This carol was first published in 1827, but even then it was introduced as “an ancient carol, sung in the streets of London.” In A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, Ebenezer Scrooge hears this song sung joyously in the street and tells the singer he’ll hit him with a ruler unless he stops singing. Of course, that was not the intended response to this carol. The point is that joy reigns on Christmas Day because of God’s great gift of his Son, Jesus Christ. Notice the placement of the comma in the title -- that's not a mistake! Think of "rest merry" like "rest assured" and you'll get a better idea of what the song is meant to convey. We can “rest merry” in the knowledge that Christ has paid our penalty for going astray and has set us free from the power of evil. (William & Ardythe Petersen, Hymns, 219)
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