligence from the Lord, thus in divine providence.

243. _The Israelites worshiped a golden calf in the wilderness and
acknowledged it as the god that had brought them out of Egypt, yet
Jehovah saw this from Mt. Sinai near by and did not warn against it._
This occurred in the desert of Sinai near the mountain. It is in
accordance with all the laws of divine providence recounted so far and
with those to follow that Jehovah did not restrain the Israelites from
that atrocious worship. This evil was permitted them that they might not
all perish. For the children of Israel were brought out of Egypt to
represent the Lord's church; they could not represent it unless the
Egyptian idolatry was first rooted out of their hearts. This could not be
done unless it was left to them to act upon what was in their hearts and
then to remove it on being severely punished. What further is signified
by that worship, by the threat that they would be entirely rejected, and
by the possibility that a new nation might be raised from Moses, may be
seen in _Arcana Caelestia_ on Exodus 32, where these things are spoken
of.

244. _David numbered the people and as a consequence a pestilence befell
them in which so many thousands of them perished; God sent the prophet
Gad to him not before but after the deed and denounced punishment._ One
who confirms himself against divine providence may have various thoughts
about this also and ponder especially why David was not admonished first
and why the people were so severely punished for the king's
transgression. That he was not warned first is in accord with the laws of
divine providence already adduced, especially with the two explained at
nn. 129-153 and 154-174. The people were so severely punished for the
king's transgression a