AC 9824 - the ephod, external things, and judgment

AC 9824 [2]
As the ephod represented the outermost of the Lord's spiritual kingdom,
it was more holy than the rest of the garments,
and on it was the breastplate, in which were the Urim and Thummim,
through which answers were given by the Divine.
That what is most external is more holy than the internal things,
is because the external holds all the interior things in their order,
and in their form and connection,
insomuch that if the external were removed,
the internal things would be dispersed;
for internal things not only cease in the external,
but they are also together in it.

[3] The case is similar in a person, with will, thought, and action.
To will comes first, to think second, and to do is the ultimate. . ..
For insofar as the act contains within itself
that which the person is thinking,
and that which he is willing,
so far the interior things are held together in their form and in their connection.
It is from this that it is said in the Word,
that a person will be judged according to his deeds,
or according to his works,
which means that he will be judged according to his thought and will,
for these are in his deeds as the soul is in his body.