It is like leaven
Which is small in quantity, but is of a swelling, spreading
quality; and fitly expresses the small beginnings of the Gospel
ministry, and its increase, also the state and case of Gospel
churches, and the nature of the grace of God; unless false
doctrine should rather be meant, which privately, secretly, and
by little and little, got into the churches of Christ, the
kingdom of God, and spread itself all over them, as in the times
of the papacy:
which a woman took;
Christ, and his ministers, Wisdom, and her maidens, understanding
it of the Gospel; but if the leaven of error is intended, that
woman, Jezebel, is meant, who calls herself a prophetess, and
teaches, and seduces the servants of God, ( Revelation
2:20 )
and hid in three measures of meal:
among a few of God's people at first, both among Jews and
Gentiles,
till the whole was leavened;
until all the elect of God are gathered in, and evangelized by
it; even the whole fulness of the Gentiles, and all the people of
the Jews, which shall be saved in the latter day; but if the
parable is to be understood of the false doctrine and discipline
of the Antichristian and apostate church of Rome, it may denote
the small beginnings of the mystery of iniquity, which began to
work in the apostle's time by the errors and heresies then
propagated, and the manner in which the man of sin was privately
introduced; whose coming is after the working of Satan, with
signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of
unrighteousness, first among a few, and then more, until at
length the whole world wondered after the beast, (
2 Thessalonians 2:7-10 ) ( Revelation
13:3 ) .
