CHARLES H. WELCH
86
ecclesiastical position of the `Pearl' which found a parallel in the `Philadelphian' Church, after which of course
there was nothing left but Laodicea and apostasy.
My emancipation from the thraldom of man, to the glorious freedom of believing only and all that the Scripture
shall be found to teach, is intimately connected with Matthew 13 and its `seven' parables, which must explain and
excuse my dwelling at such length upon this feature. I can remember the occasion most vividly, although more than
fifty years have since passed. I had taken up my pen and had written across the top of a sheet of paper the legend
`Seven Parables of Matthew 13', and was about to put together a few notes to help me to speak on the passage at a
Bible meeting, when I reminded myself that I had resolved never to take anything for granted any more. I must
confess I felt somewhat foolish at pausing to consider the obvious, but nevertheless I did actually count the parables
of Matthew 13. To my amazement, and my joy, the very first attempt at independent research was rewarded. There
were EIGHT parables. From one point of view the whole thing is trivial in the extreme, but from another angle that
discovery was a crisis.
All the teaching of the past few years suddenly became suspect. It may have been doctrinally sound in many of
its tenets, but it was fundamentally unsound in its spirit. It `savoured' of men. With the counting of the parables for
myself a new epoch had arrived; the Berean spirit had vindicated itself.
The consequences of this simple act were both immediate and far-reaching. The immediate effect was
a completely new understanding of the purpose of Matthew 13. The far-reaching effect can be seen on every page
of this magazine for the period of over fifty years. In this somewhat personal account of the discovery and
presentation of Dispensational Truth, we hope to present to the reader not only the bare truth itself, but where it is
pertinent and profitable to show how certain positions were reached with their consequences.
In the present article we have but introduced the theme and must limit our presentation by showing the first
personal discovery in the realm of Dispensational Truth, as revealed in these parables of the Mysteries of the
Kingdom of Heaven.
We give the following extract from The Berean Expositor Vol. 23 pp. 202-204:
`The result was so illuminating, and the blow to traditional teaching so palpable, that not only did it prove the
commandment that "came" to the one upon whose convictions we are now commenting, but it settled for ever
the policy of the Editor as to all subsequent investigations.
`Instead of seven parables, Matthew 13 contains eight. These are arranged in perfect symmetry, and form the
only true basis for their exposition. Whoever has once seen this perfect correspondence, realizes that no amount
of erudition or ability will ever compensate for its omission.
The Eight Parables of Matthew 13
A 1-9.
The SOWER.
The sowing of the seed into four kinds
of ground.
13. They (Israel) did not understand.
B 24-30. The TARES.
Good and bad together. Separated at the harvest (the end of the age); the bad are
cast into a furnace of fire, there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
C 31,32.
The MUSTARD TREE.
One tree.
D 33.
The LEAVEN.
Hid in three measures of meal.
These first four parables spoken outside the house to great multitudes.
D 44.
The TREASURE. Hid in a field.
C 45,46.
GOODLY PEARLS.
One pearl.
B 47-50. The DRAG NET. Good and bad together. Separated at the end of the age; the bad are cast into a furnace
of fire, there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.