Explication of the Judicial Laws of Moses, Part 1 · Chapter 35
CHAPTER XXXV. Of their priſons and places of puniſhment.
GEN. 39. 20. And Ioſephs Maſter tooke him, and put him into the priſon: a place where the Kings priſoners were bound.
THey had ſundry ſorts of Priſons; firſt, they hadOf their place of puniſhment. Warding, as Shimei was confined not to come over the brooke Kedron; and, Abiather in Anathoth, and he who killed caſually was confined in theThree ſorts of Priſons among the Iewes. Citie of Refuge; this was a free ſort of Priſon, at the firſt Carcer non erat pars paenae, the Priſon was not a part of the puniſhment.
Secondly, they had another ſort of Priſon, in which they were more reſtrained than in the Ward, they were kept in Priſon, but others had acceſſe to them, as when Iohn was in Priſon, his Diſciples had acceſſe to him; ſo Paul was in bonds, but yet he begot Oneſimus in his bonds, Phil. 1.
Thirdly, they had a more ſtraite Priſon called foreign, Cuſtodia, a cloſe Priſon.
And fourthly, they had a deepe or a low pit; the Greekes called it Barathrum in Athens, and at Rome it was called Tullianum; ſuch was that Priſon in which Ieremie was let downe with cords in a Dungeon, where was no water but myre, Iere. 38. 6. And Zacharie alludethAlluſion. to this, Zach. 9.. 11. As for thee alſo by the bloud of thy Covenant, I hauehave ſent forth thy Priſoners out of the Pit wherein is no water.
There were ſome Priſons within the Citie of Ieruſalem, See Nehem. 3. 25.and ſome without the Citie; within the Citie, as the houſe of Ionathan, which was neere the Kings Palace,Some Priſons within, and ſome without the walles of Ieruſalem. Iere. 37. 15. So the Dungeon of Malchior, the ſon of Hammelech, Iere. 38. 6. So they had Priſons without the gate, as that Priſon wherein Peter was put, Act. 12. 10. And when they had paſſed the firſt and the ſecond Ward, (that is, the quaternions of Souldiers that kept him) they came unto the yron gate that leadeth unto the Citie: this Priſon was without the gate neare Mount Calvarie, and it was the loathſomeſt and vileſt Priſon of all, for in it the theeues who were carried to Calvarie to be executed were kept. And Chriſt alludeth to this Priſon,Alluſion. Mat. 25. 30. Caſt him into utter darkeneſſe, where there ſhall be weeping and wailing, and gnaſhing of teeth: which Alluſion could not be underſtood, unleſſe there had beene a darke Priſon without the Citie, where was utter darkeneſſe.
Now let us compare Ezechiels Ward, Cap. 4. Ieremies A difference betwixt three ſorts of Priſons.Priſons, Iere. 37. and 38. and Peters Priſon, Act. 12.
Ezechiel when he was warded in his owne houſe byTheſe things were not done in viſion but really, for when he ſaith a thing was done in viſion, he ſaith, in ſimilitudine onelyonly. the Lord, Cap. 3. 24. Firſt, he was commanded to ſtay in his owne houſe; ſecondly, he was commanded to lie three hundreth and ninetie dayes upon his left ſide, Cap. 4. 4. and fortie dayes upon his right ſide, Verſ. 6. Then for his dyet, he is commanded to take wheat, barley, and beanes, and lentils, and millet, and fetches, and to put them all in one veſſell, & to make bread of them, Verſ. 9. there was no choiſe of bread here, and then to cover and bake it with mans dung, Verſ. 12. or at the leaſt with cowes dung, Verſ. 15. And for the quantitie, he ſhould eate it by meaſure, twentie ſhekels weight every day, Verſ. 10. which was ten ounces; and his drinke was by meaſure the ſixt part of an Hin of water, Verſ. 11. which was as much as twelue egges would hold.
