913.“金”之所以表示爱之良善，是因为自然界中的金属，以及一切事物，无论总体还是细节，都是对应的；金对应于爱之良善，银对应于智慧之真理，铜或黄铜对应于仁之良善，铁对应于信之真理。正因如此，这些金属也存在于灵界，因为那里所出现的一切事物也是对应；事实上，它们对应于天使的情感，并由此对应于他们的思维，而情感和思维本身是属灵的。“金”由于对应而表示爱之良善，这一点从以下经文明显看出来：
我劝你向我买火炼的金子，叫你富足。（启示录3:18）
黄金何其失光！精金何其变色！圣所的石头倒在各街头。锡安的众子等同于纯金。（耶利米哀歌4:1-2）
祂要拯救穷苦人的灵魂，把示巴的金子赐给他们。（诗篇72:13，15）
我要拿金子代替铜，拿银子代替铁，拿铜代替木头，拿铁代替石头；并要以和平为你的官长，以公义为你的监督。（以赛亚书60:17）
看哪，你有智慧，什么秘事都不能向你隐藏；你靠自己的智慧聪明得了金银，收入库中；你曾在伊甸园中，佩戴各样宝石和黄金。（以西结书28:3，4，13）
成群的骆驼必遮满你，示巴的众人都必来到，要奉上黄金乳香，又要传说耶和华的赞美。（以赛亚书60:6，9；马太福音2:11）
我就使这殿满了荣耀。银子是我的，金子也是我的；这殿后来的荣耀必大过先前的荣耀。（哈该书2:7-9）
有君王的女儿在你尊贵妇女之中；王后佩戴上等俄斐金饰站在你右手边，她的衣服是用金线绣的。（诗篇45:9，13；以西结书16:13）
你又将我所给你那金银首饰，为自己制造男性的像。（以西结书16:17）
你们夺取我的金银，又将我可爱的宝物带入你们宫殿。（约珥书3:5）
“金”表示爱之良善，故当伯沙撒和他的大臣用从耶路撒冷殿中所掠的金器皿饮酒，同时赞美金、银、铜、铁所造的神时，有字写在墙上，当晚他就被杀了（但以理书5:2等）。此外还有其它许多地方。由于“金”用来表示爱之良善，所以：装有律法的约柜里外包上精金（出埃及记25:11）；约柜之上的施恩座和基路伯是精金的（出埃及记25:17，18）；香坛是精金的（出埃及记30:3）；带灯盏的灯台也是精金的（出埃及记25:31，38）；摆有陈设饼的桌子被包上精金（出埃及记25:23，24）。
由于“金”表示爱之良善，“银”表示智慧之真理，“铜”表示被称为“仁”的属世之爱的良善，“铁”表示信之真理，所以古人称呼自上古直到最后的相继时期为“黄金、白银、青铜、黑铁”四个时代。尼布甲尼撒梦中所见的雕像表示类似事物：
这像的头是精金的，胸膛和膀臂是银的，肚腹和大腿是铜的，小腿是铁的，脚是半铁半泥的。（但以理书2:32-33）
这些话表示自上古时期直至今日，教会在世上的相继状态。今日教会的状态是这样来描述的：
你既见铁与泥土搀杂，他们也必与人种搀杂，却不能彼此相合，正如铁与泥不能混合一样。（但以理书2:43）
“铁”表示信之真理，如前所述；但当没有信仰的真理，只有没有真理的信仰时，那么“铁与泥便搀杂”，它们却不相合。他们与之搀杂的“人种”表示圣言的真理。这就是当今教会的状态。那里用几句话描述了该教会此后的状态（但以理书2:45；7:13-18，27更详细）。
913. Gold symbolizes the goodness of love because metals, like everything else found in the natural world, have a correspondence - gold to the goodness of love, silver to truths of wisdom, copper or bronze to the goodness of charity, and iron to truths of faith. For that reason these metals are found also in the spiritual world, since everything found there has a correspondence, inasmuch as they all correspond to the angels' affections and thoughts, which in themselves are spiritual.
