The general ends of preaching the word unto believers are:- [1.] The increase of spiritual light, knowledge, and understanding, in them; [2.] The growth of grace, enabling to obedience; [3.] Holy excitation of grace, by impressions of its power in the communication of the  mind, love, and grace of God, unto our souls;-which is attended with, [4.] An impression on the affections, renewing and making them more holy and heavenly continually; with, [5.] Direction and administration of spiritual strength against temptations and corruptions; and, [6.] Fruitfulness in the works and duties of obedience.

John Owen, Sin and Grace: Of the Dominion of Sin and Grace, p. 540

Owen’s idea of preaching (to believers) is that it (1) begins by targeting the mind (understanding) (2) in order to enable the will (3, 4) by awakening the affections (5) toward God and against sin (6) resulting in obedience.

Obedience to God is his primary goal, but the will must be reached through the understanding and by the affections. The preacher has to strive to reach the affections and the will, but he must begin by approaching or attacking the mind. When we change the order we become a different sort of preacher altogether.

The implication is that if we preach only to the mind (think academic preaching), then we are forgetting the primary goal – obedience. If we preach only to the affections (think emotionalism), we are forgetting the channel through which Christian affections are actually inspired – the mind – and we are neglecting the call to obedience. And if we preach only to the will (think moralism), we are short-circuiting the entire process. Mind, Affections, Will. Owen would argue that we must reach all three, and attempt to do so in that order.