The English poet William Cowper is actually known to most of us as the author of some hymns we currently sing. Among the hymns he wrote were “God Moves in a Mysterious Way” and “There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood.” He was also for some time a close friend of John Newton, author of “Amazing Grace.” Near the end of his life though he struggled with severe depression and doubted his salvation.

In one of his lengthier poems Table Talk, he makes reference to religious themes in poetry. Cowper’s poetical sensibilities found little use for much of it. Here is a selection:

Pity Religion has so seldom found
A skilful guide into poetic ground!
The flowers would spring where’er she deign’d to stray,
And every muse attend her in her way.
Virtue indeed meets many a rhyming friend,
And many a compliment politely penn’d;
But, unattired in that becoming vest
Religion weaves for her, and half undress’d,
Stands in the desert shivering and forlorn,
A wintry figure, like a wither’d thorn.

Neither right doctrine nor authentic religious experiences by themselves can make good hymns or good poetry. They are essential, but cannot stand alone. A skilful guide is necessary for both artistic endeavors.

Posted in Devotional |