16. They suppose, when they can with power rescue and keep their opinions, and though indeed the whoredom in their opinion is laid naked, that it is weakened and blemished; yet they will have their Dinah to be taken for a virgin, and though her shame of whoredom be open to the daylight, yet they will defend the same with the sword, and with slaughter. As we see before our eyes, and the present strife intimates no less, but that it is manifest that Dinah is become a whore, viz. titulary Christendom that plays the whore in the presence of God, and has lost her virgin chastity, and the purity of her conscience. And so at present the brethren of this Dinah fight for her, and will preserve her honour and reputation with the sword and with killing; and will murder all those who do deflower and defame their Dinah.
17. This Dinah is at present nothing else but the stone churches and great colleges of their ministers, wherein men use the name of Christ, but seek thereby only their own honour, voluptuousness, and good days,l how a man may be honoured in the world.
1 Fat days.
18. For the true Apostolic temple is the temple of Jesus Christ, viz. the new man, who lives in righteousness and purity before God, who walks in humility and in the simplicity of Christ. And his ministers are such as do declare the peace in the love of Jesus Christ, who labour that the deflowered Dinah might be married with Shechem, and that Hamor and Shechem with their males might also become Christians; who leave the sword in its sheath, and teach with the meek and gentle spirit of Jesus Christ; and show instead of the murdering sword the spirit of cleansing, how this deflowered Dinah might get Christian honour again, and be married to her Bridegroom.
19. Behold, O Christendom! the spirit has set this before you in the figure of the twelve patriarchs, and signifies that you would do thus: not that you should do it. Though this strife must come, that the true children of Christ might be exercised and made manifest; otherwise if no strife did arise among the Christians, all wicked men could appear as Christians. But the strife makes it manifest that the false ground of verbal Christians is brought to light, and they are distinguished from the true children of Christ; which will be also a witness against them at the Last Day of judgement.
20. Man's true Christianity stands in the inward ground of the soul in the ground of man, not in the ostentation and fashions of this world, but in the power of well-doing in the spirit and conscience.
21. The strife wherewith a true Christian strives is only the spirit of righteousness, which casts away from it the falsehood and wickedness in flesh and blood, and suffers and endures all things willingly for Christ's sake, who dwells in it; that it may not live to itself; and please itself; and have satisfaction in itself; and triumph with the earthly Lucifer; but that he please God his Creator in Christ Jesus.
22. He has nothing in this world to strive for, for nothing is his own. For in Christ he is not of this world, but as the Scripture says, Our conversation is in heaven (Phil. iii. 20). All things for which and wherewith he strives is about the earthly, voluptuous, fleshly Lucifer, in the mortal flesh and blood. For Christ says, His kingdom is not of this world (John xviii. 36). So also a Christian's kingdom, so far as he is a Christian, is not of this world, but in Christ in God.
23. Therefore now all the strife of Christians is only about their Dinah, viz. about their fleshly whoredom. A Christian ought not to strive otherwise than in spirit and power against the ways of unrighteousness and falsehood.
24. Outward war that Christians make is heathenish, and is done for the bestial mortal man's sake. For immortality cannot be attained or kept with the sword and forces, but with prayer, and with entering into the fear of God. But the earthly Lucifer strives about the belly, and about worldly honour and pleasure, wherein Christ is not; but
16. They suppose, when they can with power rescue and keep their opinions, and though indeed the whoredom in their opinion is laid naked, that it is weakened and blemished; yet they will have their Dinah to be taken for a virgin, and though her shame of whoredom be open to the daylight, yet they will defend the same with the sword, and with slaughter. As we see before our eyes, and the present strife intimates no less, but that it is manifest that Dinah is become a whore, viz. titulary Christendom that plays the whore in the presence of God, and has lost her virgin chastity, and the purity of her conscience. And so at present the brethren of this Dinah fight for her, and will preserve her honour and reputation with the sword and with killing; and will murder all those who do deflower and defame their Dinah.
17. This Dinah is at present nothing else but the stone churches and great colleges of their ministers, wherein men use the name of Christ, but seek thereby only their own honour, voluptuousness, and good days,l how a man may be honoured in the world.
1 Fat days.
18. For the true Apostolic temple is the temple of Jesus Christ, viz. the new man, who lives in righteousness and purity before God, who walks in humility and in the simplicity of Christ. And his ministers are such as do declare the peace in the love of Jesus Christ, who labour that the deflowered Dinah might be married with Shechem, and that Hamor and Shechem with their males might also become Christians; who leave the sword in its sheath, and teach with the meek and gentle spirit of Jesus Christ; and show instead of the murdering sword the spirit of cleansing, how this deflowered Dinah might get Christian honour again, and be married to her Bridegroom.
19. Behold, O Christendom! the spirit has set this before you in the figure of the twelve patriarchs, and signifies that you would do thus: not that you should do it. Though this strife must come, that the true children of Christ might be exercised and made manifest; otherwise if no strife did arise among the Christians, all wicked men could appear as Christians. But the strife makes it manifest that the false ground of verbal Christians is brought to light, and they are distinguished from the true children of Christ; which will be also a witness against them at the Last Day of judgement.
20. Man's true Christianity stands in the inward ground of the soul in the ground of man, not in the ostentation and fashions of this world, but in the power of well-doing in the spirit and conscience.
21. The strife wherewith a true Christian strives is only the spirit of righteousness, which casts away from it the falsehood and wickedness in flesh and blood, and suffers and endures all things willingly for Christ's sake, who dwells in it; that it may not live to itself; and please itself; and have satisfaction in itself; and triumph with the earthly Lucifer; but that he please God his Creator in Christ Jesus.
22. He has nothing in this world to strive for, for nothing is his own. For in Christ he is not of this world, but as the Scripture says, Our conversation is in heaven (Phil. iii. 20). All things for which and wherewith he strives is about the earthly, voluptuous, fleshly Lucifer, in the mortal flesh and blood. For Christ says, His kingdom is not of this world (John xviii. 36). So also a Christian's kingdom, so far as he is a Christian, is not of this world, but in Christ in God.
23. Therefore now all the strife of Christians is only about their Dinah, viz. about their fleshly whoredom. A Christian ought not to strive otherwise than in spirit and power against the ways of unrighteousness and falsehood.
24. Outward war that Christians make is heathenish, and is done for the bestial mortal man's sake. For immortality cannot be attained or kept with the sword and forces, but with prayer, and with entering into the fear of God. But the earthly Lucifer strives about the belly, and about worldly honour and pleasure, wherein Christ is not; but
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