The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1889-08-01
Two Religious Documents by
Lincoln.

| Lincoln.
From The Century Life of Lincoln
! in August we quote the following
eve subjoin two papers from the
hand of the President, one official
and the other private which bear
within themselves the imprint of a
sincere devotion and steadfast re-
lance upon the power and benignity
of an overruling Providence. The
first is an order which he issued on
the 10th of November, 1864, on the
observance of Sunday:
The President, Commander-in- Chief of the Ar
my and Navy, desires and enoins the orderly obsery
ance Of the Sabbath by the officers and men in the
military and naval service. The Importance for man
rights of Christian soldiers and sailors, becoming
Difference the best sentiment of Christian people,
and due regard for the Divine will, demand that
Sunday labor in the Army and Navy be reduced to
| the measure of strict necessity. The discipline and
character of the national forces should not suffer nor
the cause they defend be impered, by the profana-
ton of the day name Of the Most High. AT this
time of public distress adopting the words of Wash
ington in 1776l men may find enough to do in the
service of their God and their countryIwthout aban-
doning themselves to vice and immortality The
Country after the Declaration of Independence
Dictated the spirit in which institutions were
founded and should ever be defended, The Gen.
eral hopes and trusts that every officer and man will
endeavor to live and act becomes Christian SOL
der. defending the dearest rights and liberties of
his country
The date of this remarkable order
leaves no possibility for the insinua-
ton that it sprung from any political
purpose or intention. Mr.. Lincoln
had just been reelected by an over
whelming majority; his party was
everywhere triumphant: his own per-
sonal popularity was unbounded;
there was no temptation to hypocrisy
or deceit. There is no explanation
of the order except that it was the
offspring of sincere conviction. But
if it may be said that this was, after
all, an exoteric utterance, springing
from those relations of religion and
good government which the wisest
rulers have always recognized in their
intercourse with the people, we will
give one other document, of which
nothing of the sort can be said. 1t
is paper which Mr.. Lincoln wrote
in September, 1862, while his mind
was burdened with the weightiest
question of his life, the weightiest
with which this century has had to
grapple. Wearied with all the con-
siderations of law and of expediency
with which he had been struggling
for two years, he retired within him
self and tried to bring some order in
to his thoughts by rising above the
wrangling of men and of parties, and
bordering the relations of human
government to the Divine. I'm this
frame of mind, absolutely detached
from any earthly considerations, he
wrote this meditation. 1t has never
been published. 1t was not written
to be seen of men. 1t was penned in
the awful sincerity of a perfectly
honest soul trying to bring itself in
to closer communion with its Maker.
"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
time. In the present civil it is quite posi-
bic that Gods purpose something different from
the purpose of either party; and yet the human in
strumentalities, working just they do of the
best adaptation to effect his purpose. almost
ready to say that this is probably true; that God
wills this contest and wills that it shall end yet
By his mere great power on the minds of the now
contestants, he could have either saved or det~oyyd
the Union without human contest. Yet the con-
test began. And having begun, he could give the
final victory to either side any day. Yet the contest
proceeds"