Acts iv. 18 — 20. And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
WHEN we see the enmity of the human heart against religion in these days, we are ready to impute some blame to the persons in whom that religion is displayed : it scarcely seems possible that a thing so excellent and beautiful as true religion should be an object of offence. But if we look back to the first establishment of Christianity, we find that the same aversion to it was then manifested by ungodly men, even though it was exhibited in the purest form, and was recommended by the most beneficent and stu- pendous miracles. In the history before us we see in a very striking view, I. The force of prejudice —
Nothing can be conceived more unreasonable than the conduct of the Jewish Rulers towards the Apo- stles—
[They saw that a wonderful miracle had been wrought in confirmation of the doctrine which the Apostles preached3. Now what line of conduct would candour have prescribed ? Would not any person under its influence have inquired about the doctrine, and compared it with the Holy Scriptures? Would he not have examined carefully whether there was any real connexion between the miracle and the doctrine, and whether it was indeed a testimony from Heaven to the truth of Christianity ? But behold how the Jewish rulers acted on that occasion: they imprisoned the Apostles, tried them as criminals, disregarded all evidence in their favour, and, when they could not subvert the doctrine by argument, determined to suppress it by authority. They would have proceeded even to punish the preachers of it, if they had not been afraid of exciting discontent among the people : it was fear alone, and not equity, that prevented them from proceeding to yet severer
a vor. 16.