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Spiritual Gifts, Volume 4a
to the Lord, to liberally accomplish the work, and then the workmen
be able to say, Bring no more offerings. A house built for God never
should be left in debt, for God would be dishonored. He is acquainted
with every heart, and he will reward every one who freely gives back to
him, when he requires, that which he has given them. If they withhold
that which belongs to God, he will afflict them in their families, and
cause decrease in their possessions, just according to their disposition
to rob him.
After the building of the tabernacle was completed, Moses exam-
ined all the work, and compared it with the pattern, and directions
he had received of God, and he saw that every part of it agreed with
the pattern, and he blessed the people. God gave a pattern of the ark
to Moses with special directions how to make it. The ark was made
to contain the tables of stone, on which God engraved, with his own
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finger, the ten commandments. It was in form like a chest, and was
overlaid and inlaid with pure gold. It was ornamented with crowns
of gold round about the top. The cover of this sacred chest was the
mercy-seat made of solid gold. On each end of the mercy-seat was
fixed a cherub of pure solid gold. Their faces were turned toward each
other, and were looking reverentially downward toward the mercy-seat,
which represents all the heavenly angels looking with interest and rev-
erence to the law of God deposited in the ark in the heavenly sanctuary.
These cherubs had wings. One wing of each angel was stretched forth
on high, while the other wing of each angel covered their forms. The
ark of the earthly sanctuary was the pattern of the true ark in Heaven.
There, beside the heavenly ark, stand living angels, at either end of the
ark, with each, one wing overshadowing the mercy-seat, and stretching
forth on high, while the other wings are folded over their forms in
token of reverence and humility.
In the earthly ark Moses was required to place the tables of stone.
These were called the tables of the testimony, and the ark was called
the ark of the testimony, because they contained God’s testimony in the
ten commandments. The tabernacle was composed of two apartments,
separated by a curtain, or vail.
All the furniture of the tabernacle was made of solid gold, or
plated with gold. The curtains of the tabernacle were of a variety of
colors, most beautifully arranged, and in these curtains were wrought,
with threads of gold and silver, cherubims, which were to represent