How to

Hear
Sermons
CHARLES SIMEON

Edited & Updated in Modern English by Jeff Jones

2023
How To Hear Sermons
by Charles Simeon (1759-1836)
Originally published in 1833 in Horae Homileticae Vol. XII as “Directions
How To Hear Sermons”

Editor’s Preface, Editor’s Notes, and modern English updates to Parts I,

II, and III are all copyright © 2018 by Calvary Grace Church of Calgary.

Published by Hope Restored Mission

A ministry of Calvary Grace Church of Calgary
204 6A Street NE
Calgary, Alberta T2E 4A5
www.calvarygrace.ca

Permission is granted to copy and distribute this ebook, in whole or in

part, provided that the copyright notice and this permission notice are
retained on the portions so copied and distributed. All other rights
reserved.

Cover design: Jeff Jones, using Canva.com

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the ESV®
Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by
Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.
 HOW TO HEAR SERMONS

Contents

Editor’s Preface ........................................................................................ 5

I. Introduction .......................................................................................... 7

II. Reasons for the Warning ................................................................... 8

II. Directions for Obeying the Warning ............................................. 11

About the Author ................................................................................... 14

About the Editor .................................................................................... 15

About Hope Restored Mission ............................................................ 16

Editor’s Notes ......................................................................................... 17

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 HOW TO HEAR SERMONS

Editor’s Preface
Christians spend hundreds and even thousands of hours
of their lives listening to preaching. A believer who faithfully
attends his local church and hears a forty-five minute message
forty-five times a year will, over the course of forty years as a
Christian, spend 1,350 hours hearing sermons. That’s more than
fifty-six days of his life!
It’s remarkable, then, that as central as preaching is to
the life of the Christian, there are relatively few resources on
how to hear sermons. There are dozens of books on preaching
released each year, it seems, but very few on listening to that
preaching! Christopher Ash, in his outstanding little guide
“Listen Up! A Practical Guide To Listening To Sermons,”
laments that “[t]here are books and courses to help people
preach sermons...but I’ve not read anything written in the last
200 years on how to listen to sermons.”1 He then points to
Charles Simeon’s “Directions How To Hear Sermons” in a
footnote as the most recent.
Simeon’s work is very brief, but it is outstanding. And its
practical message is sorely needed in our day. If we are to see
revival in our churches and the advance of the Gospel to all

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nations, we all must strive to “take care how we hear.”

Even though it is short, some may find the archaic
English of Simeon’s writing to be an obstacle. Therefore, I’ve
taken the liberty of updating the English and formatting into a
more modern, and hopefully more accessible, style. In this
document, I’ve taken Simeon’s prooftexts and moved them out
of footnotes (where they were in the original document) and
put them as parenthetical references in the main text. Where
I’ve made meaningful changes, such as substituting words or
adding things for clarity, I’ve made notes for the reader.
However, since I want the focus to be on what Simeon wrote
rather than on the minor changes I’ve made, I’ve included those
as endnotes for those curious about the editorial decisions I’ve
made.2 The average Christian seeking to benefit from Simeon’s
wisdom can feel free to ignore the endnotes entirely.
My prayer is that God will use this brief work to
reawaken a firm confidence in the power, perfection, and
sufficiency of his Word in the church today.

Jeff Jones
New Brunswick, Canada
February 2023

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 HOW TO HEAR SERMONS

I. Introduction
Take care then how you hear (Luke 8:18, English Standard Version)

The office of a Christian minister is arduous. He is to

explain and enforce every part of man’s duty. He is to search
out and rebuke3 every sin. After all his labor, he will see little
fruit. However faithfully he preaches, there are few who will
hear rightly—this our Lord had, just before this text (Luke
8:18), declared in the parable of the sower. He then enforced
his declaration with this most important warning.4
In teaching5 on this warning, we will,6 first, assign some
reasons for the warning, and second, give some directions for
obeying it.

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II. Reasons for the

Warning
Our Lord elsewhere warns his people to “pay attention to
what you hear” (Mark 4:24). Nor can anything be more necessary
than to be on our guard against error. But the warning how we
hear was also necessary.7 First, it was necessary because many
hear in an inappropriate way. Second, it was necessary because
God himself speaks to us by the preacher. And third, it was
necessary because every sermon increases either our salvation
or our condemnation.

1. MANY HEAR IN AN INAPPROPRIATE WAY

For one thing,8 the majority9 of hearers are careless hearers.

They come to10 God’s house merely to conform to11 the
customs of the country. They allow12 their thoughts to roam13
after earthly and fleshly14 things. They discern very little
difference in the doctrines which they hear. They, like Gallio,
seem to “care for none of these things” (Acts 18:17, KJV).15
For another, many are critical hearers.

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They can pay attention16 to nothing which is not

composed with elegance. Or, they have affection for only17
what accords with their own religious views.18 They judge
everything they hear by their own standard. As a result, they
form parties, and pit one minister against another (1 Cor. 3:3-
4).
And for yet another, many are also closed-minded19 hearers.
They will not hear anything which goes against20 their
prejudices. They cannot bear to have their favorite habits
condemned (Luke 11:45). They are offended if the lusts of their
heart are correctly rebuked21 (Mark 6:17-18). They resemble all
too closely the scribes and Pharisees of old (Luke 11:54).
While there continues to be such hearers, the warning will
be necessary.