Now let us ſee how Ieremie was handled in his Priſon, Shemajah gaue commandement by a Letter to put him in the ſtockes, Iere. 29. 26. In the Hebrew it is [El-hazinok] navis ſugentis, as yee would ſay, the ſhipforeign of the ſucker, they cloſed the Priſoner betweene two boords, and they gaue him ſome liquor in the meane time to preſerue his life. So Iere. 11. 19. Mittamus lignum in panem ejus; Chaldeus, proijciamus lignum, that is, if he will, let him eate the ſtockes, he ſhall hauehave no other bread▪ or, corrumpamus penem ejus, the engliſh tranlation hath it, let us deſtroy the ſtalke with his bread; and Ieremie was in a deepe Dungeon where he ſtood in myre and clay, Iere. 38. 6. So they uſed to put them in the ſtockes; they were at the firſt called Nervi, becauſe they were made of the ſinewes of beaſts, and afterwards they were made of yron, Pſal. 105. 18. whoſe feete they hurt with fetters, he was laid in yron.
Then for Peters Priſon, it was utter darkeneſſe, withoutPeters Priſon a loathſome Priſon. the Citie, that the ſtench and filthineſſe of theſe priſoners might not be offenſiue to the Citizens, the moſt loathſome Priſon of all, and the darkeſt Priſon, and therefore a great wonder when the light ſhined in it, Act. 12. 7.
There are three Priſons; firſt, our mothers belly, inThree ſorts of Priſons. which we are firſt Priſoners; and ſecondly, the graue; and thirdly, the Priſon of the wicked in hell.
This firſt priſon it is a ſtraite priſon; it was a great preſervation when Ionas was preſerved three dayes in the Whales bellie, the weeds being wrapped about his head, and the earth with her barres cloſed him round about, Ionah 2. 5. Yet his life was brought up from corruption; it is as wonderfull a preſervation in our mothers belly how we ſhould liue, being ſo wrapped there and preſerved from corruption; he was but kept there three dayes, but man is kept nine moneths.
Our ſecond Priſon is the graue, Ionas was kept in theThe graue a ſtrong Priſon. Whales belly with jawes and teeth; Peter was kept in the Priſon with foure quaternions of Souldiers; but man is kept within this Priſon with a more terrible guard, when the body is ſowne in corruption, in diſhonour, and in weakeneſſe, 1 Cor. 15. 43. And oftentimes with ſinne the greateſt enemie of all, Iob 10. 11. their ſinnes lie downe in the duſt with them, that is, in the graue, this Priſon keepeth a man ſure.
The laſt Priſon is that of the wicked in hell; manHell a terrible and fearefull Priſon. when he dyeth is ſaid to returne to his owne earth. Pſ. 146. 4. That is, he hath right to the earth, becauſe he was made of the earth, and he muſt returne to it againe; So the wicked hauehave right to hell, it is their proper inheritance, Iudas went to his owne place, Act. 1. 35.
A childe when he is in his mothers belly, his firſt priſon, although he be wrapped up there, and cloſely kept, yet he hath a kinde and louing keeper, his mother; but the graue is a terrible keeper and an enemie, 1 Cor. 15. 26. Yet this enemie muſt render up her dead againe; & even as the Whale ſpued out Ionas, becauſe he could not concoct him; ſo ſhall the graue caſt up her dead againe, not being able to concoct them; but there is no redemption out of hell the laſt priſon: In other Priſons, men hauehave found ſome mitigation and favour, but never any in this priſon. Ioſeph was put in fetters, the yron entered into his ſoule, Pſal. 105. 18. That is, the yron cut his fleſh, and came as it were to the ſoule; but the Lord was with him, and extended kindneſſe unto him, and gaue him favour in the ſight of the Keeper of the Priſon, Gen. 39. 21. But in this priſon the Lord is not with them, neither finde they any favour in the eyes of their Keeper; but as the Task-maiſters doubled the Taske upon the poore Iſraelites in Egypt, and were heavie exactors over them, and ſaid daily to them, Get you to your burthens; ſo theſe fiends of hell are rigorous exactors over the wicked: Ieremie when he was in a deepe Priſon, yet he had Ebedmelech to intercede for him, Iere. 38. 7. but none doe intercede for the wicked. Peter was in a darke Priſon, yet the light did ſhine about him, his fetters fell off from him, & the Angell led him forth, and ſet him free; But in hell, there is no light nor no redemption out of it.
The concluſion of this is; as Ieremie prayed unto the Concluſion. King Zedechias, that he would not cauſe him to returne to the houſe of Ionathan the Scribe (which was the priſon) leſt he died there, Iere. 27. 20. So let us put up our ſupplications to the Lord, that he would not ſend us into that eternall Priſon to die for ever.