Abraham Lincoln: The Practical Mystic

Chapter 3: The Divine Will

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About This Book

The study presents Abraham Lincoln as a practical mystic whose public decisions and private life were influenced by a persistent sense of divine will and spiritual insight. Drawing on contemporary testimonies, anecdotes, and comparative reflections, it explores his mystical experiences, premonitions, and prophetic temperament alongside traits of simplicity, serenity, and intellectual originality. Chapters analyze how unseen influences intersected with law, authority, and moral responsibility, and consider his style, wit, and critical faculties in light of mystical conviction. The work also situates these interpretations within broader discussions of science, destiny, and the moral challenges of leadership.

The Divine Will

September 30th, 1862, when everything looked dark and the future of America was uncertain, Lincoln wrote the following meditation on the Divine Will:—

"The will of God prevails. In great contests each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God. Both may be, 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 affect His purpose. I am almost ready to say this is probably true: that God wills this contest, and wills that it shall not end yet. By His great power on the minds of the contestants he could have either saved or destroyed the Union without war. Yet the contest began. And, having begun, He could give the final victory to either side any day. Yet the contest proceeds."