2577. 'And with all' means that so also are the truths descending from these, namely factual truths and sensory truths. This is clear from what has been stated above and from the actual train of thought, for it is said just above, 'Behold, it is for you a covering of the eyes for all who are with you', by which rational truths are meant, which are like a covering to spiritual truths. And now 'all' occurs a second time, which therefore means lower truths still which are derived from rational truths. These lower truths are none other than those which are called factual truths and sensory truths. That these are derived and descend from rational truths is clear from the order which governs influx - interior things flow into exterior, or what amounts to the same, higher flow into lower, but not vice versa. The order does indeed seem to be other than this, that is to say, man seems to be made rational by means of sensory impressions and factual knowledge, but this is an illusion. Good from the Lord is flowing in all the time through man's rational faculty, where it meets facts and takes these into itself. And to the extent it is able to take them into itself and arrange them into a proper order, that person is made rational. It is similar with the good and the truths which are called the good and the truths of faith. Good from the Lord flows into the truths and takes these into itself; and to the extent it is able to take these into itself, that person is made spiritual. The appearance however is that it is these so-called truths of faith which flow in and make him spiritual. This appearance is also the reason why nowadays people venerate truth which is a matter of faith and give no thought to good which is a matter of charity.

425. Up to now the world has not known that 'bronze' means natural good, nor indeed that every metal mentioned in the Word has some definite meaning in the internal sense. For example 'gold' means celestial good, 'silver' spiritual truth, 'bronze' natural good, 'iron' natural truth, and so on with all the rest. The same applies to stone and wood. These were the meanings of the gold, silver, bronze, and wood in the Ark and the Tabernacle, and of similar objects in the Temple, which in the Lord's Divine mercy will be dealt with later on. In the Prophets it is plain that such things are meant, as in Isaiah,

You will suck the milk of nations, and the breast of kings will you suck. Instead of bronze I will bring gold, and instead of iron, I will bring silver, and instead of wood, bronze, and instead or stones, iron. And I will make peace your assessment and righteousness your tax-collectors. Isaiah 60:16-17.

This refers to the Coming of the Lord and to His kingdom, and to the celestial Church. 'Gold instead of bronze' means celestial good instead of natural good. 'Silver instead of iron' means spiritual truth instead of natural truth. 'Bronze instead of wood' means natural good instead of bodily good. 'Iron instead of stones' means natural truth instead of sensory truth. In Ezekiel,

Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were your merchants in the souls of men, and they gave vessels of bronze for your merchandise. Ezekiel 27:13

This refers to Tyre, which means people who are in possession of spiritual and celestial riches. 'Vessels of bronze' stands for natural goods. In Moses,

A land whose stones are Iron, and from whose mountains you will dig out bronze. Deuteronomy 8:9.

Here similarly 'stones' stands for sensory truth, 'iron' for natural or rational truth, and 'bronze' for natural good. In the cases of the four living creatures or the cherubim seen by Ezekiel, whose feet sparkled like burnished bronze, Ezekiel 1:7, 'bronze' in a similar way means natural good, for the human foot represents that which is natural. Something similar was seen by Daniel,

A man clothed in linen whose loins were girded with gold of Uphaz and whose body was like tarshish. ¹ His arms and feet were like the appearance of burnished bronze. Daniel 10:5-6

And for the fact that the bronze serpent mentioned in Numbers 21:9 represented the Lord's good, sensory and natural, see what has been said already [in 197].

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