altogether of Divine original : every ingredient of it is formed by the hand of God himself, and the whole compounded by him in its due proportions : and every one on whom it is poured is from thenceforth sanctified to the Lord. It is in its own nature so flowing, that, when poured t'pon the head, it will descend upon the whole man : and so fragra'it is it, that not the person him- self only, but all who come in contact with him, will be refreshed with its odours : and more especially when a whole Society or Church are partakers of this heavenly unction, such is the fra- grance, as to resemble as nearly as possible the courts of heaven itself.
Say, ye who have ever received this heavenly gift, whether ye have not been brought, as it were, into a new world, and whe- ther ye be not breathing from day to day a new atmosphere ? Compare it with that which the world has framed in imitation of it, and which gives grace and ornament to the more polished circles of society : how poor, how vapid, how destitute of all re- freshing odour, is that which is called politeness! the very per- sons who most cultivate it, are most sensible what an empty for- mality it is : it is a mere mimicry of what is good : and in all the diversified expressions of it there is a secret consciousness, that nothing real is designed ; that it is a mere artificial cere- mony, invented and practised in order to keep out of sight those hateful passions, which would destroy all the comfort of social intercourse. Its very forms are burthensome to those who most abound in them : and it is a relief to a man to put them off, and to return to the unconstrained familiarities of domestic life. We mean not to disparage that which undoubtedly contributes much to the maintenance of public order and decorum : but when com- pared with that love which grace inspires, it is a mere vanity ; it is like a sun painted ujjon canvas, in comparison with the sun shining in the fiimament of heaven. Who that lives under the influence of gracious affections, and moves in a circle where Christian love abounds, does not feel this? His spirits are not tumultuous indeed; but they are sweetly elevated towards high and heavenly things : he carries with him a divine savour, wherever he moves: when he eiiters into the society of the saints, or into the tabernacle of his God, the fragrance is drawn forth and greatly increased, so that " the whole house, as it were, is filled with the odour of the ointment." Oh, Beloved, how pleasant is it for Brethren to dwell together in unity! As none could form a just conception of the odours of Aaron's oint- ment, but those who came within the sphere of its influence, so none cai> form any adequate idea of the sweetness of love, but those on- whom the Spirit of God has imparted this divine unction. We may however see that this representation is just, even though we should not be able fully to comprehend it : for
VOL. IV. H H St.
456 PSALMS, cxxxiii. 1 — 3. [433.
St. Paul urging with all possible importunity the exercise of love, recommends it from the consideration of the comfort imparted by it : " If there be any comfort of love, fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind^."]
But the Psalmist speaks of unity as being " good," as well as pleasant : and in his illustration of it in this view, he leads us to contemplate it, II. As administering to our everlasting welfare —
The effect of dew in hot countries is exceedingly beneficial —
[In this country, where rains are frequent, we have compa- ratively little dew : l)ut in hot countries, where the rains are pe- riodical, the dew, as in Paradise, almost supplies the place of rain*^. On Hermon, and on Zion, it came down in rich abun- dance. In its descent it was gentle; but in its operation power- fully influential, reviving and invigorating every plant, and ferti- lizing the earth on every side.]