“The will of God prevails. In great contests each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God. Both may be, and one must be, wrong. God cannot be for and against the same thing at the same time. In the present civil war it is quite possible that God's purpose is something different from the purpose of either party - and yet the human instrumentalities, working just as they do, are of the best adaptation to effect His purpose.”

Annotation

The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln edited by Roy P. Basler, Volume V, Meditation on the Divine Will (September 2, 1862?), pp. 403-404.

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