9513. 'Of one piece with the mercy-seat you shall make the cherubs on the two ends' means the reception of all things that belong to worship arising from those two kinds of good. This is clear from the meaning of 'the mercy-seat' as the hearing and reception of all things that belong to worship arising from the good of love, dealt with in 9506; from the meaning of 'the cherubs' as admission and access to the Lord through that good, dealt with in 9509; and from the meaning of 'the two ends' as celestial good and spiritual good, dealt with in 9511. From these meanings it is evident that 'of one piece with the mercy-seat you shall make the cherubs on its two ends' means the reception of all things that belong to worship arising from those kinds of good. What celestial good is and what spiritual good is, and what the difference is, see the places referred to in 9277.

7977. 'And flocks and herds, an extremely large acquisition of them' means good acquired through truth, interior and exterior, a great abundance of it. This is clear from the meaning of 'flock' as interior good, and from the meaning of 'herd' as exterior good, both of which are dealt with in 2566, 5913, 6048, 7960, their having been acquired being meant by 'an acquisition'. All the good present with those belonging to the spiritual Church has been acquired through truth; for without the truth of faith they do not know what spiritual truth is or what spiritual good is. They may certainly be acquainted with civic truth, and with the good that accompanies civic truth and moral truth, since all these are compatible with worldly interests, interests that give them their perception of such truth and good. But spiritual truth and the good that accompanies it are not compatible with worldly interests; indeed in a large number of instances they are completely divergent from them, which is why those people have to receive instruction about them. These matters have been stated to make it known that all good with those belonging to the spiritual Church has to be acquired through truth. The fact that 'extremely large' means a great abundance is self-evident.