by Him doth this man stand here before you whole. 11. This is the
stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become
the head of the corner. 12. Neither is there salvation in any
other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men,
whereby we must be saved. 13. Now when they saw the boldness of
Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and
ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them,
that they had been with Jesus. 14. And beholding the man which
was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against
it.'--ACTS iv. 1-14.

Hitherto the Jewish authorities had let the disciples alone, either
because their attention had not been drawn even by Pentecost and the
consequent growth of the Church, or because they thought that to
ignore the new sect was the best way to end it. But when its leaders
took to vehement preaching in Solomon's porch, and crowds eagerly
listened, it was time to strike in.

Our passage describes the first collision of hostile authority with
Christian faith, and shows, as in a glass, the constant result of
that collision in all ages.

The motives actuating the assailants are significantly analysed, and
may be distributed among the three classes enumerated. The priests
and the captain of the Temple would be annoyed by the very fact that
Peter and John taught the people: the former, because they were
jealous of their official prerogative: the latter, because he was
responsible for public order, and a riot in the Temple court would
have been a scandal. The Saddueees were indignant at the substance of
the teaching, which affirmed the resurrection of the dead, which they