2. GOD HIMSELF SPEAKS TO US BY THE

PREACHER

Ministers are ambassadors for God, and they speak on

behalf of Christ22 (2 Cor. 5:20). If they preach what is based23
on the Scriptures, their word, as far as it is consistent with24 the mind
of God, is to be considered as God’s (Heb. 13:7). This is
declared25 by our Lord and by his Apostles (John 13:20, 1 Thes.

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4:8). Therefore, we ought to receive the preacher’s word as the

word of God himself (1 Thes. 2:13). What humility, then, ought
we to have in coming to it! What judgments may we not expect,
if we disparage it?26 (Heb. 2:1-3)
Surely, therefore, for this reason also,27 we need the
warning in the text.

3. EVERY SERMON INCREASES EITHER OUR

SALVATION OR OUR CONDEMNATION

The word delivered to us is either an aroma28 of life or of

death (2 Cor. 2:15-16). Our Lord himself gives29 this reason for
the warning (Luke 8:18). Hence our Lord’s preaching eventually
increased30 the guilt of the Jews (John 15:22). The same awful
effects will be felt by those who disparage31 his ministers (Heb.
6:7-8).
What stronger reasons for such a warning can possibly be
imagined?

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 HOW TO HEAR SERMONS

II. Directions for

Obeying the Warning
Having proven the need for such a warning,32 we give
some directions for obeying it.
A humble mind will naturally receive instruction in a
proper manner.33 We should hear with honesty, with a desire to
benefit, and with a humble dependence on God’s Spirit.

1. WE SHOULD HEAR WITH HONESTY34

We cannot be overcareful and cast aside all judgment.35

We should not “call any man master on earth.” We should,
rather, weigh what we hear, in the balance of the sanctuary (1
Thes. 5:21), but we ought to have our minds open to conviction.
We should “receive the seed in an honest and good heart” (Luke
8:15).36 We should “receive with meekness the implanted word”
(James 1:21).37 Nor can we hope to benefit,38 if we do not
cultivate this attitude.39

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2. WE SHOULD HEAR WITH A DESIRE TO

BENEFIT40

The word of God is beneficial41 for many blessed

purposes (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Yet, it cannot be useful42 to us, if it
is not received in faith (Heb. 4:2). But when it is applied to the
soul, its operation is very powerful (Heb. 4:12). We should,
therefore, at all times, apply it to ourselves. We should come to
the ordinances, as the sick came to Bethesda’s pool. Nor do we
ever hear rightly, except when we come43 in this spirit (1 Pet.
2:2). It is only such a practical hearer44 who obtains45 benefit for
his soul (James 1:22-25).

3. WE SHOULD HEAR WITH A HUMBLE

DEPENDENCE ON GOD’S SPIRIT

It is God alone who “teaches us to profit” (Isa. 48:17).46

Human labors, without his blessing, will be in vain (1 Cor. 3:7).
It is his work to open the understanding (Luke 24:45) and the
heart (Acts 16:14). To him, therefore, we should look for the
teaching of his Spirit (Eph. 1:17-18). We should plead the
promise which God has given us (Isa. 55:10-11).
In this way, we will experience great benefit from the
Word (Micah 2:7). No obstacles whatsoever will be able to

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withstand its power (2 Cor. 10:4). It will be a rich source of grace

and wisdom to us (Col. 3:16).
Let us then offer, in sincerity, that prayer47 in the Litany:

“That it may please you to give to all your people

increasing grace, to hear meekly your Word, and to receive it with
pure affection, and to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit.”

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About the Author

Charles Simeon (1759-1836) was an evangelical Anglican
minister. He was converted in his youth while attending King’s
College at Cambridge and ordained soon after his graduation.
He preached faithfully, despite opposition, to the congregation
of Holy Trinity Cambridge for more than fifty years, even
carving the words “Sir, we would see Jesus” (John 12:21) in the
pulpit as a reminder to himself and other preachers.
Simeon had a deep concern for preparing the next
generation of preachers and so began holding Sunday evening
sessions on sermon preparation for students seeking to enter
the ministry. Eventually Simeon’s sermon outlines were
published as a multi-volume work named Horae Homileticae,
from which Simeon’s “Directions How To Hear Sermons” was
taken for this present work.

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 HOW TO HEAR SERMONS

About the Editor

Jeff Jones was born in British Columbia to a Christian
family. He joined the Canadian Army at 17, earning a Bachelor
of Arts in Business Administration, with a minor in Military
Psychology and Leadership, from the Royal Military College. In
2003, God used a training injury to awaken Jeff to living faith
in Christ. Leaving the Army in 2005 he took a Master of
Divinity from Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary in
Cochrane, Alberta. Jeff pastored at a Southern Baptist church
in Calgary from 2006 to 2008 before coming to Calvary Grace
Church, where he served as an elder and pastor from 2009 to
2019. He then led a church planting team from Calvary Grace
to plant Grace Church in the nearby town of Cochrane, Alberta,
and he led Grace until 2023 when he and his family moved to
New Brunswick with the goal of planting and strengthening
churches. Jeff has also been a hotel manager, a Salvation Army
program coordinator, and a corporate chaplain in the hotel
industry. He and his wife Erin now live in Woodstock, New
Brunswick, with their six children.

