re of the clergy of this city be requested
to officiate in that service."

The speech which accompanied this motion will forever be conspicuous
in our annals. He said:

"Mr. President! The small progress we have made, after four or five
weeks close attendence and continual reasonings with each other; our
different sentiments on almost every question, is, methinks, a
melancholy proof of the imperfection of the human understanding.

"In this situation of this Assembly groping, as it were, in the dark,
to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when
presented to us, how has it happened, sir, that we have not yet
hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of Lights to
illuminate our understandings?

"In the beginning of the contest with Britain, when we were sensible
of danger, we had daily prayers, in this room, for divine protection!
Our prayers, sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered. All
of us, who were engaged in the struggle, must have observed frequent
instances of a superintending Providence in our favor. To that kind
Providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting, in peace, on
the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we
now forgotten that powerful friend? or do we imagine that we no
longer need his assistance?

"I have lived, sir, a long time. And the longer I live, the more
convincing proofs I see of this truth; _That God governs in the
affairs of men_. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without
his notice, is it probable that an Empire can rise without his aid?
We have been assured, sir, in the Sacred Writings, that 'except the
Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.' I firmly
believe this. And I also believe that, without His concurring aid, we
shall succeed in this political building, no better than the building
of Babel."

It is almost incomprehensible that, under the influence of such an
appeal, the great majority of the Assembly should have voted against
seeking divine aid. In a note appended to this speech, Franklin
writes,

"The convention, except three or four persons, thought
prayers unnecessary."[39]

[Footnote 39: Mr. Parton undoubtedly suggested the true reason for
this strange refusal to seek divine guidance. He writes,

"I think it not improbable that the cause of this opposition
to a proposal so seldom negatived in the United States, was
the prevalence in the Co