5. She would fain see the dress of the daughters of the land, which dress is no other than the heathenish wisdom and philosophy; and would draw the same into Christ's kingdom, and would live under Christ's purple mantle, in those rites and customs, and trim herself therewith, and thereby quite forget that her tents and habitations are without the city of these peoples' customs, as Jacob dwelt without, before the city of Hamor (Gen. xxxiii. 18); and also Christ said, His kingdom was not of this world (John xviii. 36).
6. But this Christendom would set her heart upon the kingdom of this world, and so, in the dress of a virgin, trim herself with many churches, priests and ceremonies, under the habit of a virgin; but in this departure from the simplicity and humility of Christ, she would but gad abroad in the world, and look after fleshly whoredom; as Dinah did, which is a type of fleshly Christendom, which is always born after the true children of Christ: as Dinah was born after the twelve patriarchs. That is:
7. When Christendom is born and manifested among a people, it begets in that place, first, the twelve patriarchs, viz. the ground of the Apostolic doctrine. But when she mixes again with the heathenish wise men, and with the lust of the flesh, then that place begets a Dinah, viz. a whoredom with Christ; that is, a seeming Christian, yet the heart is but a whore; and then this whore goes abroad gadding to find the habitations of that people. That is:
8. She seeks again the heathenish ground, and mixes herself with the heathen, and is with child by the heathenish philosophy, and brings forth a bastard, half Christian and half heathenish, viz. a new sect or doctrine, which does not fully agree in form with the first customs of that people among whom it did spring forth; and yet in her heart is no whit better than they.
9. And then this people raise themselves up against that strange opinion, and cry out in anger, These have deflowered our sister Dinah, and have made her a whore, and are enraged against the newfound opinion, as the sons of Jacob against Shechem; and with fighting and the sword, with storming and cursing, run on against the deflowerer of their sister Dinah, and murder him; and not only him, but all the males that are with him, as Jacob's sons did the Hamorites. And then the innocent must thus suffer with the guilty; to signify that they all of them, both the one and the other, live in such religious whoredom. For the whore, for whose sake they take vengeance, is their sister, and born of their stock, as Dinah their sister was, and they came of one mother.
10. We see here eminently the type of contentious Christendom, how Christendom would be headstrong and furious in opinions, and that, in great blindness; and not know wherefore, and would not see themselves, that they thus rage in their own whoredom, and strive not about the power of true Christianity, as about the true Christian life; but about their contrived opinions, as about their sister Dinah, which goes abroad gadding from them, and gazes upon the strange opinions; and cry out upon the opinion for a whore, and yet see not how they should help their sister's heart, wherein sticks the lust of whoredom. As Jacob's sons did not see how to help the evil, that their sister might save her credit; and though Hamor and Shechem sent to them to give her a dowry, and would marry their sister, and love her, and be circumcised, and become one people with them, and would perform all love, faithfulness and friendship towards them, yet all this did not help.
5. She would fain see the dress of the daughters of the land, which dress is no other than the heathenish wisdom and philosophy; and would draw the same into Christ's kingdom, and would live under Christ's purple mantle, in those rites and customs, and trim herself therewith, and thereby quite forget that her tents and habitations are without the city of these peoples' customs, as Jacob dwelt without, before the city of Hamor (Gen. xxxiii. 18); and also Christ said, His kingdom was not of this world (John xviii. 36).
6. But this Christendom would set her heart upon the kingdom of this world, and so, in the dress of a virgin, trim herself with many churches, priests and ceremonies, under the habit of a virgin; but in this departure from the simplicity and humility of Christ, she would but gad abroad in the world, and look after fleshly whoredom; as Dinah did, which is a type of fleshly Christendom, which is always born after the true children of Christ: as Dinah was born after the twelve patriarchs. That is:
7. When Christendom is born and manifested among a people, it begets in that place, first, the twelve patriarchs, viz. the ground of the Apostolic doctrine. But when she mixes again with the heathenish wise men, and with the lust of the flesh, then that place begets a Dinah, viz. a whoredom with Christ; that is, a seeming Christian, yet the heart is but a whore; and then this whore goes abroad gadding to find the habitations of that people. That is:
8. She seeks again the heathenish ground, and mixes herself with the heathen, and is with child by the heathenish philosophy, and brings forth a bastard, half Christian and half heathenish, viz. a new sect or doctrine, which does not fully agree in form with the first customs of that people among whom it did spring forth; and yet in her heart is no whit better than they.
9. And then this people raise themselves up against that strange opinion, and cry out in anger, These have deflowered our sister Dinah, and have made her a whore, and are enraged against the newfound opinion, as the sons of Jacob against Shechem; and with fighting and the sword, with storming and cursing, run on against the deflowerer of their sister Dinah, and murder him; and not only him, but all the males that are with him, as Jacob's sons did the Hamorites. And then the innocent must thus suffer with the guilty; to signify that they all of them, both the one and the other, live in such religious whoredom. For the whore, for whose sake they take vengeance, is their sister, and born of their stock, as Dinah their sister was, and they came of one mother.
10. We see here eminently the type of contentious Christendom, how Christendom would be headstrong and furious in opinions, and that, in great blindness; and not know wherefore, and would not see themselves, that they thus rage in their own whoredom, and strive not about the power of true Christianity, as about the true Christian life; but about their contrived opinions, as about their sister Dinah, which goes abroad gadding from them, and gazes upon the strange opinions; and cry out upon the opinion for a whore, and yet see not how they should help their sister's heart, wherein sticks the lust of whoredom. As Jacob's sons did not see how to help the evil, that their sister might save her credit; and though Hamor and Shechem sent to them to give her a dowry, and would marry their sister, and love her, and be circumcised, and become one people with them, and would perform all love, faithfulness and friendship towards them, yet all this did not help.
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