Messiah and the Jewish nation taken together, whom the Old
Testament represents as to have "dominion over all peoples,
nations and languages," and that "the nation and people that will
not serve them shall perish, yea those nations shall be utterly
wasted." Is. lx. [fn28]

Therefore, these refractory nations and kings could not, and
actually never have said this of Jesus, who was but an individual,
to whom the expression "their bands and their cords," cannot
apply; and finally, since Mr. Everett maintains that Jesus was
"merely a spiritual saviour of the souls of men," I do not see how
he can consider him as a character pretending to impose "bands
and cords," upon any body.

2. I had also objected to the application of this prophecy to Jesus,
because "God has not set Jesus as his king upon the holy hill of
Sion, (as the psalm imports) nor given him the nations for his
inheritance, nor the uttermost parts of the earth for his
possession." To this Mr. Everett, p. 91, replies in the usual way,
i.e. after interpreting as much of the psalm, as he thinks he can
make accord with the history of Jesus, in a literal sense, he
interprets this passage of the Messiah's being enthroned on
Mount Sion, which he cannot make accord with it, in a figurative
one. The reader must judge whether this be fair or reasonable.

The latter part of the psalm, Mr. Everett contends, was fulfilled by
the rapid spread of Christianity, and he quotes, in proof of this,
some passages of the Fathers. To this I would reply, that those
passages of the Fathers are notorious exaggerations, and
convicted of falsehood by Middleton in his Free Inquiry.

And lastly, I would observe, that even those nations who have
embraced Christianity, can by no means be called the inheritance
or subjects of Jesus, since they have since the days of
Constantine and the Counsel of Nice renounced his doctrines, and
perverted his religion into "a fabulous, irrational and blasphemous
superstition,"[fn29] for as much as all of them, except a handful of
Unitarian Christians, are worshippers of three Divine Beings
united by an ineffable union; and by far the greater part of them
are adorers of idols, images, and pictures.[fn30] And if I may,
without offence, be allowed to express the sincere opinion of my
heart upon this subject, I would say, that it is my serious belief,
that if Jesus the son of Mary could return into the world, and learn,
that his professed followers had placed