St. Tammany farmer., 1906-09-15

WED with each other In seeing now
faithfully and well they could perform
their tasks.
They had talked together Of that
day when the Tabernacle should be
set up. and God would be served in
the way appointed, and 1t is nc Won
der that when the tidings came 10
them that on the morrow they would
see the Tabernacle reared, there was
very great rejoicing, SO that the sound
OF laughter and singing filed the
camp.
The sun that night set upon an ex-
pectant people. At the place appoint
ed the rich and costly materials had
been brought and the Levites in
structed concerning the placing Of the
same. while the people stood at =
distance and watched as long as the
daylight lasted, and then rs the soft
| glow of the pillar resting high up on
the side of the mountain fell upon tae
camp, the people turned slowly and
went to their tents, saying. softly to
themselves:
Tomorrow will the Lord have =
dwelling place in our midst
But how little they realized all that
was implied in that saying. How
meagerf was their idea of the mean
ing of the Tabernacle and its ap-
pointed worship. It's richness Of ma.
terial, its varied appointments, the
plans for the Tabernacle service all
absorbed their attention, and apart
from the general consciousness of God,
they did not enter deeply into the
spirit of the occasion.
But even though the heart under
stood not, eyes and ears were eager
to drink in every detail Of the ami
mated scene which began next day
with the first rays of light. A rev.
erent hush was upon the people while
the work was going on, and no man
dared to venture near where the walls
of the tabernacle were reared and the
tent spread above.
Then Moses took the ark, and in
the sight of all the people, he placed
therein the tablets of stone on
which were written the command
ments, and the rod and q pot of the
mamma. And then he set the slaves
on the ark and put the mercy seat
above the ark, and it was carried
within.
s"See," whispered the people, one to
another, as the Levites bearing the
ark disappeared, ''see what Moses has
done with the rod, and the tablets Of
stone given to him ON the mountain,
and the pot of mamma"
YEA" cried Moses, turning towards
the people, and noting the solemn
hush which had fallen upon them,
yea, it is the testimony of the Lord.
Beneath the mercy seat where God
will now have his abiding place in
the midst of Israel, rest the evidences
OF Gods presence with Israel thus far.
The rod through which God worked
such mighty deliverance, the pot OF
mama the evidence Of Gods miracu.
lous feeding of his people in the
midst of the wilderness fastnesses, the
tables of stone, the revelation Of Gods
perfect will for the guidance Of his
people. These tokens of Gods deal.
ings with his people rest beneath the
mercy seat, even as you, the children
of Abraham, are preserved under the
mercy seat of Gods love-"
Again silence fell upon the people
as Moses ceased speaking. The Levites
have withdrawn, leaving the ark in
the holy Of holies, and the people
stand expectant.
Moses will now enter and talk with
God,' they whispered one to the
other.
But while they thus spoke, the
Cloud, which had stood upon the noun.
tain side, came and covered the Tab
ernacle, and the glory of the Lord
filed the place.
Never before had the people beheld
such glory and splcndor. The Cloud
had always been thing Of wonder by
day and splendor of glory by night,
but now it glowed and scintillated
with beauty transcendent.
Surely this was the temple of the
Lord and he had come down and filed
1t.
Ia 81
What temple in Egypt had they
ever seen which had been SO visited
by the gods in whose name they had
been reared?
When had 1t ever been that the
priests Of Egypt could not enter their
temples because the glory Of their
gods had SO filed the place?
So thought the people as they stood
there. and at last conscious that Moses,
instead of entering the place had
fallen PROSTATE upon the ground in
worship and alteration Of the wonder
ful manifestation of Gods presence,
they, too, bowed In reverent worship
IN MADAGASCAR.
&5* - 81. S1fs5FTz i l3@if 49,.