One of the most treasured lessons I have gleaned from the old Puritan divines is the practice of “discriminatory application.” This method seeks to apply the sermon’s truth in diverse, yet specific, ways because every audience is the collection of diverse spiritual conditions.

For help in this practice we can turn to William Perkins’ The Art of Prophesying. It is the standard teaching on how the Puritans went about the practice of application.

Perkins defines application as “the skill by which the doctrine which has been properly drawn from Scripture is handled in ways appropriate to the circumstances of the place and time and to the people in the congregation.” You’ll notice this definition presupposes a delineated “doctrine” in every sermon. At the risk of oversimplification, we could say the Puritans viewed a sermon’s “doctrine” much like modern homileticians advocate every sermon have a main point or big idea. Once the main point has been explained and expounded its truth should be applied.

Perkins says “there are basically seven ways in which application should be made, in keeping with seven different spiritual conditions.” Ever true to his Puritan tradition, Perkins is somewhat repetitive in his listing, so I will summarize his seven conditions under the following four.

4 CONDITIONS FOR APPLICATION

1. The Hard Heart. Those who are unbelievers and are both ignorant and unteachable. To the hard-hearted the law must be stressed, and its curse stated clearly along with its threats.
2. The Seeker. This category includes those who are teachable, but ignorant, and those who have knowledge of God, but are not yet repentant. The law of God must also be stressed to this group, but when the beginning of genuine sorrow appears they are to be comforted with the gospel.
3. The Converted. These need to be taught the full-orbed nature of Christ’s blessings and benefits: justification, sanctification, adoption, and perseverance. They also need to be taught the law, not as those under its curse, but as a guide for how to bear the fruit of new obedience in keeping with their repentance.
4. The Backslider. For those falling in faith the specific doctrine which counter-acts their error should be expounded and taught. We need to stress its importance to them, along with the doctrine of repentance. Let this be done with brotherly affection.

With these four categorical conditions set, we can now move on to the various ways a preacher can apply truth to each condition. Perkins says, “Application is of two kinds, mental and practical.” The mental and practical each have two summary applications, which I combine into the following list.

4 KINDS OF APPLICATION

1. Doctrinal application. Doctrine applies the main point in such a way to show the hearer what the mind ought to believe.
2. Reproving application. Reproof is the flip side of doctrine. It applies the main point in such a way to show the hearer what the mind should not believe.
3. Instructional application. Instruction is the main point applied in a way to enable the hearer to live well in the context of family, the state, and the church. It involves both encouragement and exhortation.
4. Correctional application. Correction is the application of the main point in a specific way that transforms lives marked by ungodliness and unrighteousness.

A savvy reader would note at this point that my summary of Perkins’ approach would mean a preacher has at least sixteen different, and legitimate, applications at his disposal in any sermon. Do you see it? If a preacher offered all four kinds of application to all four conditions for application, he would have sixteen points of application in one sermon! The preacher would be wise to heed Perkins admonition that applications “must be carefully chosen, and limited to a few, lest those who hear God’s word expounded are overwhelmed by the sheer number of applications.” The point in application is not to overwhelm the congregation, but pierce their hearts and minds in appropriately specific ways.

How about you? Do your sermons regularly and specifically apply the main point to the varied conditions present within the congregation? If so, praise God! If not, see if you can integrate Perkins’ practice into your preparation for this weekend.

Tomorrow I will show you how one modern expositor goes about preparing for “discriminatory application.”