Though a member of no church, Mr. Lincoln was most sincerely
religious and devout. Not only was his daily life filled with
acts of forbearance and charity; every great state paper that he
wrote breathes his faith and reliance on a just and merciful God.
He rarely talked, even with intimate friends, about matters of
belief, but it is to be doubted whether any among the many people
who came to give him advice and sometimes to pray with him, had a
better right to be called a Christian. He always received such
visitors courteously, with a reverence for their good intention,
no matter how strangely it sometimes manifested itself. A little
address that he made to some Quakers who came to see him in
September, 1862, shows both his courtesy to them personally, and
his humble attitude toward God.
"I am glad of this interview, and glad to know that I have your
sympathy and prayers. We are indeed going through a great trial,
a fiery trial. In the very responsible position in which I happen
to be placed, being a humble instrument in the hands of our
Heavenly Father as I am, and as we all are, to work out His great
purposes, I have desired that all my works and acts may be
according to His will, and that it might be so I have sought His
aid; but if, after endeavoring to do my best in the light which
he affords me, I find my efforts fail, I must believe that for
some purpose unknown to me, He wills it otherwise.
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