Volume 2

The Living Water 185
souls of Samaria, in order to refresh them with the living
waters frool which they had cut themselves off. It was
that portion of the rebellious sect still open to salvation
that here thirsted after this living water and, in a certain
\\'ay, reached out an open hand to receive it. Sanlaria
spoke through Dina: ""Give Ine, 0 Lord, the Blessing of
the Promise! Help ITIe to obtain the living water fronl
which I may receive more consolation than from this
temporal Well of Jacob, through which alone we still
have communication with the Jews."
\\tben Dina had thus spoken, Jesus said to her: "'Go
home, call thy husband, and come back hither!" and I
heard Him give the command twice, because it was not
to instruct her alone that He had come. In this command
the Redeemer addressed the whole sect: "'Samaria, call
hither him to WhOOl thou belongest, him who by a holy
contract is lawfully bound to thee."Dina replied to the
Lord: ""I have no husband!"
Samaria confessed to the Bridegroom of souls that she
had no contract, that she belonged to no one. Jesus
replied: ""Thou hast said well, for thou hast had five husbands,
and he with whom thou now livest is not thy husband.
Thou hast spoken truly." In these words the
Messiah said to the sect: '''Samaria, thou speakest the
truth. Thou hast been espoused to the idols of five
different nations, and thy present alliance with God is no
marriage contract."2 Here Dina, lowering her eyes and
hanging her head, answered: ""Sir, I see th-at Thou art a
Prophet," and she drew down her veil. The Samaritan
sect recognized the divine mission of the Lord, and confessed
its own guilt.
As if Dina understood the prophetic meaning of Jesus'
words: "'and he with whom thou livest is not thy husband,"
that is, thy actual connection with the true God is
imperfect and illegal, the religion of the Samaritans has
by sin and self-will been separated from God's covenant