Failing, misfortune, and pain. Funny how we are terrified of those words. The old Scotch Presbyterians saw these as merely a divine hand steering them towards another opportunity with greater glory. When the oppression of Scotland started in 1748 by raising taxes 450%, clearing the highlands of all people living there, and banning and crushing the cultural marks in Scotland, they saw it as the end of one thing and the start of something greater. Strange how right they were. When they were no longer able to live in Scotland there was a mass exodus of the Scotch Presbyterians to America. King George the Third said the revolutionary war was caused of the black brigades. Black referring to the color of the pastoral robes.

George Washington said, “ the aspiration of our people in Scotland can be fulfilled. Freedom shall be our call, freedom shall be out motto and voice, since we are all Scots indeed.”

The Scots had everything taken from them. Their land, everything they owned,and the majority of the men had been killed in the war lead by Bonny Prince Charley just years before. The generation that immigrated was mostly children and widows. Even in this, they believed that this was all caused to create a greater glory and never lost vision and hope in the gospel. they still believed that misfortune steers us to something greater. How right they were.

Our failings, misfortune, and pain is so much less than the Scots had and we still loose our vision.