This book sheds a new light on a complicated man, a man who said and believed: "I have felt His hand upon me in great trials." Trueblood traces Abraham Lincoln's growth from Illinois lawyer to worrld statesman primarily by the depth of his thinking. Elton Trueblood sees Lincoln as a man who accepted the basic philosophy ofour founding fathers, including the idea of a special destiny for America. A man who loved his country devoutly and believed thatithad been brought into existence for a purpose, and that purpose had something to do with the ultimate welfare of mankind. trueblood also sees Lincoln as a manwho despie this goal was sufficiently acquainted with human failure to know that progress is never easy, never certain.