"And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? Or do we imagine
we no longer need its 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?"

-- Benjamin Franklin (Motion for Prayers in the Constitutional
Convention, 28 June 1787)

Reference: Franklin Collected Works, Lemay, ed., 1138.