The Good shepherd, together with a Hymn on baptism

This broadside, The Good Shepherd, as well as The Happy Man, An Invitation to Reformation, The Union, and The Exiles of Eden, include exhortations to forsake worldly vice for Christian blessings and some give conversion experiences as well. It is interesting that none of them bears an imprint. It is possible that they were ordered and purchased in bulk by itinerant missionaries.

The basic text of “The Good Shepherd” appeared in Stith Mead’s General Selection of the Newest and Most Admired Hymns (7-8) but the specific text on this broadside was probably copied from the Herald of Gospel Liberty of August 31, 1810 (212), omitting the fifth verse. There are various word changes from the Mead version, most notably the fifth line, which is changed from the dramatic “Visit now poor bleeding Zion” to a gentler “Visit now thy precious Zion.” While Oliver Shaw printed the first verse only (see illustration), his lyric reflects this change.

“A Hymn on Baptism” was written by the Reverend William Bentley (1775-1855), who was ordained in September 1807 and installed at the First Baptist Church of Malden, Massachusetts, in November. The meter is specific, 76.76.76.76 (iambic) with two long notes at the end of the odd-numbered lines, suggesting that Bentley had a specific type of psalm tune in mind.