The Fountain of Life Opened

To open and prepare this last act of preparation on Christs part, for our use; I shall at this time speak to these particulars. First, The place where he prayed. Secondly, The time when he prayed, Thirdly, The matter of his prayer. And Lastly, The manner how he prayed.

First, For the circumstance of place, where was this last, and remarkable prayer poured out to God? It was in the Garden,¹ St. Matthew tells us it was called Gethsemane, which signifies (as Pareus on the place observes) the Valley of fatness viz. of Olives, which grew in that Valley or Garden most plentifully. This Garden lay very near to the City of Jerusalem. The City had twelve gates, five of which were on the east side of it, among which the most remarkable were the fountain-gate, ²so called of the fountain Silo. Through this gate, Christ rode into the City in triumph, when he came from Bethany. The other was the sheep-gate, so called from the multitude of sheep driven in at it for the Sacrifice; for it stood close by the Temple, and close by this gate was this Garden called Gethsemane: where they apprehended Christ, and led him through this gate, as a sheep to the slaughter. Betwixt this Garden and the City, ran the brook Cedron, which rose from an hill upon the south, and ran upon the east part of the City, between Jerusalem, and the mount of Olives: and over this brook Christ passed into the Garden, Joh. 18.1. to which the Psalmist alludes in Psal. 110.7. He shall drink of the brook in the way, therefore shall he lift up the head. For this brook running through the Valley of Jehoshaphat, that fertile soil, together with the filth of the City, which it washed away, gave the waters a black tincture, and so, fitly resembled those grievous sufferings of Christ, in which he tasted both the wrath of God and men.