18. Imagine for a moment, and give to the
eye the power to withdraw the understanding from the head, the sense of
hearing from the ears, the power of thought from the mind, the sense of
smell from the nose, the sense of taste from the mouth, and then to
assume them itself, would it not at once destroy the whole order of
nature? Wherefore the Apostle says well: “If the
whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were
hearing, where were the smelling?” 1 Cor. xii. 17. So, then, we are all one body,
though with many members, all necessary to the body. For no one
member can say of another: “I have no need of
thee.” For those members which seem to be more feeble are
much more necessary and require greater care and attention. And
if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. 1 Cor. xii. 26.