concerning God. Such has been the case with the natives of this continent, at least to as great a degree as could be without a bible or letters; and such has been the case with no other people on earth!. Nothing but the very special power and mercy of God, could have kept these natives in this traditional habit of acknowledging the one only living and true God, as they have done.-While they have been dead to the life of religion, as a valley of dry bones; yet they have strangely been kept from acknowledging any other God but Jehovah, the Great Spirit, who made them and all things.

And light, in these last days of wonders, (when the time for the restoration of Israel and Judah is drawing near) has been breaking out and accumulating on this subject, to exhibit this origin of the American natives. It is ascertained in the "Star in the West," that Spaniards, Portuguese, French, English, Jews, and Christians, men of learning, and the illiterate, and sea-faring men; all have united in the statements of facts, which go to indicate that these Indians are the descendants of Israel! Mr. M'Kenzie has travelled from the Atlantic very far to the north-west; and some of his statements of facts go to the same point. Various of the European visitants to this continent, early after it was known to the civilized world, expressed their surprise on finding among the natives things which bore such a resemblance to the history of ancient Israel. What account can be given of all this, but that here are the very ten tribes? These tribes must be somewhere on earth. Where are they? How can they be known? Whence came our native Americans? What other account can be given of their traditions, their language, Hebrew words and phrases,

(the radical language of their tribes) and the broken fragments of the ancient economy of Israel running through so many of them? It would be far wilder and more difficult to account for these things on any other principle, than to say we have evidence that is satisfactory, of having found at last, the very valley of the dry bones of the house of Israel! The facts stated of them, must on every other principle, appear most unaccountable, not to say miraculous.

Before any degree of confidence is admitted against the evidences adduced, as though other and more conclusive evidence must point out at last, the ten tribes; let it be recollected, that the divine mode of affording evidence is not always such as human wisdom would dictate. The Jews had their strong objections against the evidences of the divinity, the resurrection and ascension of Christ. These were not such as they would have chosen. In the midst of such evidences as God saw fit to afford, the Jews required more. "What sign showest thou?" "How long dost thou make us to doubt?" "Let him descend from the cross, that we may see and believe." Naaman had formed his expectations how his cure would be effected, by the prophet in Israel. He "would come out and lay his hand on the sore, and call upon his God and heal him." And for the mortifying reverse of this, he turned to go away in a'

rage.

Many things may be very probably fancied concerning the kinds or degrees of evidence, which must at last exhibit the ten tribes to the world. But Providence may adopt a different method. The methods divinely adopted in every point, have usually been such as to stain the pride of all human glory. The Afghans in Per

sia may prove to be a small part of the ten tribes. But it is doubted whether their evidence is by any means so full as that of the American natives. The latter have, to say the least, very considerable of just such kind of evidence, as it would naturally be supposed must bring to light the ten tribes after remaining for millenaries in a savage state. May the subject be duly examined, and a correct decision in due time be formed.

CHAPTER IV,

AN ADDRESS

OF THE

PROPHET ISAIAH,

RELATIVE TO THE RESTORATION OF HIS

PEOPLE.

AN interesting address is found in the 18th chapter of Isaiah to some people of the last days; calling them to have a special agency in the recovery and restoration of the ancient people of God, Many years ago, while writing my Dissertation on the Prophecies, I became much interested in this address of Isaiah; and in that dissertation, gave a paraphrase of it; conceiving then it was an address to the people of God in Great Britain. I have since become of a different opinion; and now apprehend it to be an address to the Christian people of the United States of America.

To prepare the way for the contemplation of this address, let several things be considered:

1. In the prophetic writings, many addresses are made to nations, or concerning them. Would it not be strange, if no mention were found in the prophecies of this new western world; which was destined by propitious Heaven to make so distinguishing a figure both in the political and religious world, in the last days? It certainly