Friday, September 30, 2011

President Lincoln's Fast

From Christianity.com

Historians have argued whether or not Abraham Lincoln, one of America's best-known presidents, ever became a committed Christian. As a youth Lincoln mocked the scriptures. After the death of his favorite son, Willie, he groped for some hope which could give him solace. His wife Mary and he attended seances, but eventually renounced them as fraudulent. The cares and trials of the war drove Lincoln increasingly to his Bible.

His lifelong friend Joshua Speed remembered, "As I entered the room near night, [Lincoln] was sitting near a window reading his Bible. Approaching him, I said, 'I am glad to see you profitably engaged.' 'Yes,' said he, 'I am profitably engaged.' 'Well,' said I, 'if you have recovered from your skepticism I am sorry to say that I have not!' Looking me earnestly in the face, and placing his hand upon my shoulder, he said: 'You are wrong Speed; take all of this book upon reason that you can, and the balance on faith and you will live and die a happier and better man.'"

Many of Lincoln's communications allude to God. In his personal correspondence to Mrs. Gurney, a Quakeress, he wrote, "We hoped for a happy termination of this terrible war before this; but God knows best and has ruled otherwise." Increasingly he saw himself as an instrument of the Lord's will, inscrutable though that might be.

[Be sure to read the rest here … before our progressive revisionists manage to  bury Lincoln’s commitment to Christianity – JS]

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