Sermons to the Natural Man — Inside the Classic

The Preface as a Programmatic Statement

The preface is unusually explicit about method. Shedd states that 'the ordinary emotions of authorship have little place' because his words will be 'either a means of spiritual life, or an occasion of spiritual death.' He identifies the chief obstacle to Christianity as 'the practical unbelief of speculative believers,' not theoretical skepticism. The title 'Sermons to the Natural Man' signals an audience assumed to be unregenerate, and Shedd insists that 'it is in vain to offer the gospel unless the law has been applied with clearness and cogency.' He quotes Bunyan at length on the law's work to 'slay the soul' and leave it helpless, and he defends the priority of law-preaching over gospel-preaching, citing John the Baptist as a model. This preface frames the entire volume as a deliberate, theologically conservative response to what Shedd sees as religious indulgence in his era.

Sin as Slavery: Two Lines of Argument

The excerpted sermon develops the thesis that 'whosoever committeth sin is the slave of sin' through two distinct perspectives. First, sin is slavery when viewed 'in the light of that obligation to be perfectly pure and holy' that rests on every responsible being. Shedd describes the futile attempt to reform oneself: the sinner 'tries to put a bridle upon his tongue' but fails, then strives to 'wring the gall of bitterness out of his own heart, with his own hands' and fails utterly, crying out 'I am a slave to myself.' Second, sin is slavery when viewed 'in reference to the aspirations of the human soul.' Here Shedd introduces a distinction between common grace (transient impressions) and special grace (renewing the will). He cites Plato as an example of pagan aspiration that 'confess[es] utter inability to realize them,' suggesting that even non-Christian thought testifies to the need for redemption.

Psychological Language and Theological Framework

Shedd's vocabulary is notably psychological for a 19th-century sermon collection. He speaks of 'anatomizing the natural heart,' 'consciousness' of sin, and 'internal stirrings and aspirations.' The excerpts show a careful delineation of inner experience: the sinner's 'cold legal and loveless temper,' the 'two-edged sword' of the law that 'discerns the thoughts and motives,' and the 'aching void' that worldly things cannot fill. Yet this psychological language operates within a strict Calvinist framework. Shedd insists on the necessity of 'the application of the decalogue' to produce 'conscious guilt,' and he warns that the gospel is only for those who have been 'killed stark dead by the law.' The combination of introspective analysis with doctrinal precision gives the sermons a distinctive tone—analytical yet urgent, systematic yet pastoral.

Readers should note that these excerpts represent only the opening framework of the volume. The preface and first sermon establish a method that may or may not be sustained throughout the nine sermons. Shedd's emphasis on law before gospel, his use of Bunyan, and his psychological vocabulary are consistent features, but the degree to which he actually 'anatomizes' the natural heart versus simply asserting its depravity can be tested by reading further. The catalog subjects—Presbyterian sermons, American sermons—correctly place the work, but the excerpts suggest a more specific focus on the psychology of guilt than those broad categories imply.

There’s a particular weight in Shedd’s old sermons, that slow turning of the conscience against itself. Reading him, I found myself thinking of the earlier voices in The World's Great Sermons, Volume 01: Basil to Calvin — Story, Setting & Ideas, where the same urgent wrestling feels less like doctrine and more like a quiet, shared struggle.