That gold, owing to its correspondence, symbolizes the goodness of love, may be seen from the following passages:
I urge you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be enriched... (Revelation 3:18)
How dim the gold has become! How changed the finest gold! The stones of the sanctuary are scattered at the head of every street. The precious sons of Zion, valuable as pure gold... (Lamentations 4:1-2)
He will... save the souls of the poor... And He will give them some of the gold of Sheba. (Psalms 72:13, 15)
Instead of bronze I will bring gold, instead of iron, silver, instead of wood, bronze, and instead of stones, iron. I will also make your registration peaceful, and your tax gatherers righteous. (Isaiah 60:17)
Behold, you are wise...! No secret has been hidden from you! With your wisdom and your intelligence you have gained for yourself... gold and silver in your treasuries... You were in Eden, the garden...; every precious stone was your covering..., also gold. (Ezekiel 28:3-4, 13)
The multitude of camels shall cover you...; all those from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and incense, and they shall proclaim the praises of Jehovah. (Isaiah 60:6, cf. 60:9, Matthew 2:11)
...I will fill this house with glory... The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine... The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former... (Haggai 2:7-9)
Kings' daughters are among Your precious ones. At Your right hand stands the queen in the finest gold of Ophir... Her clothing is woven with gold. (Psalms 45:9, 13, cf. Ezekiel 16:13)
You have taken vessels for your adornment from My gold and My silver that I had given you, and made for yourself male images... (Ezekiel 16:17)
...you have taken My silver and My gold, and have carried My valuable possessions into your temples. (Joel 3:5)
[2] Since gold symbolized the goodness of love, therefore when Belshazzar with his great men was drinking wine from vessels of gold taken from the temple in Jerusalem, and at the same time was praising gods of gold, silver, bronze and iron, writing appeared on the wall, and that night he was slain (Daniel 5). And so on in many other places.
Since gold symbolized the goodness of love, therefore the Ark that contained the Law was overlaid inside and out with gold (Exodus 25:11). Therefore the mercy seat and the cherubim over the Ark were also of made of pure gold (Exodus 25:17-18).
[3] Since gold symbolized the goodness of love, silver the truth of wisdom, bronze the goodness of the natural love called charity, and iron the truth of faith, therefore people in ancient times called the succeeding periods of time from the most ancient period to the concluding one the golden, silver, bronze and iron ages. A similar symbolism is exhibited by the statue that Nebuchadnezzar saw in a dream, whose head was fine gold, its breast and arms silver, its belly and thighs bronze, its lower legs iron, and its feet part iron and part clay (Daniel 2:32-33). This symbolizes the succeeding states of the church in this world, from most ancient times to the present day. The state of the church today is described in this way:
As you saw iron mixed with miry clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. (Daniel 2:43)
Iron symbolizes the truth of faith, as we have said, yet when there is no truth of faith, but faith without truth, then it is iron mixed with miry clay, the two of which do not bond together. The seed of men with which they will mingle symbolizes the truth in the Word. This is the state of the church today. What it will be hereafter is briefly described in Daniel 2:45, but at more length in chapter 7, verses 13-18, 27.
913. The reason why gold signifies the good of love is because metals, just the same as all things collectively and separately that appear in the natural world, correspond; gold to the good of love, silver to the truths of wisdom, copper or bronze to the good of charity, and iron to the truths of faith. This is why these metals also exist in the spiritual world, since all the things that appear there are correspondences, for they correspond to the affections and consequently to the thoughts of the angels, which in themselves are spiritual. That 'gold' by reason of the correspondence signifies the good of love can be established from these passages:
I counsel thee to buy from Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich. Revelation 3:18.
How the gold has become dim, the best refined gold changed; the stones of holiness have been poured Out at the head of all the streets; the sons of Zion were esteemed equal to pure gold, Lamentations 4:1-2.
