Perkins' hearer categories and discriminating application

In this episode of the Expositors Collective podcast, Mike Neglia is joined by Shane Deane for a wide-ranging conversation on Puritan preaching, with particular attention to William Perkins’ The Art of Prophesying and the Puritan emphasis on application.

Rather than treating the Puritans as mere historical figures or quotable voices, this discussion explores how their preaching method remains deeply relevant for modern pastors. Shane helps unpack why clarity, structure, and especially wise application were central to Puritan preaching, and how these convictions can shape Christ-centred exposition today.

The conversation also turns to the often-neglected practice of pastoral prayer in gathered worship, drawing on Puritan theology and practice to show why public prayer is not filler, but a vital act of shepherding the congregation before God.

Topics Covered

• Shane’s first sermon and how his preaching has developed over time
• What first drew Shane to the Puritans and their preaching method
• The danger of treating the Puritans as “quote machines”
• William Perkins’ The Art of Prophesying, with a focus on Chapter 6
• The fourfold Puritan preaching pattern:
• Reading the text
• Explaining its meaning
• Drawing out doctrine
• Applying truth to the hearers
• Why Perkins warned against cluttering sermons with excessive citations
• Why application was the heartbeat of Puritan preaching
• “Discriminating application” and addressing different kinds of hearers in one sermon
• Perkins’ categories of hearers and how they challenge one-size-fits-all preaching
• The Directory for Public Worship and its heavy emphasis on application
• The six Puritan “uses” of application:
• Information
• Refutation
• Exhortation
• Admonition
• Comfort
• Trial (self-examination)
• Why pastoral prayer belongs at the heart of gathered worship
• How public prayer functions as shepherding, not transition time
• The connection between preaching, prayer, and spiritual formation
• Which Puritan habits could most immediately strengthen modern preaching
• How studying the Puritans has shaped Shane’s own preaching
• A closing “quote machine” segment featuring memorable Puritan lines

Key Takeaways

• Puritan preaching was deeply pastoral, not merely academic
• Application is not an appendix to exposition, but its goal
• Structure serves clarity and freedom rather than rigidity
• Too many quotations can obscure rather than illuminate Scripture
• Pastoral prayer is a theological act that teaches, shepherds, and forms a congregation
• Preaching and prayer together shape the spiritual life of the church

About the Guest

Shane Deane earned his PhD in Expository Preaching from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also holds an MDiv in Pastoral Studies and a ThM in Practical Theology. Shane serves as one of the elders at Passage Baptist Church in Passage West and works with Irish Baptist Missions.

Shane was born in Cork, where he met and married his wife Luana, who is originally from Brazil. They have three children, two girls and one boy. Shane also lectures at Munster Bible College, helping train future pastors and Bible teachers.

Featured links: 
Passage Baptist Church: https://passagebaptistchurch.ie/

Munster Bible College: https://www.munsterbiblecollege.ie/ 
Preparing to Preach and Pray - Pat Quinn interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuNYKI34YrU 
Praying in Public - https://www.crossway.org/books/praying-in-public-case/ 
The Art of Prophesying Audiobook - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkSiqZPTp1M 

Joel Beeke - Reformed Preaching - https://heritagebooks.org/products/reformed-preaching-beeke.html?srsltid=AfmBOoonvFHUOEdlM1s07w2yI_5LoW_oj5bFWuWhnGS4I-2DBWCm1Rq9

For information about our upcoming training events visit ExpositorsCollective.com 

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