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.

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American lawyer, politician, US President (1861-65)

Essay (1862-09-02?), “Meditation on the Divine Will” (frag.)
    (Source)

This fragment was found and preserved by John Hay, one of Lincoln's personal secretaries. Hay, and John Nicolay (another of his secretaries) indicated it was a private note, never meant for publication, labeled it as possibly dated 30 September, though their account implies it was during his consideration of the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation of 22 September. The editors of the Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln push the date as early as 2 September, following Second Bull Run. More detailed analysis of the date here.