ht of humbly applying to the Father of Lights to
illuminate our understandings?... 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 labour 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 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 byword down to future ages.
And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate
instance, despair of establishing governments 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 before we proceed to business,
and that one or more of the clergy of this city be requested to
officiate in that service."

It may surprise my audience to know the sequel. The resolution was voted
down, partly on the ground that if it became known to the public that
the convention had finally resorted to prayers it might cause undue
alarm, but also because the convention was by that time so low in funds
that, as one of the members said, it did not have enough money to pay a
clergyman his fees for the service. I suspect that their controlling
reason was their indisposition to break their self-imposed rule of
secrecy by contact with the outer world until their work was completed.
Perhaps they thought that "God helps those who help themselves."

On July 16 the compromise was finally adopted of recognizing the claims
of the larger States to proportionate representation in the House of
Representatives, and recognizing the claims of the smaller States by
according to them equal representation in the Senate. This great result
was not effected without the first break in the convention, for the
delegates from New York left in disgust