Montgomery and Cowper

Although “protestantism”, as such, doesn't have any “official shrines,” there does seem to be a tendency in most of our hearts to be affected to some extent by being in a place associated with some of the Lord's servants of the past. Two travellers of the last century tell the story of being on a visit to the village of Olney, so closely linked with John Newton and William Cowper, the famous hymn-writer. On their arrival in the area, they heard that another outstanding poet of the church of their own day was also in Olney. It was James Montgomery, and the two men decided to seek out the poet and introduce themselves to him.

However, although they searched the area quite thoroughly they could not find his whereabouts, until an old man directed to a little building know as “Squire Cowper's School.” It was a building that Cowper had lived in for some years, and where he had written one of his greatest hymns – “God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform.” Ever since Cowper's death, it had been used as a schoolroom, and when finally the two travellers tracked down James Montgomery, they found him, surrounded by the children of the school as he taught them the sense and the meaning of those weighty words that had first been committed to paper in that very building.

Able and all as Montgomery was to be hailed as one of the Church's greatest poets, he was not beyond being affected by those surroundings where that sweet singer of Israel had resigned himself to the mysterious providence of His God.