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    838 Life and Writing's of Herder.

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    : Account Of Herder's Life And Writings.

    ground of ineornpetency , heen refused ordination in the Consistory of Hanover . With this request Herder sturdily refused compliance , and pers & vered with such effect , that the Count was finally obliged to yieldo His situation , howeveivat Biiekeborg , was Tendered less agreeable m consequence ^ and he looked forward with anxiety to the prospect of some change . His great and increasing literary fnw £ had procured him friends and admirers in all parts

    of Germany ; but he was less known as a divine than as a man o € letters * Strong interest had been made with the Hanoverian ministry to procure for him an invitation to beeome fourth Professor of Theology in o-rdinaiy , and University preacher at Gdttingeno This end seemed to be accomplished ; but a question was raised as to his orthodoxy : and before Hefder could assume either of these functions , it was thought proper th & t he should undergo an examination before the theological faculty of the University .

    This was the view which his Britannic Majesty took of the subject , who refused to confirm the nomination on any other terms . All this was excessively repugnant to Herder ' s spirit ; and he felt the less disposed to > submit s because he suspected that his enemies among the clergy had represented his character and opinions in an unfavourable light to George the Third . He appealed to the spirit of his writings as a proof of his zeal for the cause of religion ., and contended that , although he had not published any work on

    Dogmatic Theology , he had done more than most of his countrymen to check the progress of Deistica ! principles * The correspondence was carried on with apparently little effect for a considerable time , His friends endeavoured to remove his objections ; and assured him that a confereince with the faculty would not involve . any sacrifices prejudicial to his honour . Throughout the whole of this discussion Herder conceived that ? having once

    signed thus Augsburgh Confession , he could not properly be called on for any fresh declaration of his sentiments ; and expressed himself in the most indignant ternis against the inquisitorial spirit that demanded such a declaration * At last , after a conversation with his friend Westfeld , he consented to a conference with the faculty at Gottingen , and promised to preach at Hanover both in his way thither and on his return .

    On the very day before he set out on this disagreeable expedition , he received a nnost flattering request to accept the office of Head-Pastor and General Superintendent at Weimar . From that moment he abandoned all thought of Gottingen , and accepted ^ with a joy proportioned to his previous perplexities and embarrassments , the invitation to Weimar , Weimar was , at this time , 1776 , the seat of elegance and literature . The court of the young duke was graced by the brilliant genius of Goethe and

    Wieland ; and the rejoicings on occasion of his recent nuptials were celebrated in a succession of musical entertainments , theatrical exhibitions , and public readings , to which the varied talents and acquirements of these distinguished men afforded their powerful aid . Other evenings were passed in the graceful intercourse of a refined and intellectual society , when literature and the arts , and even the graver themes of moral and political philoso p hy , were discussed with the andst perfect freedom and liberality . In these

    brilliant circles , the genius of Herder and his extraordinary powers of conversation fitted him to shine ; and in scenes that might have bewildered and betrayed a nfrind of less principle and firmness , it must be recorded to his honour , that he never forget the Christian teacher in the man of letters , and was respected as much for the purity and elevation of his moral character as for the splendour and versatility of his talents ., His ecclesiastical relations were not equal ! j productive to him of emjoy-

    838 Life And Writing's Of Herder.

    838 Life and Writing's of Herder .

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Dec. 2, 1830, page 838, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/mrp_02121830/page/38/