3164. And the servant brought forth vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments. That this signifies truth and good, and their adornments, is evident from the signification of “vessels of silver, vessels of gold, and garments,” in the internal sense. (That “silver” signifies truth, may be seen above, n. 1551, 2048; also that “gold” signifies good, n. 113, 1551, 1552.) “Vessels” of silver and “vessels” of gold are here mentioned, because they are predicated of the affection of truth, which here is “Rebekah;” for regarded in itself truth is but a vessel or recipient of good (n. 1496, 1832, 1900, 2063, 2261, 2269, 3068); “vessels of silver” specifically are memory-knowledges, for these are recipients of truth; “vessels of gold” specifically are truths, for these are recipients of good; and that “garments” denote adornments, is evident without explication. In ancient times such things were given to a virgin when she was betrothed; and this because of the representation and signification in order that the betrothed virgin might represent the truth of the church that is to be conjoined with good. So also is described the Ancient Church, in its first age.

In Ezekiel:

When it was the time of loves, I clothed thee with broidered work, I girded thee about with fine linen, and covered thee with silk, I decked thee also with ornament, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a necklace upon thy throat, and I put a jewel upon thy nose, and earrings in thine ears, and a crown of adornment upon thy head. Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver, and thy raiment was of fine linen and silk and broidered work (Ezekiel 16:8-13).

And when the same church fell away from truth and good, it is thus described in the same chapter:

Thou didst take of thy garments, and madest for thee high places with diverse colors; thou didst take the vessels of thine adornment, of My gold and of My silver, which I had given thee, and madest for thee images of a male; and thou tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them (Ezekiel 16:16-18).

From these passages it plainly appears that “silver, gold, and garments” denote nothing else than the things which are of the church, namely, truth and good, and the things which are of truth and good.

1900. Go in I pray unto my handmaid. That this signifies conjunction with the exterior man, is also evident from what has been said before, namely, that man’s rational is conceived and born of the internal man as a father, and of the exterior man as a mother. Man’s very life is from the internal man, which cannot have communication with the external, except a most obscure communication, until the receiving vessels that are of the memory have been formed, which is effected by means of knowledges [cognitiones et scientiae].

[2] The influx of the internal man goes into the knowledges of the exterior man; affection being the means. Meanwhile, before there are these knowledges, there is indeed a communication, but through affections alone, by which the external man is governed; but from this there exist only the most general motions, and certain appetites, also certain blind inclinations, such as show themselves in infants. But this life becomes by degrees more distinct in proportion as the vessels of the memory are formed by means of knowledges, and the vessels of the interior memory by means of rational things. As these vessels are formed, and are arranged in series-and indeed in such series that they mutually regard each other, comparatively like relationships by blood and by marriage, or like societies and families-thereby is perfected the correspondence of the external man with the internal, and still better is this done by means of rational things, which are intermediate.

[3] But still there is a want of congruity unless the knowledges by which the vessels are formed are truths; for the celestial and spiritual things of the internal man find no correspondence for themselves except in truths. These are the genuine vessels in the organic forms of each memory, and to which the celestial things of love and the spiritual things of faith can be fitted in; for they are there arranged by the Lord according to the idea and image of the societies of heaven, or of His kingdom, insomuch that the man becomes, in least form, a heaven, or a kingdom of the Lord, as also the minds of those who are in the celestial things of love and the spiritual things of faith are called in the Word. But these things have been said for those who love to think more deeply.