The Scripture Doctrine of Original Sin Explained and Enforced: in Two Discourses

The Scripture Doctrine Of Original Sin Explained And Enforced: In Two Discourses by Henry Augustus Boardman presents a 19th-century Calvinist defense of the historic doctrine of original sin. Boardman argues that humanity inherits a corrupted nature from Adam due to his federal headship, and that this native depravity is universal, evident in Scripture and human experience, including infant mortality. He surveys its scriptural basis: passages such as John 3:6, Romans 7, Romans 5, Psalm 51, Ephesians 2, and Genesis; he discusses objections from Pelagian and Socinian theories, showing that morality and spiritual disposition precede voluntary acts. The first discourse treats native depravity, explaining that depravity is not mere corruption but loss of original righteousness and the image of God, producing a propensity to sin from birth. The second discourse treats imputation—how Adam’s sin is imputed to his posterity and how Christ's righteousness is imputed to believers—emphasizing federal headship and justification by faith. The treatise also addresses infant baptism, regeneration, the necessity of being born again, and the redemptive design of God’s covenant of grace. An Appendix records historical and theological endorsements of the doctrine.