Almighty King, whose wondrous hand

Author: William Cowper

William Cowper (pronounced "Cooper"; b. Berkampstead, Hertfordshire, England, 1731; d. East Dereham, Norfolk, England, 1800) is regarded as one of the best early Romantic poets. To biographers he is also known as "mad Cowper." His literary talents produced some of the finest English hymn texts, but his chronic depression accounts for the somber tone of many of those texts. Educated to become an attorney, Cowper was called to the bar in 1754 but never practiced law. In 1763 he had the opportunity to become a clerk for the House of Lords, but the dread of the required public examination triggered his tendency to depression, and he attempted suicide. His subsequent hospitalization and friendship with Morley and Mary Unwin provided emotional st… Go to person page >

Almighty King, whose wondrous hand. W. Cowper. [Grace and Providence.] No. 81, Bk. iii., of the Olney Hymns, 1779, in 5 stanzas of 4 lines, and entitled "Grace and Providence." It has not attained to the position of many of Cowper's hymns, and is found in a few collections only, including Martineau's Hymns, &c, 1840 and 1873.

-- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)