The year 1988 calls to mind a significant event in the history of the church. This summer it was four hundred years ago that the Spanish Armada was defeated in the English Channel, and later ruined off the coast of Ireland. Of the 134 ships that set out in the spring, only about one-half returned; of the men, over two-thirds were lost. The enormous fleet, hailed in Spain as the “Invincible” came home crippled and worn, having failed in its essential mission.

Why do we stop to consider this event? Its significance cannot be underestimated! The Spanish king, Philip II, had made it his aim to include England in his realm, and punish the Lowlands for their insubordination to Spanish rule. He was particularly concerned about eliminating the spread of the Reformation, and reintroducing the supremacy of the Romish faith. Thus, the mission of the Armada was both political and religious.

To achieve his ends, the king, under the blessing of Pope Sixtus V, sent with his soldiers and seamen an extensive contingent of “clergy”: Jesuits, priests, prelates, and so on. Many active in the Inquisition were also on board, including the administrator of the Inquisition himself. And besides the vast array of religious articles and artifacts on board, there were also instruments of torture: neck-stretchers, pincers, thumbscrews, and other implements designed to subdue the unruly by force.

Looking back, once can say that if Philip had been successful in his mission, this would have resulted in the end of Protestantism in the north. The plans even included an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I, the monarch who supported the Reformation in England. Philip was clearly bent on a total removal of the Protestant faith.

How was the Armada defeated? The English had a much smaller fleet, and their ships were also not nearly as large as those of Spain. Since many of the ships were destroyed after the Armada attempted to escape by way of Ireland, it was held that the victory came by a Divine Hand. In Holland, a commemoratory medal was cast with the inscription FLAVIT JEHOVAH ET DISSIPATI SUNT, God breathed and they were scattered. The other side of the medallion saw an engraving of the Reformed Church built on a rock in the midst of stormy waters, with the inscription ALLIDOR NON LAEDOR, I am assaulted but not wounded.¹

Others are quick to point out that much of this is myth, and that while there were indeed several references to a Divine Hand in the battle from the surviving documentations of both the English and the Spanish, this was only a common view in all naval battles of the period. Each side normally attributed victory or defeat to the will of God. And most believe that the Armada was essentially broken in the Battle of Gravelines, which began shortly after the English sent fireboats in the midst of the Spanish fleet. Indeed, the fireboats themselves, although small and unmanned, created havoc and confusion among the Spanish. The soldiers screamed “The fire of Antwerp!” taking the flames as a divine retribution for the Spanish sacking of Antwerp in 1576. The large Spanish ships also found they had little maneuverability in the Channel, and were in fact no match for the smaller English craft.

Another factor contributing to the defeat was the role of the Dutch. The small Dutch flyboats patrolling the northern part of the Channel prevented the ships of the Duke of Parma from linking up with the Armada. This was all a part of the original plan. But it failed to materialize because Parma was afraid of the smaller Dutch ships and their crews, who knew the channel better and were able to escape and attack by surprise much more easily.

It is not for us to attempt to calculate the relative importance of these different factors in the defeat of the Armada. It is true that many prayers were offered in England and Holland for the safety of the church and the welfare of both nations. And the English reported that it was a favourable breeze that brought success to the English venture with the fireboats. And what really happened off the coast of Ireland? S. Usherwood says that “many ships put in for food and water and, caught in a violent hurricane, were battered to pieces off the shore.”²

Who can deny it? God blew with His breath, and they were scattered! In fact, we commemorate not the bravery and skill of men first of all, but the hand of God that leads all events in history. To be sure, He used both the English and the Dutch in the defeat of the Armada. And with the wind He showed to men how victory depends on His leading hand. Therefore, in all things we give thanks to Him, because He was pleased to lead history in such a way that His church was spared, and the gospel could continue to flourish and work in northern Europe.

Indeed, this was a crucial turning point in history. Although Spain tried to bring England into submission with more Armadas, none ever reached the magnitude of the first Armada, and none were successful. Years later the freedom of religion came to be established more and more, and in later periods the gospel, rediscovered with the Reformation, also spread through the colonial efforts of the Protestant countries.

As in other cases in world history, here we must also say: It could have been so much different! Since the days of Philip II and Pope Sixtus V the world and the apostate church have risen up more often in order to destroy God's people from the earth. But God has intervened in order to allow us to share His truth. So we may live in thankfulness to God, and say with our forefathers:

Let Israel now say in thankfulness
That if the LORD had not our right maintained
And if the LORD had not with us remained,
When cruel men against us rose to strive,
We'd surely have been swallowed up alive.

Blest be the LORD who made us not their prey;
As from the fowler's net a bird may flee,
So from their broken snare did we go free.
Our only help is in God's holy Name:
He made the earth and all the heavenly frame. Psalm 124:1, 3