He shall preserve the souls of the poor, and give them of the gold of Sheba. Psalms 72:13, 15.
For bronze I will bring gold, and for iron silver, and for wood bronze and for stones iron, and I will make thy property (censum tuum) peace, and thine exactors justice. Isaiah 60:17.
Behold, thou art wise no secret has been hidden from thee, in thy wisdom and in thine intelligence thou hast made gold and silver for thyself in thy treasuries; thou hast been in the garden of Eden, every precious stone was thy covering, and gold. Ezekiel 28:3-4, 13.
A troop of camels shall cover thee, all they from Sheba shall come, they shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praises of Jehovah. Isaiah 60:6, 9; Matthew 2:11.
I will fill this house with glory, the silver is Mine and the gold is Mine; the glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, Haggai 2:7-9.
King's daughters were among thy precious ones, the queen stood at thy right hand in the best gold of Ophir, her clothing was of woven gold. Psalms 45:9, 13 [H.B. 10, 14]; Ezekiel 16:13.
Thou hast accepted the vessels of thine adornment of My gold and of My silver, which I had given thee, and thou hast made to thyself images of a male. Ezekiel 16:17.
You have taken My silver and My gold, and you have carried My desirable things into your temples. Joel 3:5 [H.B 4:5].
[2] Since 'gold' used to signify the good of love, therefore when:
Belshazzar with his magnates was drinking wine out of the vessels of gold brought from the temple at Jerusalem, and at the same time was praising the gods of gold, silver, bronze and iron, the wall was written on, and that same night he was slain. Daniel 5:2 seq.; besides in many other places. Since 'gold' used to signify the good of love, therefore:
The ark, in which was the Law, had been overlaid with gold inside and outside, Exodus 25:11.
And therefore the propitiatory and the cherubs over the ark were of pure gold, Exodus 25:18.
The altar of incense was of pure gold, Exodus 30:3.
Likewise the lampstand with the lamps, Exodus 25:31, 38.
And the table upon which was the bread of faces was overlaid with gold, Exodus 25:23-24.
[3] Since 'gold' used to signify the good of love, 'silver' the truth of wisdom, 'bronze' the good of natural love that is called charity, and 'iron' the truth of faith, therefore the ancients used to call the successions of the times from the most ancient up to the last the golden, silver, bronze and iron ages. Similar things are signified by the statue seen by Nebuchadnezzar in a dream:
Whose head was good gold, the breast and arms silver, the belly and thighs bronze, the legs iron, the feet part iron part clay. Daniel 2:32-33.
By these things were signified the successive states of the Church in this world from the most ancient times up to the present day. The state of the Church at present is described thus, that:
Thou didst see iron mixed with miry clay; they shall mix themselves together by means of the seed of man, but they shall not cohere together the one to the other, even as iron is not mixed with clay (verse 43) [of Dan. ii].
By 'iron' is signified the truth of faith, as was said, but when there is no truth of faith, but faith without truth, then there is 'iron mixed with miry clay,' and these do not cohere. By 'the seed of man' with which those will mix themselves together is signified the truth of the Word. This is the state of the Church at this day. What it is going to be afterwards is described there in a few words (verse 45), but more fully in chapter 7:13-18, 27.
913. The reason why "gold" signifies the good of love is because metals, as well as each and every thing which appears in the natural world, corresponds; gold to the good of love, silver to the truths of wisdom, copper or brass to the good of charity, and iron to the truths of faith. Thence it is that these metals exist also in the spiritual world, by reason that all things that appear there are correspondences, for they correspond to the affections and thence to the thoughts of the angels, which in themselves are spiritual. That "gold" from correspondence signifies the good of love, may appear from the following passages:
I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich, (Revelation 3:18).
How is the gold become dim, and the best refined gold changed; the stones of holiness are poured out at the head of all the streets; the sons of Zion were esteemed equal to pure gold, (Lamentations 4:1-2).
