Two discourses concerning the Holy Spirit, and His work the one, Of the Spirit…

So doth the Apostle describe the success of these Administrations as an absolute conquest, wherein all Opposition is broken, all strong Holds and Fortifications are demolished, and the whole reduced unto due Obedience. For by this means were all things effected; all the strong holds of Sin in the Minds of Men in their natural Darkness, ⟨p. 216⟩Blindness and Obstinacy; all the high Fortifications of prejudices, and vain, proud, lofty imaginations raised in them by Satan, were all cast down by and before Gospel Administrations, managed by Virtue and Authority of these Spiritual Gifts which the Lord Christ ordained to be the Powers of his Kingdom.

So doth the Apostle describe the success of these Administrations as an absolute conquest, wherein all Opposition is broken, all strong Holds and Fortifications are demolished, and the whole reduced unto due Obedience. For by this means were all things effected; all the strong holds of Sin in the Minds of Men in their natural Darkness, ⟨p. 216⟩Blindness and Obstinacy; all the high Fortifications of prejudices, and vain, proud, lofty imaginations raised in them by Sathan, were all cast down by and before Gospel Administrations, managed by Vertue and Authority of these Spiritual Gifts which the Lord Christ ordained to be the Powers of his Kingdom.

(§ 9.) THIRDLY; Those of them which consisted in miraculous operations were suited to fill the World with an Apprehension of a Divine Power accompanying the Word, and them by whom it was administered. And sundry things unto the furtherance of the Gospel depended hereon. As, (1) The World which was stupid, asleep in Sin and Security, satisfied with their Lusts and Idolatries, regardless of any thing but present Enjoyments, was awakened hereby to an Attendance unto, and Enquiry into this new Doctrine that was proposed unto them. They could not but take notice that there was something more than ordinary in that Sermon which they were summoned unto by a Miracle. And this was the first and principal use of these miraculous Operations. They awakened the dull, stupid World unto a consideration of the Doctrine of the Gospel, which otherwise they would have securely neglected and despised. (2) They weakened and took off those mighty prejudices which their Minds were possessed with by Tradition and Secular Enjoyments; what these prejudices were I shall not here declare, I have done it elsewhere. It is enough to observe that they were as great, as many, as effectual, as Humane Nature in any Case is capable of. But yet although they were sufficiently of proof against all other means of Conviction, yet they could not