The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-05-31
BIBLE STUDIES
 OF BROOKLYN se .se-a TABERNACLE
By PASTOR RUSSELL

Prayer a Great Privilege-Matthew vl:l-1s.
 ''Take heed that ye do not your right-
 eousness before men to be seen of them,
 else ye have no reward with your
 Father which is in heaven" ."-Matthew
 vi;1. tR. y)f
 The Master in today's lesson tells of proper. and improper giving of charity. He extends the subject and explains proper and improper prayers and finally proper and improper fasting. In all these He denounces hypocrisy, theatrical dis play. His followers are to be actuated solely by desire to please the Heavenly Father and have His approval.
 The point which the Great Teacher makes is the motive actuating us. If we are actuated by selfish motive, if wo are seeking show and applause or earth ly gain. the procedure cannot bring d. vine approval or blessing. We may he seen to do good. or to pray, or to fast. but we are not to do, our charities. our praying and our fasting to be seen. of such the Lord says. "They have received their reward nothing more is coming to them; they get the publicity sought.
 The Privilege of Prayer
 Jesus did not command His disciples to pray. nor did He even give them form of prayer until they requested it. The Lords people must feel their need of di- ylne grace and help in order to appreci- ste the privilege of approaching the throne of heavenly grace a
 It will be noticed that our Lord did not tell about how the world should pray bu. merely taught His disciples, When ye pray As a matter of fact the Gentiles. the world of mankind in general, have no access to the throne of grace This may cause surprise to some so general IS the custom encouraging and exhorting everybody to pray. A brief glance at the situation, however, shows us the fixed Principle underlying the matter.
 The world in general, Adams race. wis alienated from God through wicked works. Adam was under covenant with God by which he enjoyed the prfvilegss of a son of God. This included felIowship communion, prayer and divine supervision and care even to the extent of everlastiug life. But Adams disobedience broke tb as covenant, abolished that covenant reIs- tionship and all it's privileges tHosaa vi:7. R. VI The.only ones who now on Joy the privilege of prayer are those who have accepted of God back into covenant. relationship. The natural Israelite was so accepted under the law covenant. hence the Temple of Jerusalem was called the House of Prayer
 Our Lord. on the basis of His bettcr sacrifice for sins, made holy and accs,. table to still higher privileges of prayer such as became His disciples, His foot step followers. These. from Penteccst onward, were called sons of God ana enjoyed the begetting of the Holy Spirit At first these were only Jewish believers but in due time the middle wall of par,i- tion between Jews and Gentiles w,s broken down and all Gentle believers from the time of Cornelius onward, were accepted as spirit begotten sons
 Instead of exhorting our friends and neighbors to pray to God and to trust far the fuifi1lment of their prayers, we should give them the Scriptural counsel, to rc Dent of sin and by faith accept .he- for eiveness of their sins. according to tho testimony of Gods word. by making q