The Pulpit Commentary — Psalms — Volume 3 — Section 245

putting one's own interests nside in order to fit ourselves to the service of others. And, in this sense, meekness is the deepest SLcret of unity. That kind of unity we should get in (1) family life; (2) Church life; (3) social life. For that, however, we need special grace, in order to triumph over sinful self-pleasing. The triumph of the Christian relationship is the unity that comes through altruism, for Christ's sake.-R. T. Ver. 2.-Fragrance of the brotherhood. "True concord is a holy thing, a sacred oil, a rich perfume which, flowing down from the bead to the beard, from the beard to the garment, sanctifies the whole body." We get a better idea of the figure if we think of scent, or perfume, rather than oil, which Western people dislike, save for special _use~. There can be little room for doubting that the psalm is a rejoicing over the restored unity of the Jewish nation. "Ephraim no longer vexed Judah, or Judah Ephraim." The mutual jealousies of the tribes bad ceased; and those who returned to Jerusalem belonged to all the tribes. "That at this time there was a real unity of heart and mind in the nation may be inferred from the narratives in Ezra and Nehemiah" (Ezra iii. 1; Neh. viii. 1). 'l'be point of comparison does not lie in the preciousness of the oil, or in its all-pervading fragrance; but in thi&-that, being poured on the J,ead, it did not rest there, but flowed to the beard, and descended even to the garments, and thus, as it were, consecrated the whole body in all its parts. All the members participate in the same blessing (for the composition of the anointing oil, see Exod. xxx. 22-33). The point to unfold is that the consecration of God, which binds the Church in unity, secures the unity of a common fragrance. I. THE BROTHERHOOD IS NOT A UNITY OF SAMENESS. God never makes the brothers of a family alike; and when he remakes men, he does not shape them to a pattern, he gives them a new common life. 'fhe oil is represented as not stopping with intellectual people, who are as the head; it goes on to the strong people, who are as the beard; and to the useful people, who are as the limbs. .All the members of the body retain their individualities. II. 'l':HE BROTHERHOOD 18 A UNITY OF GRACE RECEIVED. The new bond uniting all the members of the body, and all the relations of the life (which are represented by the garments) is the oil of Divine grace which reaches to aud sanctifies them all. III. THE BROTHERHOOD IS A UNITY OF COMMON RESPONSE. Every part gives forth fragrance, and it is everywhere the same fragrance-the fragrance of that godly character and godly living which grace sanctifies. Scents are dependent on the substances on which they lie. Some absorb and destroy fragrance. Others freely give it forth. The unity of the Church is the frngrancy of the holy living of each one of its members.-R. T. Ver. 3.-Lessons of the dew. Palestine is a land of dews. It is very dependent on thom. Destitute of rains for many months at a time, it relies for securing crops on the heavy fall of dew which is secured nightly by its multitude of mountains. Hennon is no more conspicuous in the sight than in the peculiar abundance of its dews. They become rain for t-he thirsty land. Mr. Porter says that one of its bills is apprnpriately called "Father of the Dew," for the clouds seem to cling with peculiar fondness round its wooded top. Dr. Tristram says," We had sensible proof at Rashoiya of the copious- ness of the 'dew of Hermon,' spoken of in this psalm, where 'Zion' is only another name for the same mountain. Unlike most other mountains wbioh gradually rise from lofty table-lands, and often at a distance from the sea, Hermon starts at once to the height of nearly ten thousand feet, from a platform scarcely above the sea-level. This platform, too--the upper Jordan valley, and marshes of Merom-is for the most part an impenetrable swamp of unknown depth, whence the seething vapour, under t?e rays of an almost tropical sun, is constantly ascending into the upper atmosphere durmg the day, The vapo•1r, coming in cC1ntact with the snowy sides of the mountain, is rapidly congealed, and i.s precipitated in the evening in the form of dew, the most copious we ever experienced. It penetrated everywhere, and soaked everything. The floor of our tent was saturated our bedding was covered with it, our guns were dripping, and dew- drop.~ hung aboui everywhere. No wonder that the foot of Hermon is clad with orchards and 11:ardens of such marvellous fertility in this land of droughts." Dr. Geikie gives quite a fresh explanation of the ordinary dew of the country. "There is no dew, properly so called, in Palastine, for there is no moisture in the hot summer air to bij P8AJ.MS-IU, T  THE BOOK OF PSALMS. [PS. CXXXIII. 1-3.