A Present to His Royal Highness - The Prince of Wales — Page 21
21 shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. ” ∗ In this parable the vineyard stands for divine guidance, and the lord of the vineyard is Moses, who came into the world as the manifestation of the attributes and glory of God, and the husbandmen are the Israelites, and the servants who were sent for the fruit are the prophets who were sent after Moses, and the son is Jesus himself, who came last of all, but who was, after Moses, the most beloved and honoured prophet of God; but the Israelites rejected him also and put him on the Cross. Then, the only thing left was the appearance of the Prophet whose advent was to be like the advent of God Himself, and who was to appear not from among the Israelites as heretofore, but from among their brethren the Ishmaelites concerning whom Jesus had said, “Did ye never read in the scriptures. The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing and is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore, say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder,”† and concerning whom Moses had prophesied:—“And the Lord said unto me. They have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren like unto thee and will put my words in his mouth: and he shall speak unto them all that I shall ∗ Luke xx: 9-16. † Matthew xxi: 42-44.