He shall save the souls of the poor, and shall give them of the gold of Sheba, (Psalms 72:13, 15).
For brass I will bring gold, and for iron silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron; and I will make thine officers peace, and thine exacters justice, (Isaiah 60:17).
Behold, thou art wise, no secret lies hid from thee; in thy wisdom and in thy intelligence thou hast gotten thee gold and silver in thy treasuries; thou hast been in Eden, every precious stone was thy covering, and gold, (Ezekiel 28:3-4, 13).
The multitude of camels shall cover thee, all they from Sheba shall come, they shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall announce the praises of Jehovah, (Isaiah 60:6, 9; Matthew 2:11).
I will fill this house with glory. The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine; the glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, (Haggai 2:8-9).
Kings' daughters were among thy precious ones; upon thy right hand did stand the queen in the best gold of Ophir, her clothing was of woven gold, (Psalms 45:9, 13; Ezekiel 16:13).
Thou hast taken the vessels of thy ornament of My gold and of My silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of a male, (Ezekiel 16:17).
Ye have taken My silver and My gold, and have carried into your temples My desirable goods, (Joel 3:5).
[2] Because "gold" signifies the good of love, therefore when:
Belshazzaar with his magnates drank wine out of the vessels of gold brought from the temple of Jerusalem, and at the same time praised the gods of gold, silver, brass, and iron, there was a writing on the wall, and that night he was slain, (Daniel 5:2.
Besides many other places. Since "gold" signifies the good of love, therefore:
The ark in which was the Law, was overlaid with gold within and without, (Exodus 25:11).
And therefore the mercy-seat and the cherubim over the ark were of pure gold, (Exodus 25:17-18).
The altar of incense was of pure gold, (Exodus 30:3).
So also the lampstand with the lamps, (Exodus 25:31, 38).
And the table upon which was the showbread was overlaid with gold, (Exodus 25:23-24).
[3] Because "gold" signifies the good of love, "silver" the truth of wisdom, "brass" the good of natural love which love, is called charity, and "iron" the truth of faith, therefore the ancients called the successive periods, from the most ancient down to the last, the golden, silver, brazen, and iron ages. Similar things are signified by the statue seen by Nebuchadnezzar in a dream:
Whose head was good gold, the breast and arms silver, the belly and thighs brass, the legs iron, and the feet part of iron and part of clay, (Daniel 2:32-33).
By these things the successive states of the church in this world are signified, from the most ancient times even to this day. The state of the church of this day is described thus:
Thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of man, but they shall not cohere the one with the other, as iron is not mixed with clay, (Daniel 2:43).
By "iron" is signified the truth of faith, as was said; but when there is no truth of faith, but faith without truth, then "the iron is mixed with miry clay," which do not cohere. By "the seed of man," with which they would mingle themselves, the truth of the Word is signified. This is the state of the church at this day. What it is to be hereafter is described there in a few words, (Daniel 2:45, but more fully,Daniel 7:13-18, 27).