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About Hope Restored

Mission
Hope Restored Mission is an evangelical mission with a
vision to see a network of healthy, reproducing Gospel
churches started, strengthened, and sustained across New
Brunswick, with the result that every man, woman, and child in
the province would have multiple opportunities to hear and
respond to the Good News of Jesus Christ.
For more information, please visit our website at:

http://hoperestoredmission.org/

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 HOW TO HEAR SERMONS

Editor’s Notes
1 Christopher Ash, Listen Up! A practical guide to listening to sermons (Epsom,

UK: The Good Book Company, 2011), p. 2.

2 The original edition I used as a basis for this update is found on pages

375-377 of Charles Simeon, Horae Homileticae, Vol. XII Mark-Luke

(London: Henry G. Bohn, 1855), accessed via Google books at this address:
https://books.google.ca/books?id=qE1aAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR3#v=one
page&q&f=false
3 “Censure” in original.
4 “Caution” in original, and this is the case for all occurrences of the word

“warning” in this updated version. I’ve chosen to replace Simeon’s use of

“caution” with the word “warning” throughout this document, as
“caution” has a more passive and less urgent connotation in modern
English.
5 “Discoursing” in original. This was probably originally part of a sermon.
6 The rest of the sentence following is not original, but added for clarity by

stating Simeon’s section headings that follow.

7 The three sentences following are not original, but as before, are added

for clarity by stating Simeon’s subsection headings that follow.

8 “For one thing,” “for another,” etc. in these three subsections are not

original but are added to smooth out the style.

9 “generality” in original.
10 “attend” in original.
11 “in conformity with” in original.
12 “suffer” in original.
13 “rove” in original.
14 “carnal” in original.
15 The quotation is in the original but the verse reference I have added for

clarity.
16 “attend” in original.
17 “they affect only” in original.
18 “their own views of religion” in original.
19 “Captious” in original. The word “captious” is archaic and not well

understood by modern readers. Merriam-Webster says of this word that it

“suggests a readiness to detect trivial faults or raise objections on trivial

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grounds,” which does not seem to me to be Simeon’s intent in the context;

the faults under discussion are far from trivial, and the attitude condemned
here isn’t nit-picking the sermon but the resentment of the fact that the
sermon is convicting the hearer. “Closed-minded” seems a better modern
English description of the attitude Simeon condemns here, and it has the
added benefit of maintaining the preachers’ alliteration!
20 “militates” in original.
21 “offended if their bosom lusts be faithfully reproved” in original.
22 “speak in Christ’s stead” in original; updated to reflect the ESV rendering

of the prooftext.
23 “founded” in original.
24 “agreeable to” in original.
25 “asserted” in original. In modern English “assertion” can carry the sense

of something argued but unproven or tentative, and could lack the sense of
authority that Simeon intends here. “Declared” is a better modern English
equivalent.
26 The word “disparage” replaces the original “slight” here. Besides that,

this sentence has been changed from a declaration (with a period) to a

rhetorical question. In the original, which reads “What judgments may we
not expect, if we slight it,” Simeon’s intent could be misconstrued by a
modern reader as if he was saying there are judgments that won’t come if we
“slight” preaching. Changing it to a rhetorical question removes that
possibility without altering the wording.
27 “on this account also” in original.
28 “savour” in original.
29 “intimates” in original.
30 “enhanced” in original.
31 As in note 26, “disparage” here replaces “slight” in original.
32 “The necessity of such an admonition being evinced” in original. Also,

this has been moved from the end of the previous section in the original,
to the beginning of the second section here and combined with the original
second section heading.
33 As at the beginning of the previous section, the summary sentence that

follows is not original. It is added for clarity, by adapting and restating

Simeon’s original subsection headings, and replacing “candour” with
“open-mindedness”—see note 34.
34 “Candour” in original. In modern English “candor” carries the idea of

honesty and openness, which is Simeon’s intent; however, a primary use of

the word in modern English is in telling someone something that may be
awkward or might not be well-received. This may lead to confusion on the

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part of the modern reader of Simeon, who intends to convey the idea of an
“honest hearing” that is neither naively gullible nor closed to being
convinced of something new. “Honesty” seems a better modern English
equivalent.
35 “We cannot too carefully divest ourselves of all prejudice” in original.
36 The quotation of the verse is in the original, but the verse reference I

have added for clarity.

37 The quotation of the verse is in the original, but the verse reference I

have added for clarity.

38 “profit” in original.
39 “disposition” in original.
40 “profit” in original.
41 “profitable” in original.
42 “serviceable” in original.
43 “attend” in original.
44 “it is the practical hearer only who…” in original.
45 “derives” in original.
46 The quotation of the verse is in the original, but the verse reference I

have added for clarity.

47 “petition” in original.

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