And what is Mankind's Blindness here signified? St. _Augustin_[221], St. _Cyril_[222] and St. _Theophylact_[223], say, it is Ignorance, Error and Infidelity, or the want of the intellectual Sight and Knowledge of God and his Providence. _Origen_[224], St. _John_ of _Jerusalem_[225], and St. _Theophylact_[226], (Still _Bishop Smalbroke_'s literal and Greek Commentators!) tell us the Reason of this spiritual Blindness of Mankind, that is, because they adhere to the Letter of the Scriptures. And how will _Jesus_, or right _Reason_ and _Truth_, which are his mystical Names, cure Mankind of this his spiritual Blindness? By his mystical _Spittle_ temper'd with mystical _Dirt_. And how shall we do to understand this mystical Ointment, so as to make it a proper Medicine for Mankind's spiritual Blindness? St. _Theophilus_ of _Antioch_[227], has an allegorical Interpretation of this _Clay_ and _Spittle_ of our Lord; but as it is hard to apprehend his meaning, I shall not here insist on it. _Origen_ says[228], that the anointing of the blind Man's Eyes with _Spittle_, is to be understood of the Unction of the _Spirit_ of Christ. But this does not give us rightly to understand the Metaphor and Figure. St. _John_ of _Jerusalem_ says, that by the _Clay_ and _Spittle_ is meant[229] _perfect Doctrine_, which in Truth may open the Eyes of Mens Understanding: But what is _perfect Doctrine_? Why, to help the Fathers out here, without departing from their Opinions, by the _Spittle_ of Jesus must be understood the _Water_ of the Spirit instill'd into the _Earth_ of the Letter of the Scriptures, which temper'd together, does, in the Judgment of them all, make _perfect Doctrine_ to the opening of the Eyes of our Understanding in the Knowledge of the Providence of God of all Ages; which Knowledge, Light, Sight, or Illumination, Mankind has hitherto wanted. St. _Irenæus_[230], gives an excellent and mystical Reason, by himself, for the use of this Ointment of _Clay_ and _Spittle_, to the Cure of this blind Man, which I shall not stay to illustrate, but only have cited it for the Meditation of the Learned and Curious. The Story of the blind Man, as St. _John_ has related it, is long, and would take up more time, than I have to spare at present, to go thro' all the Parts of it. What I have done at present is enough to awaken others to the Consideration, not only of the Absurdities of the Letter, but of the mystical Interpretation of the rest.