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 joiceth not  in  iniquity  but  in  the  truth;  beareth, believeth, hopeth,  endureth  all  things. For now  we see  in  a  dark  manner,  but  then  face  to  face;  now  we know  in  part,  but  then  even  as  we  are  known."

First of  all,  then,  we  see  from  the  parable  that favorable self-judgments  are  apt  to  be  fallacious. There is  not  one  of  us,  perhaps,  who  has  half  as sound  reasons  for  regarding  himself  with  complacency as  had  the  Pharisee. Execrate them  as  we may,  we  are  still  forced  to  admit  that  the  Pharisees as a  sect  had  a  noble  mission,  which  they  nobly  fulfilled. From the  very  beginning,  exclusiveness  had been one  of  the  most  prominent  characteristics  of  the chosen people. It was  God's  design  that  they  should continue an  unmixed  race,  a  nation  apart,  and  in  the course of  ages  so  firmly  did  this  idea  take  hold  on  the popular mind  and  so  intimately  interwoven  with the Messianic  promises  did  they  regard  it,  that  we find  them  everywhere  and  always  hedging  themselves around  with  barriers  to  check  the  incursions and the  secularizing  influence  of  the  detested  Gentiles. How strong  was  this  spirit  in  Apostolic  times is evident  from  St.  Paul's  strenuous  and  oft-repeated efforts to  abolish  the  distinction  between  the  Jew  and Gentile and  to  place  all  on  a  common  Christian  level, and how  much  of  it  survives  to-day  is  apparent  in  the aloofness and  clannishness  of  our  Hebrew  citizens. Now, to  preserve  their  integrity  inviolate  was  for  the Jews on  their  return  from  captivity  a  difficult  task indeed, for  the  bulk  of  the  nation  remained  irrevocably scattered  through  heathendom  from  Baby-