1. To speak to that Miracle of _Jesus_'s[79] healing a _Woman diseased with an Issue of Blood, twelve Years_. To please our _Divines_, I will allow as much of the Truth of the Letter of this Story, as they can desire. The Fathers themselves, who are for turning the whole History of _Jesus_'s Life into Allegory and Mystery, don't deny that a Woman was cured of an _Hæmorrhage_, after the Manner that is here described by the Evangelists. St. _Augustin_ says[80] of this Miracle, _that it was done, as it is related_; and I have a greater Veneration for his Authority, than to gainsay it. But for all that, _Infidels_ may and will take into Examination the nature of this Miracle, and if possible make little or nothing of it. And if I do this for them, it is not to do Service to Infidelity, but to turn Mens Heads to the mystical Use of it, for which it is recorded. As there is a particular Narration of this Miracle, among the few others, that are specified; so Reason should tell us, that if the Letter of the Story of _Christ_'s Miracles, as our _Divines_ hold, is only to be regarded, this is one of the greatest that Jesus wrought, or it would not be related by itself, but thrown into the Lump of all manner of Diseases, which He heal'd. And how then shall we come to the Knowledge of the greatness of this Miracle? Why, there are but two Ways to it, and they are, _First_, By considering the nature of the Disease, or the lamentable Condition of the Patient before Cure. And _Secondly_, By considering the Manner or Means by which the Cure was performed. If one or both of these Considerations don't manifest the Certainty of a Miracle, _Infidels_ may conclude there was none in it. _First_, As to the nature of the Disease of this Woman, we are much in the Dark about it, and very uncertain of what Kind and Degree it was. St. _Matthew_ writing of it, says the Woman was [Greek: aimorroousa], that is, _obnoxious to bleeding_; St. _Mark_ and St. _Luke_ say of her, that [Greek: ousa en reumate aimatos], she was in an efflux or running of Blood. But neither one nor the other of the _Evangelists_ signify of what Degree her _Hæmorrhage_ was, nor from what part of her Body it proceeded, nor how often or seldom she was addicted to it. It might be, for ought we know, only a little bleeding at the Nose, that now and then she was subject to: Or it might be an obnoxiousness to an Evacuation of Blood by Siege or Urine: Or it was, not improbably, of the menstruous Kind. Any of these might be the Case of this Woman for what's written; and I don't find that any of our _Divines_ have determined of what sort it was. But a great Miracle is wrought, they think, in her Cure, without knowing the Disease; which _Infidels_ will say is asserted at Random and without Reason, in as much as it is necessary to know the nature of the Distemper, or none truly and properly can say, there was a great, much less a miraculous Cure wrought.