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Articles Christian Life Grace in Affliction: William Cowper, Poet of Olney
Articles Christian Life Grace in Affliction: William Cowper, Poet of Olney | Grace in Affliction: William Cowper, Poet of Olney |
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| Written by John M. Cromarty | |
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Page 5 of 9
Chapter 3 - ‘Is Mine a Contrite Heart, or No?' (Hymn 9)In this chapter we focus briefly upon Cowper's expressions of uncertainty, before dwelling upon some of his great declarations concerning the sovereign grace of God in Christ. To many it is a paradox that a man with such evident devotion to Christ and holiness of character could ever doubt his being ‘in Christ'.While the Apostle John raises this issue in his first Epistle[1] and the Westminster Confession of Faith allows for such uncertainty even in a true believer,[2] Cowper's case is unusual. His doubts and fears were not theological, nor were they the consequence of some recurring sin which robbed him of assurance. It was his constitutional affliction. At times his troubled mind would not allow him the peace for which his heart yearned. The uncertainty was in self. There was no uncertainty concerning Christ and the all-sufficiency of his grace. He lacked no confidence in the power of God to save the sinner, yet he wondered how it could be that he a ‘worm' a ‘thorn' and ‘tempest tossed' could be a recipient of grace. At other times he wrote as though he himself stood in glory. Professor Lodwick Hartley's informative study The Worm and the Thorn [3] though showing a misunderstanding of Calvinism,[4] points us to those particular hymns in which Cowper tells us of his personal doubts whilst longing to know the peace of a realised assurance. The LORD will happiness divineThe perplexity of mind is almost overwhelming. The struggles are deep and inward. Though safe in Christ there is no assured realisation of this. Cowper can speak of God as ‘gracious' but it brings him no comfort. He is deprived of the felt presence of the Lord. Such a hymn is hardly suitable for congregational praise, again illustrating that the purpose of the poems was instruction with a view to memorization. In this instance there is also self-examination. This in itself is good. But here, it is the probing and pleading of a soul beset by inward conflicts and haunting fears. It is a transcript of Cowper's mind at that time. It is personal and individual. This hymn is useful for study, though not for corporate worship. Elsewhere we find Cowper expressing his own longings for glory, the hymn ending with these words, Such JESUS is, and such his grace,Hartley says that this is ‘one of the most pathetic notes in all the hymns'.[5] Cowper does not for one moment doubt the grace that is in Christ, only his own interest in that grace. Routley's lengthy study of Cowper is spoiled by his own theological misunderstandings, his Arminianism being evident in his comment on this hymn. Routley tells us that Cowper is a man ‘who has known Christ, but has lost him'.[6] The consistent Arminian has no assured hope. His theology will not permit it. But it is illegitimate to read Arminian theology into the writings of a Calvinist. It was Cowper's firm grasp of objective truth which kept him from sinking beneath the waves of total and relentless despair. The Psalmist reminds us, ‘None of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.'[7] When free of severe depression Cowper was upheld by the knowledge that the believer in Christ is secure. And this was one of the great benefits of Newton's ministry. It was the reassurance that Cowper needed, a reassurance that he would not have known had the wish of another biographer materialised. Thomas tells us, ‘We could wish that Newton had emerged into the full Arminian sunshine.'[8] However, the theology of Arminianism would not have sustained Cowper. In that system of thought the believer may choose to opt out, in which case God is powerless to keep him. We shall see in our next chapter how the great doctrines of grace were Cowper's mainstay. Before finishing this brief chapter it must be pointed out that whether it is the Psalmist [9] or the poet Cowper, the doubts and fears arose because of changed circumstances, either externally or within his own physical, emotional or spiritual state. The change was not in God. Cowper never expresses a doubt concerning the character and grace of God. He tells us that, God moves in a mysterious way,Cowper's doubts arose from the disposition of his own mind and soul. His doctrine was biblical and he expressed it with clarity. Yet he himself could not cope with God's mysterious ways, and while he did not ‘judge the Lord by feeble sense' he nevertheless often judged himself by that erring standard. It is here that we face an important issue. In a believer's relationship with Christ there is always a certain subjectivity. The witness of the Spirit, though by the use of means, is an inward witness.[10] But assurance of faith will come only when by the use of the means of grace the focus is firmly fixed, not on ‘faith', but upon faith's great Object. Yet in Cowper we find this paradox. There is ‘grace abounding' in Christ. Of this he is certain and he wants others to know it, whilst at various stages in his life he is in abject despair concerning his own interest in the Saviour. This in no small part was because of his affliction which ebbed and flowed. His problem of assurance was not theological but mental, and he suffered great anguish of mind and spirit. Yet there were lengthy periods of sunshine. The clouds of doubt seemed to dissipate. His eye of faith was on Christ and the benefits of his atonement. When Cowper writes of Calvary the doubts are gone. He is lifted above the circumstances and his mind is elevated and assured. There is a fountain fill'd with bloodFor the sinner, Calvary is the place of cleansing. Here is the climax of grace. Cowper has no doubts at all. He can even say, E'er since by faith, I saw the streamOutside of Scripture it would not be easy to find a more forthright and assuring testimony of a person's assurance of perseverance and of glory. In the following chapter we shall return to this hymn, but for another reason. [1] I John 5:13 [2] Westminster Confession of Faith, ch. 18, sect. 3,4, (Belfast, Graham & Heslip, 1933) pp. 62,63 [3] Lodwick Hartley, ‘The Worm and the Thorn: A Study of Cowper's Olney Hymns', The Journal of Religion xxix, 1948-49 pp. 220-229 [4] Hartley, ‘The Worm and the Thorn', p. 224 [5] Hartley, ‘The Worm and the Thorn', p. 226 [6] Routley, I'll Praise My Maker, p. 75 [7] Psalm 34:22 [8] Thomas, Cowper, p. 174 [9] Psalms 22, 42, 43 [10] Romans 8:16
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