Since nobody else replied I looked in my Hayne's manual.  It says: On 96 or
earlier models (manual goes up to 2001) with four-wheel anti-lock brake
system do not attempt to remove the master cylinder. .... can allow air to
get into the ... unit which requires special bleeding procedure.

It also says to bench bleed other master cylinders.

It also says brake systems on 96 and earlier models with four wheel
anti-lock system cannot be bled at home if air gets into the master cylinder
and/or the hydraulic control unit.  It also says if you don't have ABS then
brake bleeding is the normal, routine method.

What it doesn't seem to say is that 97 and newer Explorers don't have four
wheel anti-lock brake systems but supposes it.  Well, this does not seem to
agree with what you are asking and my '97 has ABS so I'm not quite sure what
the hell Hayne's is talking about.