The undoubted popularity of the hymns was not simply a matter of local taste, but can be seen within the wider, developing religious climate in England. The relative rise in popularity of the Evangelical movement in the late 18th and early 19th centuries was due to a number of reasons: the onset of the Industrial Revolution and the subsequent break-up of, particularly, rural communities, was an unsettling influence on a parish like Olney; Methodism had seen a significant growth in popularity in the same period; and Evangelicalism was gradually finding its way into the established Church of England. However, Newton's and Cowper's writing clearly fitted its purpose. Cowper's relatively few hymns demonstrate his poetic and creative abilities, whereas Newton's prose have been assessed by some as "wooden". Nevertheless, the principal purpose of the hymns was not a theological discussion or representation of the Bible; rather, they were written for "plain people". Newton's use of simple and repetitive metres (rhythms) and simple rhyming structures helped his congregation remember the words. The significant emphasis on 'I' within the hymns shows Newton's view that the hymns are a product of his personal experience, a feature of his belief in personal repentance and Conversion, and his desire for a personal relationship with God.