_The benefit of the communion of saints._
A song of degrees.
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.
This Psalm contains an important doctrine, and an exhortation unto
concord in the church, and also in the state; and especially an
exhortation unto unity in the Spirit; concerning which Paul speaks,
Phil. ii.; and also, it exhorts unto agreement in doctrine, and unto
peace in general. Let the wise, the strong, and the holy, (the
Psalmist would say,) bear with and support the simple, the
weak-minded, and the infirm; which is indicated and implied by the two
similitudes of “ointment” and “dew.”
The Psalmist alludes to the priesthood and the kingdom. For divine
harmony and agreement in the priesthood, or in the doctrine of the
truth, is a great and lovely gift of God, and diffuseth a fragrance
like precious ointment; and this fragrance descendeth or runneth down;
that is, unity in the doctrine of truth, runs down from the high
priest Aaron, down his beard, and even unto the skirts of his
clothing; that is, down to all other teachers of the truth.
And this “dew of Hermon” signifies literally that dew which revives
the flower of Lebanon; and, spiritually, the concord of Lebanon; that
is, of Jerusalem. For, as the natural dew fructifies Lebanon, and all
the places near unto Lebanon, so concord in divine and spiritual
things causes a kingdom to flourish and prosper.
Wherever, therefore, concord in a state and in its church flourishes,
there God dwells with all his grace and blessing; but where there are
dissensions, divisions, and discord, there is the dwelling of Satan.