Death like an over flowing stream sweeps us away Our life’s a dream an Empty tale An empty tale, a moving flower Cut down and withered in an hour. Text in Bolton and Coe is mistakenly transcribed as, “a moving flower.” The Sampler reads: “a morning flower.” As does the hymn.

Full Text: Death like an over flowing stream sweeps us away Our life’s a dream an Empty tale An empty tale, a moving flower Cut down and withered in an hour. Text in Bolton and Coe is mistakenly transcribed as, “a moving flower.” The Sampler reads: “a morning flower.” As does the hymn.
Listed on Page Number: 37
Sampler Worked By: Lydia Church
Date of Sampler: 1791
Place Sampler Made: New Haven, CT
Sampler Listed on Page: 37
Author/Publication/Country/Date: Dorrington, Theophilus. Devotions for Several Occasions… London: J. Wyat, 1707. pg. 116 Watts, Isaac. Psalms of David: imitated in the language of the New Testament, and apply’d to the Christian state and worship. London: J. Clark, 2nd ed. 1719. pg. 181
Notes: The first two lines first appear in an earlier work by Dorrington: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Devotions_for_Several_Occasions/gVVVAAAAcAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=stream They appear together in Watts, probably in the first edition: 2nd edition online, 1719: https://archive.org/details/staaaimi00watt/page/181/mode/1up?q=flowing+stream Sampler image: https://nscda.org/sampler/death-like-an-overflowing-stream-sweeps-us-away-our-lifes-a-drem-sic-an-empty-tale-a-morning-flower-cut-don-and-witherd-sic-in-an-hour-new-haven-connecticut-july-19-1791-mrs-mansfield-sc/