My thought on the Mother Church has resolved itself into two parts,—namely, the Material, and the Spiritual. The following from Shakespeare and Dr. Holmes, well express it:—
FIRST,—THE MATERIAL IDEA:—
"And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud capped towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded
Leave not rack behind."—
SECOND,—THE SPIRITUAL IDEA:—
"Build thee more stately mansions, O, my soul,
As the swift seasons roll!
Leave thy low-vaulted past!
Let each new temple, nobler than the last,
Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast
Till thou at length art free,
Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea."
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