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View of the Hebrews; Or the Tribes of Israel in America

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View of the Hebrews; Or the Tribes of Israel in America View of the Hebrews; or the Tribes of Israel in America EXH IBITING CHAP. I. THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM. CHAP. II. THE CERTAIN RESTORATION OF JUDAH AND ISRAEL. CHAP. III. THE PRESENT STATE OF JUDAH AND ISRAEL. CHAP. IV. AN ADDRESS O F T HE PR OPH ET ISA IAH TO THE UNITED STATES RELATIVE TO THEIR RESTORATION. SECOND EDITION, IMPROVED AND ENLARGED. By Ethan Smith, PASTOR OF A CHURCH IN POULTNEY (VT.) “These be the days of vengeance.” “Yet a remnant shall return.” “He shall assemble the outcasts of Israel; and gather together the dispersed of Judah.” PU BLISHED A ND PRINTED BY SMITH & SH UTE, POULTNEY, (VT.) 1825. p.ii District of Vermont, To wit: BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the sixteenth day of April, in the forty-ninth year of the Independence of the United States of America, SMITH & SHUTE, of the said District, have deposited in thin office the title of a book, the right thereof they claim as proprietors, in the w ords fol lowing, t o w hi t: “View of the Hebrews: or the Tribes of Israel in America. Exhibiting Chap. I. The Destruction of Jerusalem. Chap. II. The certain Restoration of Judah and Israel. Chap. III. The Present State of Judah and Israel. Chap. IV. An A ddress of the Prophet Isaiah to the United States relative to their restoration. Second edition, improved and enlarged. By ETHAN SMITH , pastor of a church in Poultney , (Vt.) These be the days of vengeance.’ Yet a remnant shall return.’ He shall assemble the outcasts of Israel; and gather t ogether the di spersed of Ju dah. ”’ In the conformity to the act of the Congress of the United States, entitled “An act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts, and books, to the authors and proprietors of such copier, during the times therein mentioned.” JESSE GO VE, Clerk of the District of Verm ont. A true copy of record, examined and sealed by J. GOVE, Clerk. FOR THE SECOND EDITION. The importance of the question, Where are the Ten Tribes of Israel? the speedy sale of the first edition of this work ; and the obtaining considerable additional evidence relative to the origin of the American Indians;--have led th e way to the publishing of a second edition of this View . A ddi tional evi dences are adduced fr om vari ous sources; especially from Hunter’s Narrative--Baron Humboldt on the Kin gdom of New Spain--an d the American Archaeology. These authors, without particular design, have furnished what is deemed material evidence upon this subject. Ethan Smith, View of the Hebrews, p.iii Some objections are noted, and replies made to them. The writer has had his ears open to objections; and he is of opinion that none have been made, but what are capable of a fair solution. Poultney , April 1, 1825. p.iv [empty] p.v Recommendations. Testimonials in favour of this work have not been wanting. The following will be here inserted. The Pawlet Association certify, that they have heard the Rev. E. Smith read a considerable par t of his . “View of the Hebrews;” that they do highly approve of the plan and execution of the work; do wish its publication: and cordially recommend it to the perusal of all classes of people. Voted, unanimously, Attest, RUFUS CUSHMAN, Scribe. Extracts from Reviews of the First Edition. “We have been exceedingly gratified in taking a ‘View of the H ebrews,’ through the glass that Mr. S. has put to our eye; and it is presumed that none will turn away dissatisfied with such a medium of vision, unless they are dissatisfied that they may not look longer.--The subject is large enough to engage a more extended discussion: but perhaps Mr. S. has said all that need be said at present. U ndoubtedly further inquiries w ill be mad e, an d m or e sat isfa ct or y results obt ai ned or e l on g. ”--[Boston Recorder.] p.v - p.vi “Of this we feel convinced, that the religious community are indebted to Mr. S. for the pains he has tak en in this his sketch of the Hebrew s: and we hope that his labour will be amply remunerated, not only in seeing the salutary tendency of his book in exciting Christians to their duty in reference to the Jew s, but also in i ts rapid sale. The sentiments interspersed are calculated to be profitable to the pious: as well as informing to the reader, who is merely in pursuit of interesting historical knowledge. “W e consider the moral tendency of the publication