A Present to His Royal Highness - The Prince of Wales — Page 11
11 GLAD TIDINGS. Gracious Prince! Our present is the glad tidings that he for whom the Christians and the Muslims were waiting, for whom rich and poor alike were yearning, and many looked heavenwards with sigh and longed that he should appear in their lifetime that they might be blessed by his sight, has appeared and has illumined the world with his light and filled it with his glory. Those alone, however, can derive a benefit from his advent who hear and perceive so that what is written may be fulfilled:—“By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: for this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. ” ∗ Those who desire not to enter the kingdom of Heaven are wont to cite the scriptures wherein is written that he will descend from the heavens, and say we will not believe till he appears among the clouds surrounded by angels; for it is written: “And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect. ”† And they say, we shall not believe till all this come to pass, lest we lose our faith and injure our belief. But woe unto them, they do not reflect over the words ∗ St. Matthew xiii: 14, 15. † St. Mark, xiiii: 26.