Again, in the xii. ch. of the Revelations, Jesus is apparently spoken of as destined "to rule all nations with a rod of iron." And in the ii. ch. Jesus is represented as saying, that "he that overcometh and keepeth my words unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers even as I received of my Father," v: 26, and lastly, not to be tedious, there is a passage in the xix. ch. of Revelations, which proves decisively against Mr. Everett, that the primitive Christians had even more sanguinary ideas of the vengeance of the Messiah upon the wicked of the earth, than are even entertained by the Jews. Jesus is there, described thus, "I saw Heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that set upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war, and out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, and he treadeth the wine press of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God," v. 11, 15. Some idea of the slaughter meant by the writer of the Revelations by "treading the wine press of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God," may be understood from ch. xiv. 20, where it is represented that the blood of men came out of this wine press "by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs!!"
I suppose that the reader is quite satisfied by what has been adduced, that Mr. Everett's idea of the Messiah's being merely "a spiritual saviour of the souls of men," is equally rejected by the Old Testament and the New, and since Mr. Everett does not and cannot pretend, that Jesus during the long space of 1800 years has fulfilled the predictions relating to the Messiah in a literal sense, which is the sense in which they must be fulfilled in order to be made good, Mr. Everett is left without better proof of the Messiahship of Jesus than bare opinion only, which attaineth not to any certainty.
Mr. Everett supposes that a mere "Preacher of righteousness," is capable of fulfilling all the predictions of the Messiah, which represent him as putting an end to all wickedness and misery throughout the World. How absurd!! there never was,[fn24] a better or greater "Preacher of righteousness," than Jesus Christ himself, and what did he effect among the people of his age? the Gospels say, that they whipped him, and nailed him to a cross. There has been since his time, for eighteen hundred years, I know not how many millions of "preachers of righteousness," and what have they effected? look at the history of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire: look at the histories of mankind for the last 400 years. What scenes do they for the most part, present to the shocked contemplation! are they not generally a complication of folly, madness, and devilism, worthy of being recorded in triumph by the evil one himself, in letters of blood and infernal fire?
What success have the "Preachers of righteousness," of the present day? Do not these pious and good men, and pious and good they generally speaking undoubtedly are, do they not feel themselves obliged to tell you, that such is the depravity of human nature, that "teaching and preaching are all in vain;" that they are wearying themselves in "throwing pearls before swine," who receive them with a grunt, and "trample them under their feet?"
Does not Mr. Everett himself tell us p. 80, that "it is too true that the mighty passions, which agitate the public intercourse of the world, are almost beyond the direct reach of moral means," i. e. of the "Preachers of righteousness."
How then can he expect that a mere "Preacher of righteousness," is capable of subduing these "mighty passions," whose existence is incompatible with peace and happiness, and fulfilling the predictions relating to the Messiah? No, all history and experience testify that no merely human power can put an end to them. It must be done by the strong and armed hand of Heaven.
Then, and not till then, shall exiled "justice look down from
Heaven, and righteousness and peace shall kiss each other."
Then, and not till then, shall "the wicked cease from troubling;"
and the afflicted enjoy happiness.
"These be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the Messiah of the God of Jacob, (See the Heb.) and the sweet Psalmist of Israel; The spirit of Jehovah spake by me, and his word is in my tongue. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, he that ruleth over mankind (see the Heb.) shall be just, ruling in the fear of God: And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.
But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands. But the man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron, and the staff of a spear; and they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place." 2 Sam. ch. xxiii.