olent, and
_chooses_ to bring to pass WHAT IS BEST--powerful, and _does_
bring to pass what he chooses as BEST." "Surely his infinite
wisdom and goodness will choose and determine whatsoever it is
best should take place, and his almighty power will perfectly
carry out his plan."

It is not my intention, at this time, to point out the fallacy of
these arguments. I quote them to show that the consequence which
I have deduced from the doctrine that God has decreed whatsoever
comes to pass--that sin is not an evil, but a good, and worthy of
being preferred to holiness in every instance in which it occurs--
is actually recognized as a truth, and used as a premise in
proof of the Calvinistic doctrine of the decrees.

8. And how can we avoid adopting as a legitimate conclusion, the
licentious infidel maxim, that "WHATEVER IS, IS RIGHT"?

9. It is obvious, at the first glance, that this doctrine
destroys all reasonable ground for repentance. Of what shall we
repent? Of sinning? Let it first be proved that, according to
this doctrine, any one has sinned, or can sin. But, if sin be
possible, yet in every instance of sinning we have done the will
of God. He freely and unchangeably predestinated the act from all
eternity. His providence brought it to pass. Before we feel
ourselves authorized to repent we should be sure that God has
repented of his purposes and acts. And, even then, there would be
no good reason for repentance upon the part of his creatures.
For, if we, for the sake of the argument, allow that they are
able to act otherwise than as they do, notwithstanding the Divine
decrees, they are morally bound to submit cordially to those
decrees, leaving to God the responsibility of decreeing wisely.
Hence there is no room for repentance.

This is precisely the application made of this doctrine by an
intelligent Calvinistic lady of New England, Mrs. Elizabeth
Stuart Phelps, daughter of the late Prof. Stuart, of Andover, and
authoress of certain very popular works. In the memorial of her,
prefixed to _The Last Leaf of Sunny Side_, she is quoted as
saying in her diary: "I never _could_ understand or divine
before, my claim upon the Deity's overruling care. Now I do get a
glimpse of it--enough to make me feel like an infant in its
mother's arms. Every event, of every day, of every hour, is
unalterably fixed. Each day is but the turning over a new leaf of
my history, already written by the finger of God--every letter of
it