20. Preceding the first quotation we made from Paul,[135] he compares the church of Christ to the body of a man, which, though it be composed of many members, yet it is but one body, and all the members thereof are needful to it. "The eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee; nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of thee. Nay, much more, those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary." This is equivalent to saying that the apostle cannot say to the elder, I have no need of thee; nor the deacon to the bishop, I have no need of thee; nor the seventy to the priest, I have no need of thee. The argument is that all the offices, even those which seem the least necessary, are all needful to the existence of the church of Christ, and everyone is forbidden to hold as unnecessary his brother officer. {94} 21. Moreover, the apostle insists that there should be the same bond of sympathy between the members of the church of Christ that there is in the members of the human body; that there should be no schism in it, and that the members should have a care one for another; that when one member suffers all the members suffer with it; or if one member be honored all rejoice with it. 22. In another description of the church the same writer after saying again that God had given to men "some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers"--he also enumerates the objects for which this peculiar organization was given: 1. For the perfecting of the Saints. 2. The work of the ministry. 3. Edifying the body of Christ. 4. To prevent the saints being carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive. 23. He very plainly intimates, too, that this organization was designed to be perpetuated until the saints all come to the "unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God--unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." [136] Furthermore, we suggest that it must be obvious, since the church organization was given to perfect the saints, to the work of the ministry, to edify the body of Christ, to prevent the saints being carried about by every wind of doctrine or being deceived by cunning men--that so long as there are saints who need perfecting, so long as there is a necessity for work in the ministry, so long as the church of Christ needs edifying, or the saints need to be guarded from heresy, or the deceitfulness of false teachers--just so long will this organization of the church with apostles and prophets, seventies, and elders, bishops and teachers and deacons be needed; and since the kinds of work enumerated in the foregoing will always be necessary, we reach the conclusion that the Church organization as established {95} by the apostles was designed to be perpetual. (See note 5, end of section).