8011. 'And shall be as if a native of the land' means that he shall be received as one who is in possession of that truth and good and who has been purified from filthy kinds of love. This is clear from the meaning of 'a native of the land' as one who was born within the Church and is in possession of its truth and good, consequently one who has been purified from filthy kinds of love. The expression 'a native of the land' is used because 'the land' means the Church. For the meaning of 'the land' in the Word as the Church, see 566, 662, 1066, 1067, 1262, 1413, 1607, 1733, 1850, 2117, 2118, 2571, 2928, 3355, 4447, 4535, 5577. And the reason why 'the land' means the Church is that in the Word 'the land' refers to the land of Canaan, and 'the land of Canaan' means the Lord's kingdom and the Church, 1413, 1477, 1585, 1607, 1866, 3038, 3481, 3686, 3705, 4116, 4240, 4447, 4454, 4516, 4517, 5136, 5757, 6516. No land that is mentioned in the Word is taken by angels to mean that land but the nation inhabiting it. And in taking it to mean the nation they understand the character of that nation on the spiritual level, that is, in regard to things of the Church. It is well known that the idea of a nation's character comes to mind when a land is mentioned; for this is also what happens with a person, and especially with angels, who think in a spiritual manner about everything natural.

4517. 'To the Canaanite and the Perizzite' means those who are governed by good and truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'the Canaanite' here as those who are governed by the good of the Church, and 'the Perizzite' those who are governed by the truth of the Church. Canaanite and Perizzite have these meanings because the Ancient Church continued to exist in that land among those people, as stated just above in 4516. For in that land there were people who belonged to the Most Ancient Church, see 4447, 4454. There were also those who belonged to the Ancient Church, in particular the one called the Hebrew Church, which was why people from the land of Canaan were in general called the Hebrews, Genesis 40:15, and had altars and offered sacrifices, and why after they had become idolaters the command was frequently given for their altars to be destroyed. Therefore so long as the Church or something like the Church remained with them 'the Canaanites' meant the good of the Church and 'the Perizzites' the truth of the Church. But once everything of the Church with these had reached its end 'Canaanite' means evil and 'Perizzite' falsify, 1573, 1574.