O give me the flowers that never decay

O give me the flowers that never decay

Author: William Hunter
Tune: TRUE RICHES
Published in 3 hymnals

Representative Text

1 Oh! give me the flowers that never decay,
The treasures in heaven that pass not away!
All flow'rs in this valley of sorrow shall die,
And our riches make wings, and away from us fly.

2 Vain man, in the bloom of his health and his joys,
Clings fondly to earth and its perishing toys,
Forgetting that beauty will swiftly decay,
And that riches make wings and fly quickly away.

3 Go, buy thee new lands and enlarge thy estate,
And write thy proud name with the wealthy and great;
But if thou shalt fail of a treasure in heaven,
All thy wealth to the winds shall be rapidly given.

4 Go, enter the mart, where the merchant men meet;
Get rich, and retire to some rural retreat:
Ere happiness comes, comes the season to die;
Quickly then will thy riches all vanish and fly.

5 Go, sit with the mighty in purpose and gold;
Thy mansions be stately, thy treasures untold;
But soon shalt thou dwell in the damp house of clay,
While thy riches make wings to themselves, and away.

6 Oh! give me the flowers that droop not nor die!
A treasure up yonder!--a home in the sky!
Where beautiful things in their beauty still stay,
And where riches ne'er fly from the blessed away.



Source: The Minstrel of Zion: a book of religious songs, accompanied with appropriate music, chiefly original #65

Author: William Hunter

Hunter, William, D.D, son of John Hunter, was born near Ballymoney, County Antrim, Ireland, May 26, 1811. He removed to America in 1817, and entered Madison College in 1830. For some time he edited the Conference Journal, and the Christian Advocate. In 1855 he was appointed Professor of Hebrew in Alleghany College: and subsequently Minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, at Alliance, Stark Country, Ohio. He died in 1877. He edited Minstrel of Zion, 1845; Select Melodies, 1851; and Songs of Devotion, 1859. His hymns, over 125 in all, appeared in these works. Some of these have been translated into various Indian languages. The best known are :— 1. A home in heaven; what a joyful thought. Heaven a Home. From his Minstrel of Zion, 1… Go to person page >

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First Line: O give me the flowers that never decay
Author: William Hunter
Copyright: Public Domain

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Hymns for the Use of the Brethren in Christ #d337

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The Minstrel of Zion #65

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