"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard :that went down to the skirts of his garments; 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" (Ps. 133).

In this short psalm, pregnant with meaning and beauty, the dew of Hermon is the source of refreshment to the sun-parched country surrounding Zion.

Hermon (sacred) was the highest mountain-peak of the land, snow-capped, magnificent, towering above the surrounding country. From it, during the dry season, there frequently descended upon the thirsty land the refreshing dew, bringing fruitfulness and prosperity to Israel. The figure therefore is beautifully significant; without that heavenly dew, all would have been sterile.

The words in italics in our A. V.(which the translators inserted), "and as the dew," somewhat mar the meaning of the figure, the mind of the Spirit being, evidently, to illustrate the effect of unity-the mountains of Zion were dependent upon snow-capped Mount Hermon.

The second figure is that of Aaron the high priest in the day of his consecration; the "precious ointment" poured upon the head descended to the border of his garments, like the refreshing dew upon the lower altitudes. How strikingly beautiful and instructive! The nearer the country to the summit of Hermon, the nearer to the head of Aaron, the greater the refreshment and fragrance.

And so with brethren, for these figures are used to illustrate that which is good and pleasant among the people of God, and the nearer we are to our risen and exalted Head, the more we shall catch the sweet fragrance of His Person, and the thirst-slaking dew of His grace.

Surely this is the only way we can dwell together in that unity which the Spirit has formed! Each heart drinking in the heavenly dew, contributing to the spiritual prosperity of all. We may talk of the "unity of the Body" and heavenly truth, with our hearts full of party-spirit and earthly practice. It is easier to be ecclesiastically correct than to be right with God and our brethren.

"Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me," are words of deepest meaning; for only as we live near Himself, and so imbibe His spirit, can we receive the precious ointment and the fructifying dew from our heavenly Head. Thus we shall be self-judged, tender-hearted, compassionate, lowly, kind, forgiving and forbearing, manifesting the spirit of the One who could say, "I am meek and lowly of heart." Drinking in the heavenly dew, the soul will "grow in grace," the heart will be enlarged, interest godly interest-and sympathy will be manifested toward all who are the Lord's. We shall "love with a pure heart fervently," not because we have found someone who thinks as we think, or agrees with our dogmas, but because we are bound together in the same bundle of life.

The Lord has no favorites, all His own are equally loved, and if we drink of His Spirit, we too shall love all who are His. To go on in happy unity with each other there must be the constant drinking in of the heavenly dew, and if the garment is to "smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia," the graces and fragrance of Christ must daily be imbibed. How jealously we should guard ourselves lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble us and thereby many be defiled, and thus the Spirit-formed unity be, in practice, denied! Let us then seek nearness to the Lord so that this blessed unity may be promoted, and thus the Lord may be able to take pleasure in us, and our outward testimony be consistent with our holy vocation. Shall we not in this way prove the reality of the last verse?-"There the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore." J. W. H. Nichols