After be­ing ap­prent­iced to an en­grav­er, Swain moved to Lon­don. Af­ter com­ing to Christ, he be­gan ex­press­ing his po­et­ic tem­per­a­ment by writ­ing hymns. In 1783, he was bap­tized by John Rip­pon, and in 1791 be­came min­is­ter of a Bap­tist con­gre­ga­tion in East Street, Wal­worth. His works in­clude:

• A Collection of Po­ems on Sev­er­al Oc­ca­sions (Lon­don: 1781)
• Redemption, a Poem in Five Books (Lon­don: 1789)
• Experimental Es­says on Di­vine Sub­jects (Lon­don: 1791)
• Walworth Hymns, by J. Swain, Pas­tor of the Bap­tist Church Meet­ing There (Lon­don: 1792) & Sup­ple­ment, 1794
• A Pocket Com­pan­ion and Di­rect­o­ry (Lon­don: 1794)

Sources

Hymns

1. Brethren, While We Sojourn Here
2. Children of the King of Grace
3. Christ the Lord Will Come Again
4. Come, Ye Souls by Sin Afflicted
5. How Sweet, How Heavenly Is the Sight
6. In Expecta­tion Sweet
7. Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Gates
8. Love Is the Sweetest Bud that Blows
9. O How the Thought That I Shall Know
10. O Thou in Whose Presence
11. On Earth the Song Begins
12. On the Wings of Faith Upspringing
13. Pilgrims We Are to Canaan Bound
14. Praise Ye the Lord, the Eternal King
15. Praise Your Redeemer, Praise His Name
16. Re­deem­er of Is­ra­el
17. ’Tis Heaven Be­gun Below
18. What Is It for a Saint to Die?
19. What Must It Be to Dwell Above?
20. When Firm I Stand on Zi­on’s Hill
21. Who Can For­bear to Sing?
22. Ye Daughters of Zi­on, De­clare, Have You Seen?