Today I collected some information on William Cowper.
Image from Google
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I first became interested in the life and poetry of William Cowper in 2004. When I first read the words to
“Walking with God”
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I don’t understand why but his life I find interesting and I see some similarities in his poetry to how I process. I decided to put this information and a few links here with the rest of the stuff I collect.
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“God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform.
He plants his footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm.”
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Cowper’s name will always be associated with that of John Newton, his friend and pastor. Together they wrote many hymns familiar to us today.
Cowper suffered from bouts of acute depression. Newton saved him from suicide several times. In fact, because his nervous system was so delicate, he was unable to hold a job. Therefore he spent his time in literary pursuits, including writing poetry.
His poetry was quite influential. Many people who scorned evangelicals as “Methodists” would read Cowper’s poems. He addressed many social issues, such as African slavery, as well as spreading the Gospel.
One of Cowper’s critics says that Newton was a bad influence, causing him to “indulge and inflame his sensibility in the dark ecstasies of Calvinism, while at the same time affronting all that was reasonable and humane in his nature.”
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The first child of Reverend John Cowper and Ann Donne Cowper, William Cowper was born on November 15, 1731, in Berkhampsted, Herefordshire, England. The poet’s mother died when he was six and Cowper was sent to Dr. Pittman’s boarding school, where he was routinely bullied. In 1748, he enrolled in the Middle Temple in order to pursue a law degree.
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In 1773, Cowper became engaged to Mary Unwin, but he suffered another attack of madness. He had terrible nightmares, believing that God has rejected him. Cowper would never again enter a church or say a prayer. When he recovered his health, he kept busy by gardening, carpentry, and keeping animals. In spite of periods of acute depression, Cowper’s twenty-six years in Olney and later at Weston Underwood were marked by great achievement as poet, hymn-writer, and letter-writer. His first volume of poetry, Poems by William Cowper, of the Inner Temple was published in 1782 to wide acclaim. His work was compared to late Neo-Classical writers like Samuel Johnson as well as to poets such as Thomas Gray.
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Light Shining Out of Darkness
God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill,
He treasures up his bright designs,
And works his sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.
Judge not the LORD by feeble sense,
But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence,
He hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding ev’ry hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flow’r.
Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his work in vain;
GOD is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain.
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LINKS
More poems by William Cowper
About William Cowper
About John Newton (Author of Amazing Grace)
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Audio I found (I am dyslexic so this was helpful)
Insanity and Spiritual Songs in the Soul of a Saint
