775. 'And every vessel of precious wood, and of bronze and iron and marble' signifies that they no longer have these things because they do not have the scientific goods and truths in the things of the Church (scientifica bona et vera in rebus Ecclesiae) to which such things correspond. These are similar to the things that have been expounded above (n. 772-774), with the difference that by these are signified the knowledges (scientifica) that are the ultimates of a man's natural mind. Because these differ in quality from the essence that is in them they are called 'vessels of precious wood, of bronze, of iron and marble'. For by the 'vessels' are signified the knowledges, here in the things of the Church, because knowledges are containants of good and truth just as vessels are containants of oil and wine. The knowledges also exist in great variety, and their receptacle is the memory. The reason that they are of great variety is because the man's interior things are in them. Also they are introduced into the memory as a result either of intellectual thought or of hearing or reading and in accordance with the changing perception out of the rational at the time. All these things are inwardly in the knowledges, which is evident when they are reproduced. This is done when the man speaks or thinks. [2] But what is signified by 'vessels of precious wood, of bronze, of iron and of marble' will be stated in a few words. By 'a vessel of precious wood' is signified knowledge derived from rational good and truth; by' a vessel of bronze' is signified knowledge derived from natural good; by 'a vessel of iron' is signified knowledge derived from natural truth; and by 'a vessel of marble' is signified knowledge derived from appearances of good and truth. That 'wood' signifies good may be seen just above (n. 774). That here by 'precious wood' is signified good and at the same time rational truth is because 'wood' signifies good and 'precious' is predicated of truth; for one kind of good is signified by the wood of an olive tree, another by that of a cedar tree, a fig tree, a fir, a poplar and an oak. That 'a vessel of bronze and iron' signifies knowledge derived from natural good and truth is because all the metals, as gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin and lead in the Word signify goods and truths. They signify because they correspond, and because they correspond they exist also in heaven, for all the things there are correspondences. [3] This, however, is not the place to confirm out of the Word what each of the metals signifies as the result of correspondence, but only to confirm by some passages that' bronze signifies natural good, and consequently 'iron' natural truth, as may be seen from these that:-
The feet of the Son of Man were seen like bronze, as if burned in a furnace Rev. i 15.
By Daniel was seen a Man whose feet were as the brightness of polished bronze Dan. x 5, 6.
Also the feet of the cherubs were seen sparkling like the brightness of polished bronze Ezek. i 7.
That 'feet' signify what is natural may be seen (n. 49, 468, 470, 510).
An angel was seen like the appearance of bronze Ezek. xl 3.
The statue seen by Nebuchadnezzar was as to its head gold, as to its breast and arms silver, as to its belly and side bronze, as to the legs iron Dan. ii 32, 33.
By this statue the successive states of the Church were represented, which by the ancients were termed the golden, silver, bronze and iron ages. Since 'bronze' signifies what is natural and the Israelitish people was purely natural, therefore the Lord's Natural was represented by:-
The bronze serpent which those bitten by serpents should look upon and be healed Num. xxi 6, 8, 9; John iii 14, 15.
That 'bronze' signifies natural good can also be seen in Isa. lx 17; Jer. xv 20, 21; Ezek. xxvii 13; Deut. viii 7, 9; xxxiii 24, 25.