to be truly valuable. No person can read it without some benefit, unless his heart be strangely perverted.” “One of the impressions which this work is calculated to make is, the aw ful guilt and danger contracted by a rejection of Jesus Christ as our atoning Saviour. This we see in the terrible destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, and in the dreadful slaughter and dispersion of the Jews. Another is, the weight of obligation which now rests on Gentile Christians, and em in ently on Ameri can Chr istians to exten d the gospel to the Jew s. When this people was rejected from spiritual privileges, we were graciously received; and our duty now is, by every practicable method, to persuade them to renounce their unbelief, and participate with us in the rich blessings of gr ace.”--[Christian Watchm an, published in Boston.] p.vi “Certainly, if we may judge from our ow n feelin gs, su ch a coll ection of facts and detail s, as is presented by our author, must secure for his book an unusual degree of populari ty .”--[Christian Adv oc ate, published at Saratoga, N.Y.] p.vi - p.vii Extracts of a letter from the Rev . Jabe z B. Hyd e o f Eden , Erie c oun ty , N.Y. dated Feb. 4, 1825, after having read the first edition of this work. “I have been in the sentiment of your book, that the natives of our country are the outcasts of Israel. It cannot well be doubted by any one, who has become acquainted with the religious ceremonies of the Indians, but that they have a manifest shadow of the Mosaic rituals. Most of the particulars you have mentioned in your book, I kn ow to be facts; and were observed by the Seneca Indians. When I first came among them, the chi efs invited me to all their celebrations. For some time (when I could make it convenient) I attended in hopes of obtaining information con cerni ng their ceremonies. All the information I could obtain from their interpreter was, that all related to the things their fathers taught them many years ago. “So our fathers worshiped the Great Spirit!” This was all the account they could give. I neglected their meetings. After I read Dr. Boudinot’s ‘Star in the West,’ I again atten ded their r eligious ceremonies, to see if I could discern w hat he had represented. In 1818, a general religious excitement commenced among the Senecas. They attempted to understand and reform their old religious rites, rather than receive Christianity. This brought together their wise men, who were best acquainted with their my steries. They spent much time to investigate their religion, its origin and what it taught, and to what it would avail. They found themselves in volved in darkness. O f the meanin g of the words they used in their dan ces, and divine songs, they were wholly ignorant. They used the words, Y-O-He-Wah, and Hal-le-lu-yah, as Dr. Boudinot has represented of other Indians. They became dissatisfied with their old rites, and consented that they would take the book which the white people call the word of God, to throw light on their path. This was the commencement of Christianity among the Sen ecas. This in its progress brought in two who had officiated as high priest in their religious ceremonies. With these I have had frequent opportunities. They have given me, I believe, an unreserved account of all they know of their ancient religion. Their wish has been to obtain information whether any thing is found in our scriptures similar to their religion. They have been firmly persuaded that they are the people of God; but that they have lost their way , and are bewildered in darkness. They call themselves, Hung-gwa-o-way;--i.e. the real people. p.vii In all their rites which I have learned from them, there is certainly a most striking similitude to the Mosaic ri tuals. T heir feasts of first fru its; feasts of ingathering; day of atonement; peace offerin gs; sacrifi ces. They build an altar of stone before a tent covered with blankets; within the tent they burn tobacco for incense, with fire taken from the altar of burnt offering. All who have seen a dead human body are considered unclean eight days; which time they are excluded from the congregation. These Senecas observe their separations of females, as you notice of other Indians in your book. These Indians are well acquainted, that formerly places like cities of refuge existed among them. An old chief show ed me the boundaries of one of them. I could fill sheets with details; but it would be unnecessary. p.vii I remain y ours in the bonds of the Gospel, JABEZ B. HYDE. Rev.
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