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_.