In 1787 at the Federal Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at a critical juncture in the writing of the U.S. Constitution, Benjamin Franklin addressed the President of the Convention: "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! We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that ‘except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it!’ [Psalm 127:1] I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel; we shall be divided by our little partial local interests, our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a by-word down to future ages. And, what is worse, mankind may hereafter, from this unfortunate instance despair of establishing government by human wisdom, and leave it to chance, war and conquest.
"I therefore beg leave to move, that henceforth prayers, imploring the assistance of heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning and that one of more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service."
