Scripture Verse

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. Psalm 133:1–3

Introduction

portrait
Isaac Watts (1674–1748)

Words: Is­aac Watts, The Psalms of Da­vid 1719, alt. The bless­ings of friend­ship.

Music: Dal­ston Aar­on Will­iams, 1760 (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pic­ture of Will­iams (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

Lyrics

How plea­sant ’tis to see
Our kin and friends agree,
Each in their pro­per sta­tion move;
And each ful­fill their part
With sym­pa­thiz­ing heart,
In all the cares of life and love!

’Tis like the oint­ment shed
On Aar­on’s sac­red head,
Divinely rich, di­vine­ly sweet;
The oil thro’ all the room
Diffused a choice per­fume,
Ran thro’ his robes, and blest his feet.

Like fruit­ful show­ers of rain
That wa­ter all the plain,
Descending from the neigh­bor­ing hills;
Such streams of plea­sure roll
Thro’ ev­ery friend­ly soul,
Where love like heav’n­ly dew dis­tills.