William Cowper had a tough and stormy life, but in those darkest hours, came forth some of the richest hymns! In the following story, please notice how resilient he was, in coming back to do great things after his times of mental illness. Only God could lift him up and use such a one as William Cowper!
He was born on November 26 (our current Gregorian calendar date, or November 15 on the old calendar), 1731, in Great Berkhamstead, England. His father was the chaplain to King George II, and his mother was from a family of royalty, the Donne family. During his childhood, Cowper was extremely sensitive and frail. His mother died when he was six, which didn’t help his emotional stability. He said near the end of his life that there had never been a day he did not mourn his mother’s death.
His father made him study law at an early age. He did all right with the studies, but being bullied and humiliated at school in Maryate, Hertfordshire, he left it to go to Westminster of London. He spent several years there and studied at Middle and inner Temple. He was called to the bar in 1754, and practiced law until he was 32.
He was nominated to two administrative posts in the House of Lords, but was required to undergo a public examination. He became so terrified over it; he tried to commit suicide three times, and came close to dying. The ordeal turned into severe melancholia, and from that point onward, he was prone to deep depression and insanity. It is interesting to note that his best hymns were written at the lowest periods of his life.
He was placed in an insane asylum for eighteen months at St. Albans. While he was there, he took up the Bible and began reading it. The verse, Romans 3:25: “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;” changed his life. Cowper realized he needed a personal relation with God, that he was a sinner, and that he needed God to forgive his sins. He was saved in 1764 at the age of 33.
When he was discharged from the asylum, he stayed in Huntingdon, with Reverend Unwin and his family. Mrs. Unwin was pretty much an adopted mother to him. When Reverend Unwin died in 1767, John Newton came to comfort the family, and invited Mrs. Unwin, her two children, and Cowper to move to Olney, England, where he lived. They accepted the invitation, and Cowper and Newton, the former slave ship captain, became very good friends, with Newton being a strong spiritual advisor.
In October 1773, Cowper suffered from another mental attack and he tried to drown himself. He then left Olney for a rural retirement. Cowper tried to commit suicide several times, but Newton stopped him. Probably to get Cowper’s mind off himself, his depressions, poor health, paranoia, and fears, Newton suggested that he help Olney’s poor people. He also convinced Cowper to write hymns for the prayer meetings. That is how Olney Hymns came to be published by Newton and Cowper. Sixty-seven of the 349 hymns in the collection were written by Cowper, the rest were written by Newton. The book of hymns for the “use of plain people” was published in 1779.
At age 50, Cowper began a literary career. Cowper’s Poems was published in 1782; and The Task in 1785, which brought him recognition as a poet.
In 1787 he had another attack of insanity.
In 1791, his translation of Homer’s works was published.
In 1796, his adopted mother, Mrs. Unwin died. He never fully recovered from her death.
William Cowper died on April 25, 1800 at the age of 60. On his deathbed he said, “I am not shut out of heaven after all!”
Hymns he wrote included:
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Sources
Osbeck, K.W. 101 More Hymn Stories. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, 1985.
Osbeck, K.W. Amazing Grace. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, 1990.
Osbeck, K.W. 101 Hymn Stories. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, 1982. Page 264, 265.
Vinita Hampton Wright, “The Gallery—Hymn Writer’ Hall of Fame.” Christian History: The Golden Age of Hymns. electronic ed. Carol Stream IL: Christianity Today, 1991; Published in electronic form by Logos Research Systems, 1996.
E.B. Batson. “Cowper, William.” Editors: Douglas, J. D., P. W. Comfort, & D. Mitchell. Who's Who in Christian History. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House, 1997, c1992.
Picture: http://www.christcommunity.org/igracemusic/hymnwriters/CowpersFuneral.htm
