10332. To think thoughts to make in gold, and in silver, and in brass. That this signifies to represent in goods and truths, interior and exterior, which are of the understanding from the will, thus which are of faith from love, is evident from the signification of "thinking thoughts," or of inventing inventions, as being that which proceeds from the understanding (see n. 9598, 9688); from the signification of "making," as being that which proceeds from the will (n. 9282), for that which a man makes proceeds from his will, here from his will through his understanding, for it is said, "to think thoughts to make;" from the signification of "gold," as being good, and of "silver," as being truth (see n. 1551, 1552, 5658, 6914, 6917, 8932, 9490, 9874, 9881); and from the signification of "brass," as being the good of the natural or external man (n. 425, 1551). Consequently by "gold, silver, and brass" are signified goods and truths interior and exterior; by "gold," interior good; by "silver," interior and exterior truth; and by "brass," external good. That it is a representative of these goods and truths that is signified, is because the subject treated of is a representative church, and all the things that Bezalel was to make were representative.
[2] From all this it is evident that by "thinking thoughts to make in gold, and in silver, and in brass" is signified to represent goods and truths interior and exterior which are of the understanding from the will. That there are also signified the things which are of faith from love, is because truths are of faith and bear relation to the understanding, and goods are of love and bear relation to the will. It is said "the understanding from the will, and faith from love," because the understanding is not anything except from the will, for that which a man understands and does not will, is not of the man's understanding, but is of the understanding of another in himself, and therefore this understanding perishes. It is otherwise with understanding from the will, for this understanding is of the man himself, because the will is the man himself. The case is similar with faith and love, for as before said, the truths of faith bear relation to the understanding, and the goods of love to the will.