Lectures on the General Principles of Moral Government: as They Are Exhibited in the First Three Chapters of Genesis

Lectures On The General Principles Of Moral Government: As They Are Exhibited In The First Three Chapters Of Genesis by John Mason Duncan. This 19th?century theological lecturescript argues for a Moral Government view of salvation in which God governs humanity through two interlocking constitutions—Law and Gospel—and through twofold divine self?manifestation that culminates in the Mediator, Jesus Christ. The work rejects innate depravity and predestination, proposing that sin and death arise from free choices shaped by social relations and divine administration. It presents the Mediator as the second Adam and the Word made flesh, mediating righteousness while preserving personal responsibility, and interprets Mosaic law as a transitional “ministration of death” that prepares the way for the gospel’s “ministration of righteousness.” Through biblical symbolism and typology (tree, garden, serpent, seed), the text harmonizes Genesis, Israelite law, and the New Testament to defend a rational, exegetical theology. It is a polemical, sermon?like defense of moral government, criticizing fatalism and rival schemes while addressing charity, education, and church reform.