3164. 'And the servant brought out vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and garments' means truth and good, and the adornment of these. This is clear from the meaning in the internal sense of 'vessels of silver, vessels of gold, and garments' - 'silver' meaning truth, see 1551, 2048, and 'gold' good, 113, 1551, 1552. The words 'vessels of silver and vessels of gold' are used because they have reference to the affection for truth, meant here by 'Rebekah'. Indeed regarded in itself truth is nothing else than a vessel or recipient of good, 1496, 1832, 1900, 2063, 2261, 2269, 3068. Specifically, by 'vessels of silver' facts are meant since facts are the recipients of truth, and by 'vessels of gold' truths are meant because truths are the recipients of good. But as for 'garments' meaning adornment, this may be seen without explanation.

[2] In ancient times such things used to be given to a virgin at her betrothal. They were given to her because of the representation and the meaningful sign which denoted that 'a betrothed virgin' corresponded to the truth of the Church that was to be joined to good. This also is how the Ancient Church in its earliest days is described in Ezekiel,

When it was the time for falling in love, I clothed you with embroidered cloth, swathed you in fine linen, and covered you with silk, and I adorned you with ornaments, and put bracelets on your hands and a chain on your neck, and I put a jewel on your nose, and earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus were you adorned with gold and silver, and your garments were fine linen, and silk, and embroidered cloth. Ezekiel 16:8-13.

And when the same Church had departed from truth and good it is described in that chapter as follows,

You took some of your garments and made for yourself gaily-decked high places. And for your adornment you took vessels made of My gold and of My silver, which I had given you, and you made for yourselves figures of the male. And you took your embroidered garments and covered them. Ezekiel 16:16-18.

From these places it is quite evident that 'silver, gold, and garments' means nothing else than things that are the Church's, that is to say, truth and good, and things that belong to truth and good.

3020. 'Who administered all that he had' means the functions of the natural man. This is clear from the meaning of 'administering', and in particular of 'administering all things', as performing functions or duties. The relationship of the natural man to the rational, or what amounts to the same, of the external man to the internal, is like that of one who administers in a house, see 1795. All things in man are like one house, that is, one family, for there is one who has the duty to be head of the family, and others who have the duty of servants. The rational mind itself is the one that organizes everything, like the head of the family, and by influx brings order into the natural mind. The natural mind however is one that serves and administers. And because the natural mind is distinct and separate from the rational mind, existing on a level below the latter, and also in a sense acts independently, it is called in relationship to the rational 'the servant, the oldest of the house' and 'the one who administered all that he had there'.

[2] The fact that the natural mind is distinct and separate from the rational, existing on a level below it, and in a sense acting independently, becomes clear from the things it has within it, and from the functions it performs. The things it has within it are all facts, and so also all cognitions of every kind - in short, every single thing belonging to the exterior or physical memory, dealt with in 2471, 2480. To this memory also belongs the whole faculty of imagination, which constitutes man's interior sensory awareness and is particularly active with children and during the early stages of adolescence. To the exterior memory belong in addition all the natural affections which man has in common with animals. From this it is evident what the functions of the natural mind are.

[3] The rational mind however is interior. The items of knowledge it has within it, that is to say, every single thing belonging to the interior memory, are not evident to man, but are imperceptible during his lifetime, dealt with in 2470-2474, 2489, 2490. It also has within it the power of thought, which is a perceptivity of what is fair and righteous, as well as of what is true and good. In addition it has all the spiritual affections which are strictly human and which mark man off from animals. From these things within itself the rational mind flows into the natural mind and activates the things that are there, views them with a certain vision, and in this way forms judgements and conclusions. The fact that these two minds are distinct and separate is quite evident from this consideration: With many people the natural mind has dominion over the rational mind, or what amounts to the same, the external man has dominion over the internal; yet it does not have dominion and is subservient only with those in whom the good of charity is present, that is, who allow themselves to be led by the Lord.