The next passage of the Old Testament, which Mr. Everett relies on as a prophetical proof of the Christian religion, is the 2nd. psalm; "why did the nations (according to the Heb.) rage, and the peoples (ac. to the Heb.) imagine a vain thing. The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against Jehovah, and against his Messiah saving, let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us," &c. To the application of this prophecy to Jesus, I objected in my first publication, on account of these reasons, 1st. That "the nations," as it is in the original, did not assemble to crucify Jesus, as this was done by a few soldiers. To this Mr. Everett replies, p. 90. of his work, that "the Apostle (Peter in Acts ch. iv. 45,[fn27]) does not say, they assembled to "crucify him," their joint opposition was not limited to this single act, they were gathered together against him. And it is certainly true, that Jesus was an object of the united persecution of the nation of the Jews, by means of their bigotted priests and furious multitudes, and of the Romans, by means of their tributary sovereign, Herod, and their Proconsul Pilate." In reply to this I would observe, that the words "nations," and "peoples," in the original of the passage never signified the Jewish nation, but are used in the Hebrew Bible to signify all other nations but the Jews, or what is expressed by the word "Gentiles." Now it is said in the psalm, that "the nations and peoples," (exclusive of the Jews for the reason above-mentioned) should rage and that "the kings of the earth should stand up, and the rulers (of the earth,) take counsel against Jehovah, and against his Messiah." I do not see, therefore, how this passage could have been fulfilled by the Romans, who were but one nation, by means of their Proconsul Pilate and his soldiers: who (the Romans) were so far too from being enraged against Jesus, that it is certain, that all the Romans out of Jerusalem, did not even know what was doing against him, and Pilate himself was so far from being "enraged," and "taking counsel," against Jesus, that he befriended him as far as he dared, and made great exertions to save his life. Moreover, in the psalm, these "nations and peoples, and kings and rulers," are represented as saving "let us break their bands in sunder, and cast away their cords from us." This passage refers to the 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]