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. Bro­ther­ly love.

Music: Eag­ley James Walch, 1860 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tunes:

  • Downs Low­ell Ma­son, 1832 (🔊 pdf nwc)
  • Dundee Scot­tish Psal­ter, 1615 (🔊 pdf nwc)
  • Dunfermline Scot­tish Psal­ter, 1615 (🔊 pdf nwc)
  • Eardisley tra­di­tion­al tune, in The Eng­lish Hym­nal (Lon­don: Ox­ford Uni­ver­si­ty Press, 1906), num­ber 601 (🔊 pdf nwc)

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

Lyrics

Lo, what an en­ter­tain­ing sight
Are breth­ren that agree,
Brethren whose cheer­ful hearts unite
In bands of pi­ety!

When streams of love from Christ the spring
Descend to ev­ery soul,
And heav’n­ly peace with bal­my wing
Bedews and shades the whole.

’Tis like the oil, di­vin­ely sweet
On Aar­on’s re­vere­nd head,
The trick­ling drops per­fumed his feet,
And o’er his gar­ments spread.

’Tis plea­sant as the morn­ing dews
That fall on Si­on’s hill,
Where God His mild­est glo­ry shows,
And makes His grace dis­till.