One element of Henderson’s success as a preacher may be related to his self-conscious instruction to his hearers regarding their obligations in what might be called godly listening. “In the hearing of the word,” said Henderson, “let us not only take heed what we hear, but let us also take heed to how we hear.” According to Henderson, the godly listener bears a responsibility to be an active hearer of the preaching of God’s word. Henderson’s exhortation to active or pious listening became a virtual plank in what could be called a Puritan theology of preaching.

L. Charles Jackson, Riots, Revolutions, and the Scottish Covenanters: The Work of Alexander Henderson, 115.