Lord, Dismiss Us with Thy Blessing
163

Text: John Fawcett (1740–1817)
Music: Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778)
Tune name: GREENVILLE

This hymn is a prayer that we may make practical use of the gospel in our lives. We offer verbal thanks and adoration for the gospel, and we also ask the help of our Father in Heaven in rendering additional thanks through faithful and dedicated lives. The “joyful sound” of the gospel must manifest itself in our lives.

In Jean Jacques Rousseau’s opera Le Devin de Village (“The Village Soothsayer”), one scene includes a melody, called the “Pantomime,” for string instruments. The melody is often called “Rousseau’s Dream,” referring to a legend that the melody had come to Rousseau in a dream in which the heavenly hosts were singing this tune in honor of the Father. Under many titles, often with romantic words attached, the tune achieved considerable popularity in both France and England. It may have its origins in a French folk song.