To make his nearness to the apostles clear to your mind, consider, that Roger Williams, for example, established himself at Providence in 1636, say two hundred and twenty years ago; yet how perfectly informed we are of his opinions and history.

But Origen, born eighty-five years only after the death of John, knew, of course, the established practices of the apostles, which had come down through so short a space of time.

"His grandfather, if not his father, must have lived in the apostles' day.

It was not, therefore, necessary for him to go out of his own family, to learn what was the practice of the apostles.

He knew whether he had himself been baptized, if we may judge from his writings, and he must have known the views of his father and grandfather on the subject.