Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1869-04-29
THE MUDDY DUNGEON.


jeremiah and cast dim into the dungeon Of
the son of Hammelcsch, that was
n the court Of the prison and they let
lown jeremiah with cords And in the
1ungeon there was no water but mirc; so
Jeremiah sunk In the mire.
That dungeon was pi. or cistern, in
which no water remained, but only the mud |
which gathers at the bottom of every well |
or other receptacle for water. Into this
narrow, dark, Uncomfortable, disgusting
place, Jeremiah was put by his enemies.
FIe had not broken any law, but he had of
Tended those men by his fearless dcnuncia
tons of their sins and prophecies Of evil TO
come because of their transgressons He
had served his God and his country, and was
the iruest friend his nation had in thai hour
Of impending calamity, when the woes that
follow wickcdness were falling upon the I'M
happy people of Israel. Nevertheless, TO
him, innocent, patriotic, divinely commits
stoned, there was given just such treatment
as the prison discipline of that time afforded
alike TO the criminal and to him who was
guillcss before the law.
Two points characterize that discipline
First it was cruel, and second II was need
lessly cruel. l need not dwell upon the
cruelty. Bring 1t home TO yourself Imagine
yourself lowered into such dark and
nosomc den as that, sinking to the knees or
deeper, in the accumulated mire of years, the
chill striking to your verj heart, your sight
offended by the hateful, Shiny, crawling
things around you, and your sense of smell
outraged by the unwholesome odors that
assail you, with no opportunity 10 lie down
or even sit down, cramps and aches and
pains of body with great pangs of mental
horror for your only companions-and see
il you cannot consistently and rightly pro.
nouncc it cruelty to put man in such II
place
Then further ii was unnecessary cruelty,
because as the sequel proved there
was place in which the prophet
could be held prisoner eficciually,
and really without such indigniics aud dis
comforts being haaped upon him. Some IF
his friends complained TO the King, who
thereupon gave command that Jeremiah
should be taken up out oil the dungeon lest
he should tie Alter that he remained in
the court or inner yard Of the prison
Bat have little Indignation To poul on,
upon those men who treated the prophet So
harshly; little comment to make upon that
ancient system of prison discipline, except
sufar as il is reproduced in modern fines and
in enlightened and Christian communities
In that old time of clouds md darkness
when the beams of the true light were r,in,
and few. and over the clearc.i vision i,,,,
the veil of inpcrlrc, kno,ylc1,c su,h ,hi,,.
could be tolerated with many ,,her .i,,. a.,
faults But they are intolerablr in ,his IA,
of radiant brightness when by nr.ron, am
example, word and ACT. our In,a ,,,
Saviour Jesus Christ has shown n. n ,n,,,
excellent way. Ifamong us there rxis, an,
such wrongs and evils Is were prlc,ical i,
prison discipline in the DAYS of ,Ier.mi., !
is high time that We nut them AVA. r,,,,. -,
ms beloncinu "a an o,.ia,, a;s"....,,;.,.
ayowedlv taken AWAY ,o m,lo ,,,, H..
better "Yc have heard that 4, .,,h h.,,
said. Thon shal, love M ,o;r,,,,,,..,l.,
thine enemy. But saw pn,n ,,,n 1a,,
vour enemies b,,ss ,h,,,, ,,,,, ,,,,.'. !,
.aal l., MN, ,a, ''e' ~
them which desni,eru,lv usn yor a,r $780, =,
cute YOU. that We NAV hc M ch,ldran y
of your Father which is i, lIoa,a,,', g., A.,