Ps. cxxxiii. 1 — 3. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for Brethren to dwell together in unity ! It is like the pre- cious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard : that went down to the skirts of his gar- ments : as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion ; for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
IN this psalm we have a commendation of Chris- tian love and unity. It seems to have been written some time after David's entire possession of the whole kingdom ; when the tribes being all united under one head, the horrors of civil war were exchanged for the blessings of peace ; and all who were brethren according to the flesh, enjoyed the fullest exercise of brotherly love, in union with each other, and in communion with their God. He seems to have been contemplating the blessed change, till his soul, filled with holy joy and gratitude, exclaimed, " Behold, how good and pleasant it is for Brethren to dwell together in unity ! " He then pursues the same idea, illustrating both the goodness and pleasantness of it, each by an appropriate similitude ; its pleasantness resembling the fragrance of the ointment poured on Aaron's head; and its goodness being justly com- pared to dews of Hermon or of Zion, by which a continued verdure and fertility are preserved, where without them vegetation would quickly fail. We shall follow the line he has traced out for us, and point out the excellence of Christian unity.
I. As conducing to our present comfort —
There is no pleasure so refined, so exquisite, as that which results from the exercise of Christian love. It always cheers the bosom in which it dwells, and imparts the sublimest joy to those who meet it with corresponding emotions. It is beautifully compared with the ointment which was poured on Aaron's head at his consecration to the priestly office.
Let us briefly examine the similitude —