What are two ways mercantilism was supposed to make a country powerful?

Through extracting gold and silver from mines in their own country or from colonial land, as well as selling more than it bought from other countries, the mercantilists believed they could leverage the trade to the benefit of the national wealth of their country. Mercantilism's basic principle was that a nation's strength came from its wealth, so, therefore, making themselves exporters of products or goods gave them that competitive advantage over other nations.