Gunpowder and a Proclamation

On November 5, 1605, a plot to destroy England’s Parliament was foiled. Today, Stephen Nichols reflects on how this event has reminded generations to give glory to God for His providential deliverance.

Welcome back to another episode of 5 Minutes in Church History. Last time we were together, we were talking about Thanksgiving, and we're going to dip back into history to talk about another proclamation of thanksgiving that came from the hand of King James, and this has to do with events on November the 5th.

When our kids were little, we bought them some of these books that were in a series entitled Brilliant Brits, with biographies of some British figures. One of the volumes was actually entitled Not So Brilliant Brits, and it was on Guy Fawkes. Guy Fawkes is at the center of this story. He was born in 1570 into a Protestant home, but in his teenage years, he converted to Roman Catholicism. Shortly thereafter, he went to Spain and fought with Catholic forces against the Dutch.

And then he was recruited, because of his military experience, by Robert Catesby and joined a group of conspirators, Catholic conspirators--Papists as the English would've called them then--who wanted to blow up Parliament. They rented a basement underneath Parliament, loaded in 36 barrels of gunpowder, and the plan was on November 5, they would blow up Parliament. On that day, King James, the Queen, the Prince, the Lords, House of Commons members, Archbishop, Bishops would all be gathered there and there was enough gunpowder to probably level the entire Parliament building.

Well, somebody sent an anonymous letter tipping off one of the Lords. It made its way to the king. The king figured out something was up. They sent the troops to go and inspect. And sure enough, on the evening of November 4th, Guy Fawkes was arrested as he was guarding those gunpowder barrels in the basement under Parliament.

The next year, the king issued a proclamation. It was called the Observance of 5th November, 1605 Act. And in the proclamation lays out everything that happened and how God miraculously and graciously delivered his church and delivered the king and delivered all these people from their certain death by this heinous gunpowder plot (they actually call it inhumane, barbarous, and cruel).

And then it calls for an annual day of remembrance and an annual day of thanksgiving to God for delivering Britain from this plot. The act says that the nation “most justly acknowledges this great and infinite blessing to have proceeded merely from God and His great mercy, and to His most holy Name do ascribe all the honor, glory, and praise. And to the end, this unfeigned thankfulness may never be forgotten, but be had in perpetual remembrance that all ages to come may yield praises to His Divine Majesty.”

And so they set it up that all and every minister in every cathedral and parish church would have a day of prayer or a sermon or some service on the 5th of November, and that all of the inhabitants, every person and persons inhabiting within the realm of England, are to find themselves in a parish church, or in a cathedral, or in some meeting house on the 5th of November.

Well, I found a sermon that comes after--135 years after--the proclamation. It is by Joseph Hallett III. He was a Presbyterian minister involved in some theological controversy, so we may have to return to him sometime, but in his sermon from 5th of November Day in 1740, Hallett says this, “Let us this day call to mind some particular times when God has remarkably saved us. Every rising generation ought to be informed of these great things which God has done for us, and to be made sensible of the greatness of these civil and religious liberties which they enjoy.” What a great line. “Every rising generation ought to be informed of these great things that God has done.” Well, that's the 5th of November, a not so brilliant Brit, and I'm Steve Nichols and thanks for joining us for 5 Minutes in Church History.