The Pulpit Commentary — Mark — Volume 1 — Section 42

intercourse of the day will not be overtaken or surprised by evil. Better lose a little tileep thrm the restful communion of the Father. 2. His departure wa.~ .,ecret. There was no consulting with flesh and blood. There are inward prornpting3 and voices concerning which no earthly advice should be asked. It is possible that" Simon and they that were with him " were not a little disconcerted and annoyed that they had to oeek for him; but even their presence would have been a hindrance. 'l'he solemn yet fascinating individualism of true prayer is not realized as it might be. Secret prayer is the background of earnest and real common prayer. In this matter we have not only the example but the injunction of Christ (Matt. vi. 6). 3. Not only the actual presence of men but human associations were avoided. "He departed into a. desert place." Such a. situation, as formerly the weird solitudes of the Quaritanian Desert, harmonized with his spiritual mood. Wide upland spaces, far withdrawn, brought him nearer to the Unseen and Eternal, afforded larger views, spiritual as well M physical, and favoured the ideality and inwardness that are essenti:1.1 to a great spirit, "The silence that is in the starry sky, The sleep that is among the lonely hills," were an anodyne to his fretted and troubled heart; in nature he met God. Such a. spot could only have been found at a distance, and this is further implied by the -0ircumstance of the others following after hil.ll, and their message, "All are seeking thee." Lessons : (1) Opportunities for secret prayer will be prized and even created by devout minds. (2) If the purest and grandest moral Being the world has seen needed such. communion with his Father, how much more such a.~ we 1 (3) God must be sought dili- gently, and before all else, if he is to be sought effectually. ( 4) How difficult of access and realization is the oratory of the soul, where dtvotion may be free from earthliness, con- tinuous and uninterrupted 1-M. Vers. 14, 15.-The ministry of, mercy. Our text reminds us of the significant fact that Jesus began his ministry in Galilee, and not in Jerusalem, as the Jews might have expected of their Messiah. In the city where the sacred temple stood there was far less of the earnestness and simplicity which our Lord sought for than among the rural peasants and fishermen. Hence his work was begun and was largely continued in a district which was poor and despised. 'l'his, however, was only in harmony with much that we know of God's methods; for "his ways are not as our ways." As the Creator of all things, he bas placed some of the most beautiful products of nature in obscure spots. We find them in secluded dells, or in the depths of the earth and sea, or they are hidden under the curl of a leaf, or buried in a pool among the rocks. Some of the noblest Christians are to be found in quiet spheres of which the world knows nothing ; and some of the highest work has been done for our Lord in obscure villages, or in lands out of the range of tours and t.rades. Besides this, the se!ection of -Galilee as the earliest scene of our Lord's ministry was an indication of its nature. It -was a tacit rebuke to the carnal expectations current among the people concerning their '.Messiah ; and, in giving an opportunity to the degraded and despised provincials, it showed that he had come "to seek and save that which was lost." Several significant facts respecting his ministry are suggested by the text, namely- I. THIS MINISTRY FOLLOWED UPON A TIME OF TERRIBLE TEMPTATION. The verse -immediately preceding this puts in vivid contrast temptation in solitude and ministry in public. Loneliness of spirit is a fit preparation for publicity of life; and our Lord, who was in all points made like unto his brethren, deigned to share this experi- ·ence. Joseph was a solitary prisoner before be became a ruling prince. Moses passed i'rom the splendours of Egypt to the quietude of Midian before he became a leader and lawgiver. David was a persecuted exile before he was ready for enthronement. Paul was three years in Arabia before he was the apostle to the Gentiles. Our Lord spoke of suoh inward preparation for outward work when he said to his disciples, " What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light; and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops." Public work is only safe when precrcled by privata prayer. True teaching can only come from those who are first taught of God. Without personal -experience of inward strug;;lcs and victories, we shall never spca.k to others with  38 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MAUK. [oH. L 1-45.