The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-01-26

ested in the answer that the Philadel-
phia Methodist Conference had in ls0o
more ministers in its membership, ana
the philadelphia Conference churches
more members upon their rolls than
there were Methodist ministers ana
members in the whole United states IN
1900. The Methodist church at Broad
and Arch streets is alone worth as
much money as were all Methodist
churches in America In the opening
year ofthe century just ended. The
Methodist churches within the city
limits and belonging to any one of the
four conference districts have. taken
together, larger annual incomes than
had all Methodist churches in the
United States 100 years ago.
when the last century opened there
was not Methodist benevolent soci-
ETY.. In 1920, when the first such soci-
ETY. began operations, its income for
one year amounted to sS23.0i. Now 1t
amounts to 600 year, and an
effort is making this year to raise the
sum to $2,000,000. Methodist educational
work has been wholly the growth Of
the century just ended. Now there are
$4,000 students in Methodist colleges,
and sS1,000,000 has been amassed in
buildings and endowments.
1T takes s27,o0o000 a year to keep
American Methodlsm going - church
support, missions, literature and bet
terments. In Philadelphia, Boston or
Chicago there Is no single Methodist
church which has an annual income
exceeding $4,000. but in New York
there are two churches which exceed
these figures One is the Madison Ave-
nue.. which financially is the largest
Methodist church in America, and the
other Calvary, which Is the second
largest. Their incomes are respective
ly $39,400 and s27,7O0. Yet in total out
lay for education, for church support
and in value of church property Meth
odists are the only body which can
compete with the Roman Catholic,
actually surprising that body. indeed
in the value of property by $4,000, O0O."
Rev. Frank Schell Ballentine, of
Shrists Episcopal church, Scranton,
delivered an address Monday morning
before Wilkes-Barre cleric on the SUBJ
ject of Hebrew Parallelism and the
Systematic Structure of Scripture" Mr..
ing the Bible into modern American
form and phrase under the title of
The Modern American Bible" which
was reviewed appreciatively in this
journal on the Sth inst.
The speaker began by giving an ac-
count of the subject as it was first
presented to his mind as a theological
student in Philadelphia. From this
point he gave the history of his own
study Of the subject and the gradual
dawning Of its Importance upon him rs
means of the beauties OF Biblical
thought and expression
The reading of the notes in r. G..
Moulton's volume on Proverbs was the
occasion of his discovering that the
sermon on the Mount, the Charge TO
The Twelve and the Charge TO the
Seventy, and in fact wherever Our
Lord in his teaching rose to any
height of pathos or power, yes. in
every such place. the Old Hebrew
narallelism became manifest and lent
beauty and majesty to the express
sion thoroughly in keeping with the
thought and a most fitting vehicle OF
it.
For instance, note the arrangement
III this Well-known passage
Ask and it shall be given you
Seek and ye shall find,
knock, and it shall be opened unto You.
For every one that aslcth r-cciycth,
lie that seekoth inlch.
To Him that knocketh II shall he opened.
The first and fourth lines here are
parallel, the second and third, the third
and sixth.
Take another instance:
Give not that which is holy to the dogs,
Nor cast ye your pearls before swine,
Lest they trampe them under their feet,
And turn again and rend you.
Here the first and fourth are par-
aIlel, and the second and third. In
other words, it is the dogs who are
apt to turn again and rend you" It's
The swine who are apt to "trample
them under their feet" Again:
Our Father who art in heaven,
Haowcd be thy name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
ON earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive US our trespasses,
As We forgive those who trespass against ne,
And lead us not into temptation.
bul denver us from evil.
By this arrangement it is readily
seen that the Lords Prayer has lust
seven petitions. These petitions nra
divided, as Is usual in the Bible, into
two sections, three in the first, four in
the second. But each section has lust
five lines. The first five lines consti-
tute an envelope stanza. That is, the
main sense can be gotten, not only by
reading straight ahead, as usual but
also by reading The first line, then the
iltth line, then the second, third and
fourth. In other words, the first three
petitions are not three separate, abso-
lute petitions, "Hallowed by thy name,
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done"
OF and in themselves, The meaning
rather Is, Our Father who art in
heaven, On earth as it is in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name, etc.
Then in the second part IL is seen
that the vital thought to be kept in
mind Is: "As We forgive those who
trespass against u.s." The last four
petitions must be made with this
thought in view as the axis about
which they revolve.
Again: Take the elimination of the
Sermon on the Mount:
20 whoever hears these sayings Of mine
And does them.
will liken TO a wise man,
Who built his house on a rock.
The rain descended,
The foods came,
The winds blew.
They beat upon that house,
IL did not fall.
For it was founded Oh rock
And every one who hears these sayings
And does NOT do thenn