Blair Collection > Book of Common Order, commonly called John Knox's Liturgy

PREFACE.
The old Scottish Prayer-hook was originally
published in Geneva. It was introduced into
Scotland in the year 1562, and was circulated for
general use in the vernacular. For the High-
lands, however, such a work was of as little
value as if it had been left in the original Latin ;
and it is specially creditable to Knox and
the Scottish Reformers, that they took measures
to bring the Gaelic-speaking inhabitants of the
Highlands under the same christianizing and
civilising influences with the rest of the land.
Soon after its appearance in English, it was
accordingly resolved to have the Book of Common
Order, as it was called, translated into Gaelic ;
and the work was undertaken by John Carswell,
Superintendent of Argyll and the Isles in con-
nexion with the early Scottish Presbyterian
Church, and afterwards Bishop of the Isles. At
whose instance the work was undertaken, it is
not easy to say, whether at that of Carswell