Second Exception against the miraculousness of the Cure of this blind Man, which is, that Jesus used human means for the Cure of him; which means, whether they were at all proper and effectual in themselves, do affect the Credit of the Miracle, and give occasion of suspicion, that it was Art and not divine Power that heal'd him, or Jesus, for his Honour, had never had recourse to the use of them. And what were those Means, or that Medicine, which Jesus made use of? Why, "He spit upon the Ground, and made a Balsam of Dirt and Spittle, and anointed the poor Man's Eyes with it, and he recover'd." A strange and odd sort of an Ointment, that I believe was never used before, nor since, for sore and blind Eyes! I am not Student enough in Physick and Surgery to account for the natural and rational use of this Balsam; but wish that skilful Professors of those Sciences would help me out at this difficulty. If they could rationally account for the use of this Eye-salve, tho' it was by supposing, that Jesus imperceptibly had in his Mouth a proper unctuous and balsamick Substance, which he dissolv'd into Spittle, they would do great service to a certain Cause; and I wonder none of them, whether well or ill affected to Religion, have as yet bent their Thoughts to it.
In the Practice of Physick and Surgery, there are sometimes very odd and unaccountable Medicaments made use of; and now-and-then very whimsical and seemingly ridiculous ones, by old Women, to good Purpose: But none of them are to be compared to Jesus's Balsam for sore Eyes. I have heard of a merry Mountebank of Distinction, whose catholick Medicine was Hasty-Pudding, which indeed is a notable Remedy against the Esuriency of the Stomach, that the Poor often labour under. But Jesus's Eye-Salve, for absurdity, whim, and incongruity, was never equall'd, either in jest or in earnest, by any Quack-Doctor. Whether Infidels think of this Ointment of the Holy Jesus with a smile; or reflect on it with disdain, I can't guess. As to myself, I should think with St. Chrysostom[206], that this Eye-Salve of Jesus would sooner put a Man's Eyes out, than restore a blind one to his Sight. And I believe that our Divines, for the Credit of the Miracle, and our Surgeons, for the Honour of their Science, will agree, that it could not be naturally operative and effective of the Cure of the blind Man.
What then was the Reason of Jesus's using this strange Eye-Salve; when, for the sake of the Miracle, and for the honour of his own Power, he should have cured the Man with a word speaking? This is a Question and Objection in St. Cyril[207] against Ministers of the Letter, who are obliged to give an Answer to it, that will consist with the Wisdom and Power of Jesus, otherwise they must give up the Miracle or make him a vain, insignificant and trifling Agent. St. Cyril, of whose mind I am, says[208] that the Reason of the use of this Balsam made of Dirt and Spittle is to be fetch'd from the Mystery. But, in as much as our Divines will never agree to that, which would be of ill Consequence to their Ministry, they must give a good Reason of their own, which I despair of seeing, that will comport with the Letter.
St. Irenæus too, says[209], that the Clay and Spittle was of no service to the Cure of the blind Man; and yet Jesus did not use it in vain. Is not this an Inconsistency? How will our Divines adjust it? With Irenæus, I am sure they'll not mystically solve the Difficulty; therefore if they don't provide another Solution of it to satisfaction; either their Ministry of the Letter, or the Reputation of Jesus, and this Miracle must suffer for it.
I am puzzled to think, how our Divines will extricate themselves out of this Strait, and account for the use of this Eye-Salve, without any Diminution of the Miracle. Surely, they will not say that Jesus used this sensless and insignificant Ointment to put a Slur upon the Practice of Physick and Surgery, as if other Medicines were of no more avail than his Dirt and Spittle. They have more wit than to say so; least it incense a noble and most useful Profession, not so much against themselves, as against Jesus, and provoke them to a nicer and stricter Enquiry, than I can make into his Miracles, the Diseases he cured, and his manner of Operation; and to infer from thence, that he could be no miraculous Healer of Diseases who used Medicines; nor his Evangelists orthodox at Theology, who were so inexpert at Anatomy and the Description of bodily Distempers. This might be of bad Consequence to Religion: And yet I wonder that none of them, who may be supposed a little disaffected to Christianity, have taken the Hint from this pretended Miracle before us, and some others, to endeavour at a Proof of Jesus's being little better than a Quack-Doctor.
If I was, what I am not, an Infidel, I should think, from the Letter of this Story, that Jesus was a juggling Impostor, who would pass for a miraculous Healer of Diseases, tho' he used underhand, proper Medicines. The Clay and the Spittle he made an open shew of, as what, to Admiration, he would cure the blind Man with; but in reserve he had a more sanative Balsam, that he subtilly slip't in the room of the Clay, and repeatedly to good purpose anointed the Man's Eyes with it. But as the Authority of the Fathers, and their mystical Interpretation of this Story is alone my safe-guard against such an ill opinion of Jesus; so I would now gladly know upon what Bottom the Faith of our Divines can stand, as to this Miracle, and Jesus's divine Power in it.
I have perused some of our Commentators on the Place, and don't perceive that they hesitate at this strange Eye-Salve; nor make any Questions about the pertinent or impertinent Use of it. Whether it is, that they sleep over the Story, or are aware of greater Difficultys in it, than can be easily surmounted, and therefore dare not touch on't, I know not. But now that we enjoy Liberty of debate, which will make us Philosophers, and I have taken the Freedom to make a stricter Scrutiny than ordinary into Jesus's Miracles, and to consider what Absurditys, their Stories, and this in particular, are clog'd with; it is incumbent on our Divines to answer solidly these Questions, viz. What was the Reason of Jesus's Use of this Eye-Salve made of Clay and Spittle? Whether, if it was of service to the Cure of the blind Man, it does not destroy the Miracle? And if it had no effect in the Cure of him, whether Jesus was not a vain and trifling Operator, making use of insignificant and impertinent Medicines to the Diminution of his divine Power? There Questions are not ludicrous, but calm and sedate Reasoning, which Bishop Smalbroke[210] does not disapprove of. Therefore a grave, rational, and substantial Answer is expected to them, such as will be a Vindication of the Wisdom and Power of Jesus, without any Diminution of the Miracle.
Should our Divines say, that this Matter was an Act of unsearchable Wisdom and must be left to the Will of our Saviour, and not curiously pry'd into, any more than some other Dispensations of Providence, that are past finding out: This Answer, which I believe to be the best, that can be given, will not do here. The Miracles of Jesus are, as our Divines own, Appeals to our Reason and Senses for his Authority; and by our Reason and Senses they are to be try'd, condemn'd or approved of. If they will not abide the test of Reason and Sense, they are to be rejected, and Jesus's Authority along with them. Therefore a more close, pertinent and serious Answer is to be given to the said Questions; which as I believe to be impossible, consistently with the Letter; so our Divines must of necessity go along with me to the Fathers for a mystical and allegorical Interpretation of the Story of this Eye-Salve; or the Miracle will fall to the Ground, and Jesus's divine Power be in great danger with it.
St. Cyril, (who is one of Bishop Smalbroke's Greek Commentators, that should strictly adhere to the Letter) signifies, as I before observ'd, that Jesus's Use of this Clay and Spittle would be an Absurdity, if it was not to be accounted for, from the Mystery.