d Stone-heaps, of foolish
unarchitectural Bishops, redtape Officials, idle Nell-Gwyn Defenders
of the Faith; and see whether he will ever raise a Paul's Cathedral
out of all that, yea or no! Rough, rude, contradictory are all things
and persons, from the mutinous masons and Irish hodmen, up to the idle
Nell-Gwyn Defenders, to blustering redtape Officials, foolish
unarchitectural Bishops. All these things and persons are there not
for Christopher's sake and his Cathedral's; they are there for their
own sake mainly! Christopher will have to conquer and constrain all
these,--if he be able. All these are against him. Equitable Nature
herself, who carries her mathematics and architectonics not on the
face of her, but deep in the hidden heart of her,--Nature herself is
but partially for him; will be wholly against him, if he constrain her
not! His very money, where is it to come from? The pious munificence
of England lies far-scattered, distant, unable to speak, and say, "I
am here;"--must be spoken to before it can speak. Pious munificence,
and all help, is so silent, invisible like the gods; impediment,
contradictions manifold are so loud and near! O brave Sir Christopher,
trust thou in those notwithstanding, and front all these; understand
all these; by valiant patience, noble effort, insight, by
man's-strength, vanquish and compel all these,--and, on the whole,
strike down victoriously the last topstone of that Paul's Edifice; thy
monument for certain centuries, the stamp 'Great Man' impressed very
legibly on Portland-stone there!--

Yes, all manner of help, and pious response from Men or Nature, is
always what we call silent; cannot speak or come to light, till it be
seen, till it be spoken to. Every noble work is at first 'impossible.'
In very truth, for every noble work the possibilities will lie
diffused through Immensity; inarticulate, undiscoverable except to
faith. Like Gideon thou shalt spread out thy fleece at the door of thy
tent; see whether under the wide arch of Heaven there be any bounteous
moisture, or none. Thy heart and life-purpose shall be as a miraculous
Gideon's fleece, spread out in silent appeal to Heaven; and from the
kind Immensities, what from the poor unkind Localities and town and
country Parishes there never could, blessed dew-moisture to suffice
thee shall have fallen!

Work is of a religious nature:--work is of a _brave_ nature; which it
is the aim of all religion to be. All work of man is