Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 June 1912 — BROOKLYN TABERNACLE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

BROOKLYN TABERNACLE

PRAYER A GREAT PRIVILEGE. Matthaw vi, 1-18—June 2. "Take heed that ye do not your nghteoueneee before men &o be seen of them, yt ye hare no reward with your Father Which is in hearen,”—l/atthew pi, 7. (R. V.) IN today's lesson the Master tells of proper and improper giving of charity. He also explains proper and improper prayers and finally proper and improper fasting. In all these He denounces hypocrisy. His followers are to be actuated solely by a desire to please the Heavenly Father. We may be sa n to” do good oj to Ptay or to fast, but we are not to do these to be seen. Of su< h the Lord says. “They hare 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 lie even give them a forra of prayer until requested: The Lord s people must feel their need of Divine help to appreciate the privilege of a] ; reaching the throne of grace. It will be noticed also that our Lord merely taught llis disciples: “When ye pray.” As a muter of fact, the Gen tiles, the world of mankind in general, have no access to the Throne of grace. “God heare.h n >t sinners."—John ix. 31. The world in ‘general, the race of Adam. was alienated from God through wi-ked works. Adam was

under covenant ■with God by which he enjoyed the privileges of a son of God. This Included fellowship, co m - munion, prayer and Divine supervision and care even to the extent of everlasting life. But Adam’s disobedience abolished that covenant - relationship and all „ Its

privileges.—Hos. vi, 7, R. V. The only ones, therefore, who now enjoy the privilege of prayer are those who have been accepted of God back into covenant-relationship. Instead of exhorting our friends and neighbors to pray to God and to- trust for the fulfilment of their prayers, we should give them the Scriptural counsel—to repent of sin and by faith accept the forgiveness of their sins, according to the testimony of God’s Word, by making a full consecration of themselves to be followers of Jesus. A Form of Sound Word*. Responding to the request of His disciples Jesus gave a sample of a proper prayer. We note its brevity, simplicity, directness, orderliness. (1) “Our Father, which art in Heaven, hallowed [adored, honored] be Thy name.” God’s Name represents His character. His Kingdom, His person ality. First of all, then, we ascribe honor, reverence, majesty, glory to our great Creator, wboih, through His appointed way, we delight to call our Father in Hqaven. (2) Next in order we acknowledge file Divine authority. This means that our hearts are submissive to the will of God, for joy or sorrow, for pleasure or pain, for life or death, and that we have confidence in the Divine power and promise that ultimately the Divine

will shall be as fully done on earth as It .is now done in Heaven: “Thy Kingdom come. Thy will lie done on earth as it is done In Heaven.” In this we recognize the coming of Messiah’s Kingdom and indirectly our own hojtes connected with that

Kingdom—that wo. If faithful, shall be associated with the Ix>rd in Ills glorious Throne, In dispensing the blessings of Divine power and mercy to mankind, so as to effect the regeneration of all tbe willing and obedient. (3) “Give us this day our daily bread.” God has promised that our bread and our water shall be sure. He has not promised, nor are we to ask for an abundance, wealth, riches, nor are we to specify fine food or luxuries. The thought is. Grant us dally such provisions for life’s necessities as seemeth to Thee best for us. (4) •’Forgive us our debts as we have forgiveh our debtors." Here Is emphasized the Master's teaching that only the merciful shall obtain mercy, that only the forgiving shall be forgiven. (5) “Lead us not Into temptation [to abandon us there]." We feel our own weakness, Imperfection; hence, while knowing that we must be brought In Divine providence into positions of trial, testing, we may well pray not to be abandoned there, not to be left to our own strength, but that His grace may be suffideiit for us. (6) The Bible assures us that there is an Evil One. and that he has great power and influence amongst men, that he is “the Prince of the power of the air," and “the god of this Age." flow appropriate that we request the Lord not to abandon us to the Devil’s wiles The words. “For Thine is the King dom and the power and the glory forever, Amen,” are hot found in the oldest Greek manuscripts, and are there fore properly omitted in the Revised Version. We await the overthrow of Satan's Empire, and the binding of the Adversary for a thousand years, and the ushering In of the Divine Kingdom and poxy er and glory, forever.

“Thy Kingdom come.”

Praying to be seen of men.