1801–1847

Introduction

Born: March 17, 1801, Ply­mouth, Eng­land.

Died: June 23, 1847, Li­ver­pool, Eng­land.

Biography

Son of ar­tist A. B. Johns, John was edu­cat­ed at the lo­cal gram­mar school by I. Wors­ley, a Uni­ta­ri­an min­is­ter in Ply­mouth, and af­ter­ward dur­ing two years spent at Ed­in­burgh.

In 1820, he be­came min­is­ter of the old Pres­by­te­ri­an cha­pel at Cre­dit­on, where he stayed un­til 1836, when he moved to Li­ver­pool to serve as Min­is­ter to the Poor.

Works

Johns wrote ov­er 35 hymns, and was a fre­quent con­trib­u­tor to the Month­ly Re­po­si­to­ry, Chri­stian Re­form­er, and Chris­tian Teach­er.

His oth­er works in­clude:

Poem

Moral Lines

Floating down the current of time to the tomb,
We hallow too much the flowers on its side,
As the Indian does the frail fair bloom
Of the lotus that drinks of his sacred tide.

But thus should we part with the pearl of Hea­ven,
To treasure on earth its rifled shell?
Or is aught so precious by this life given,
That we bid to the other a glad farewell?

Oh think, amid all thy flowers, how soon,
Son of Earth, the adder may cross thy way—
How quickly, amid the blaze of noon,
The cloud of the grave may eclipse thy day!

Go, taste of the banquet of this world’s joys,
And drink of the nectar of earthly love;
But remember betimes to lift thine eyes,
In the midst of them all, to the things above.

Thus sweeter by far shall thy life bloom on,
Than theirs who forget that they e’er must fall,
And over the future the past’s light thrown
Shall sign with a rainbow its cloudy pall.

And thus to thy God, without fear or crime,
Thy spirit, whenever ’tis called, will flee;
And the hand that scatters the wreath of time,
Will weave one of paradise-flowers for thee.

John Johns
The Dews of Castalie, 1828

Sources

Lyrics

Help Needed

If you can help with any of these it­ems,