Why does Lincoln say that in a larger sense, it is not actually possible to consecrate the battleground?

In his Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln stated that in a larger sense, it is not possible to consecrate the battleground. Here's why:

1. The first reason is that the ground was already hallowed by the brave men, living and dead, who struggled there. The soldiers who fought and died on that battlefield had already given it a significance and sanctity that could not be surpassed by any words or actions of the living.

2. The second reason is that the world will little note, nor long remember what is said there, but it can never forget what the soldiers did there. The actions of the soldiers, their sacrifice, their bravery, and their commitment to their cause, were far more meaningful and memorable than any words that could be spoken or any ceremony that could be performed.

3. The third reason is that the task of the living, rather than to consecrate the ground, is to be dedicated to the unfinished work that the dead soldiers nobly advanced. The best way to honor the soldiers who fought at Gettysburg is not to consecrate the ground where they fought, but to continue the work that they began - the work of ensuring that the nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal, shall have a new birth of freedom.

In summary, Lincoln believed that the battleground was already consecrated by the actions of the soldiers who fought there, and that the best way to honor them was not to consecrate the ground, but to continue their work.