913. Quod "aurum" significet bonum amoris, est quia metalla aeque ac omnia et singula quae apparent in mundo naturali, correspondent; aurum bono amoris, argentum veris sapientiae, cuprum seu aes bono charitatis, ac ferrum veris fidei, Inde est, quod haec metalla etiam sint in Mundo spirituali, quoniam omnia quae ibi apparent, sunt correspondentiae; correspondent enim affectionibus et inde cogitationibus angelorum, quae in se spiritualia sunt. Quod "aurum" ex correspondentia significet bonum amoris, constare potest ex his locis:
"Suadeo tibi emere a Me Aurum exploratum igne, ut ditatus sis," (Apocalypsis 3:18);
"Quomodo obscuratum est Aurum, mutatum est Obryzum Optimum; effusi sunt Lapides sanctitatis in capite omnium platearum: filii Zionis aestimati pares Auro puro," (Threni 4:1-2);
"Animas pauperum servabit, et dabit illis ex Auro Schebae," (Psalm 72:13, 15); 1
"Pro aere adducam Aurum, et pro ferro argentum, et pro lignis aes, et pro lapidibus ferrum; et ponam censum tuum pacem, et exactores tuos justitiam," (Esaias 60:17);
"Ecce sapiens tu, ullum occultum non latuit te; in sapientia tua et in intelligentia tua fecisti tibi Aurum et argentum in thesauris tuis: in Eden horto fuisti; omnis lapis pretiosus tegumentum tuum, et Aurum," (Ezechiel 28:3-4, 13);
"Turma camelorum obtegent te, omnes e Scheba venient, Aurum et thus portabunt, et laudes Jehovae annuntiabunt," (Esaias 60:6, 9; Matthaeus, (2:11);
"Implebo Domum hanc gloria, Mihi Argentum et Mihi Aurum, magna erit gloria Domus hujus posterioris prae prioris," (Haggaeus 2:(7,) 8-9);
"Filiae Regum inter pretiosas tuas, constitit Regina ad dextram tuam in Auro optimo Ophiris, de implexis Auri vestis ejus," (Psalm 45:10, 14 (B.A. 9, 13); Ezechiel 16:13);
"Accepisti vasa ornatus tui ex Auro Meo, et ex Argento Meo, quae dederam tibi, et fecisti tibi imagines masculi," (Ezechiel 16:17);
"Argentum Meum et Aurum Meum sumpsistis, et desiderabilia Mea bona intulistis in templa vestra," (Joel 4:5 (B.A. 3:5)).
Quoniam "aurum" significabat Bonum amoris, ideo cum Belshazar cum magnatibus biberet vinum e vasis Auri eductis e Templo Hierosolymae, et simul laudaret deos Auri, argenti, aeris et ferri, scriptum est in pariete, et ille ea nocte occisus est, (Daniel 5:2, seq.).
(Praeter multis aliis in locis.)
Quoniam "aurum" significabat Bonum amoris, ideo Arca, in qua erat Lex, obducta erat Auro intra et extra, (Exodus 25:11);
Et ideo Propitiatorium et Cherubi super Arca erant ex puro Auro, (Exodus 25:(17,) 18);
Altare suffitus erat ex puro Auro, (Exodus 30:3);
Pariter Candelabrum cum lucernis, (Exodus 25:31, 38);
Et Mensa super qua panes facierum obducta fuit Auro, (Exodus 25:23-24).
Quoniam "aurum" significabat Bonum amoris, "argentum" Verum sapientiae, "aes" Bonum amoris naturalis qui amor vocatur charitas, et "ferrum" Verum fidei, ideo antiqui vocabant successiones temporum ab antiquissimis usque ad ultima, saecula aurea, argentea, aerea et ferrea. Similia significantur per statuam Nebuchadnezari in somnio visam,
Cujus caput erat Aurum bonum, pectus et brachia argentum, venter et femora aes, crura ferrum, pedes ex parte ferrum, ex parte argilla, (Daniel 2:32-33);
per haec significantur successivi status Ecclesiae in hoc mundo ab antiquissimis temporibus usque ad hodiernum. Status Ecclesiae hodiernus ita describitur:
"Quod vidisti ferrum mixtum cum argilla luti, commiscebunt se per semen hominis, sed non cohaerebunt unum cum altero, quemadmodum ferrum non commiscetur cum argilla," (Daniel 2:43);
per "ferrum" significatur Verum fidei, ut dictum est; sed cum non Verum fidei est, sed Fides absque vero, tunc est "ferrum mixtum cum argilla luti," quae non cohaerent: per "semen hominis," cum quo se illa commiscebunt, significatur Verum Verbi: hic status est Ecclesiae hodie. Quid postea futurum sit, describitur ibi paucis, vers. 45; sed pluribus, 7:13-18, 27.
Footnotes:
1. 13 pro "14"