Answer: C. While he hopes for a quick resolution, he suggests that if the war does not end soon, it is God’s way of teaching the country a lesson for tolerating slavery.
Explanation: In the given sentences from the speech in which Lincoln describes his perspective about the continuation of the war, we can see that in first place, he expresses his desire of a quick resolution of war ("Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away") but he also says that if it doesn't end, it's because that is God's will and is way of teaching them a lesson for tolerating slavery ("...and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous").
The tone in the beginning is very desolate and dark because these men feel trapped and alone. The tone at the end is more enlightening because the men see the real world for the first time<span />
