You twist that to say "slavery was irrevocable".
Your point is well taken. The way you have phrased the meaning of Lincoln's words is better than the way I phrased it.
With permission, I'll amend and re-ask the question from my post 439:
So there was time before the war for the North to prepare a constitutional amendment making irrevocable that the Federal Government shall never interfere with the domestic institutions of the States, including that of persons held to service, but not time to prepare an amendment to abolish slavery?
Enshrinement plus.