Matthew Poole and continuators on John 9:6

6 When he had thus spoken, he spat upon the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay .

Several mysterious Allegories are found out by men of Luxuriant fancyes, with reference to the manner of our Saviours curing this blind man; as if our Saviour had made choice of Clay, to shew, that as he at first made man of the dust of the Earth, so he could again cure him with dust; And that his Spittle denoted, the efficacy of Christs Humanity, being now personally united to the Divine Nature: Others think, he made use of Spittle, because the Iews had a great Opinion of the Medicinal Vertue of Spittle; and they say, forbad the Medicinal use of it on the Sabbath day, (on which day this Miracle was wrought) but all these things are great incertainties, for which we want any guidance from Holy Writ. It is most probable, That our Saviour made use of his Spittle in working this Miracle, because he had no Water at hand, for Water was a very scarce thing in those hot Countries. That which we are chiefly to attend in this great Miraculous Operation is, Christ's Demonstration of his Divine Nature for the confirmation of the Truth, of which he doubtless wrought this great Work, as well as to shew his Charity to this poor Creature. To this purpose he first maketh choice, not of a Blind Man onely, but one who was born so, and so incurable according to all judgment of Humane Art. 2. He maketh use of no means that had any appearance of a Natural Vertue in it; nay, which was more like to put out the Eyes of one that saw, than to give sight to one that was blind.

Marginal references: Mar. 7.33. & S. 23.; Or, spread the clay on the eyes of the blind Man.