Introduction - Why This Study

William Cowper's life has attracted a host of interpreters who in many cases have misunderstood and misrepresented his Christian faith expressed so passionately and plaintively in much of his verse and prose.

This misunderstanding and misrepresentation is in part due to:

(i) The suppression of certain biographical and literary information essential for any honest evaluation.

(ii) A misunderstanding of the nature and extent of his mental illness.

(iii) An unenlightened and therefore unsympathetic and prejudiced appraisal of his Calvinistic theology.

In addressing these matters particularly, it will be necessary to review his early life focusing especially on his mental affliction and then his conversion to Christ. This will be followed by a discussion of his relationship with John Newton coupled with the misconceptions that have arisen concerning Newton's supposed disastrous influence upon Cowper. After a consideration of the origin of the Olney Hymns the focus will be upon his own longings for an assured faith in the face of the 'constitutional melancholy' that marked much of his life. Then follows a brief overview of the 'doctrines of grace' as found in the poems of Olney, whilst at the same time interacting with and refuting a number of the misconceptions that have been promulgated by some of his editors and biographers.

In pursuing this goal, two recent publications have been of particular assistance. The first of these is the 1980 publication entitled The Poems of William Cowper, Volume I (1748-1782).¹ Amongst other things this volume contains an excellent textual introduction, a discussion of the Olney Hymns and a critical apparatus with textual variants, as in some instances there are several versions of the same poem, words having been altered and verses either added or deleted. This is a helpful volume and thankfully its editors appear to be unaffected by the prejudice of others, having sought to include all of the available material for the period under review. This is refreshing indeed.

The latest and by far the most comprehensive study has come to us from Dr George Ella who has researched Cowper for his doctoral thesis. This has been published in 1993 in biographical form by Evangelical Press.² Though not well known, Ella has made a number of contributions to such magazines as the Evangelical Quarterly and The Banner of Truth Trust.

The late S.M. Houghton described Ella as 'a man who knew, loved and understood William Cowper.³ In another place Houghton said of Dr Ella, 'he knew more about Cowper than anyone else in the world'.⁴ Sylvia Bull, the Curator of the Cowper Memorial Museum, Olney, has described Ella's thesis Paradise and Poetry as 'deep, serious and scholarly'.⁵ John Rubens, General Manager of the publishing house Evangelical Press, tells us that Ella's life of Cowper is 'his best work ... it is balanced and thorough'.⁶

We have in Ella a researcher who has had at his disposal more information about Cowper than any previous biographer. He knows Cowper through and through. He is in tune with Cowper's Christian faith and is an upholder of the doctrines of grace which Cowper heartily espoused and so eloquently proclaimed. Dr Ella's analysis is to be respected. His appreciation of Reformed Theology furnishes him with a clarity of understanding and judgment not apparent in many other interpreters of the poet.

It has been necessary to establish Ella's credentials, for whilst drawing upon other available information from various sources, undoubtedly Ella's research is important in our present study.

As the Olney Hymns of Cowper are to be our focus in the latter part of this study, it must be remarked that there is some dispute concerning the number of hymns to be included. Even Ella appears a little uncertain, as in 1986 he speaks of 'Cowper's sixty-seven contributions to the Olney Hymns'⁷ whilst in his biography (1993) he refers to the sixty-eight that John Newton published.⁸ In fact Baird and Ryskamp to whom Ella refers in numbering them at sixty-seven, state that Hymn 33 The Waiting Soul is one of Newton's, thus leaving Cowper's contribution at sixty-six.⁹ It appears that Ella has misread Baird and Ryskamp, not noticing that Hymn 33 belongs to Newton. The other poem included in most collections of Cowper's Olney Hymns but excluded by Baird and Ryskamp is, To Jesus the Crown of My Hope, which was found in a manuscript after Cowper's death in 1800. Though probably written at Olney in 1771 it was not included in Newton's earliest editions.¹⁰

Each reference to the Olney Hymns will be from the Baird and Ryskamp edition and designated by its corresponding number (see Appendix A). It is to be understood that for the purpose of this study much biographical and literary information must be omitted in order to achieve the established goals.

Notes to the Introduction

¹ John D. Baird & Charles Ryskamp (eds.), The Poems of William Cowper, Volume I: 1748-1782, (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1980)

² George Melvyn Ella, William Cowper, Poet of Paradise, (Darlington, Evangelical Press, 1993)

³ As quoted in T.D. Martin, 'Paradise and Poetry', A review article and reflection upon Cowper's work, Bible League Quarterly, April-June, 1990, p. 321

⁴ Ella, Cowper, (dust cover comment)

⁵ Martin, 'Paradise and Poetry', p. 321

⁶ John Rubens, private correspondence to James A. Cromarty, 26.10.1998.

⁷ George Melvyn Ella, 'William Cowper: A Review Article on Major New Editions of Cowper's Works', The Banner of Truth magazine, Issue 274, (Edinburgh, Banner of Truth, 1986) p. 21

⁸ Ella, Cowper, p. 195

⁹ Baird & Ryskamp, The Poems, p. xxix, p. 173

¹⁰ Baird & Ryskamp, The Poems, p. xxx, p. 479. (This poem is included in Appendix B)