Coxwold Church 3: Eternal Fame

Coxwold Church in North Yorkshire is well known for its magnificent monuments, those memorials to local landowners who feared being forgotten. Sir William and Lady Balasyse are here depicted, laying down, hands clasped in prayer, as respectable but dead Elizabethans were expected to look. The opulence of the tomb bespeaks the fabulous wealth they acquired in life and the hoped-for eternal rest they sought thereafter.

To the monument’s lower reaches, however, the mason achieved his own little claim on posterity. “Thomas Browne did carve this tombe, himself alone from Hesselwood stone”. Though a man of inferior social status, his skill and artistry warranted a mention on this huge edifice. He was justifiably proud of his handiwork and wanted future generations to appreciate his talent. Master Browne would almost certainly have been forgotten by now had he not written his name in stone. The tomb’s occupants are remembered for their wealth, but Browne for his actions and abilities.

In Hebrews 11, we have a roll call of what previous generations of saint achieved. Now the scriptures are clear; we are saved by grace, not be works. We enter heaven by virtue of Christ’s actions, not our own. Yet in that great chapter, God’s people are remembered for their actions. Let us take Moses, for instance, whose affairs are covered in verses 23-29. We are told:

24 By faith Moses…refused…

27 By faith he forsook…

…he endured...he kept…

29 By faith they passed…

Although grounded in faith in his great God, Moses did a number of things. Thousands of years later, we speak of them and are wonderfully inspired thereby. When we read of the great women and men of church history, it is not just their beliefs and theology we find inspirational, but the actions and deeds which sprang therefrom. Wesley, Calvin, Booth, Elliot, Carmichael- such people performed great acts of faith.

During the Great War, the British Government ran a poster campaign aimed at urging young men to join the forces. “Daddy”, asks a little girl on her papa’s knee, “What did you do in the war?”. A father who could not answer this question would presumably regret it, so join up now and perform feats of bravery with which to regale your family in later years. Hopefully, such men survived the trenches, for dead men tell even fewer stories than the timid.

Browne carved his tomb, Moses refused, forsook, endured and kept. In the vastness of eternity, what tales will be told of you? What memories of living for Christ will you share with admiring angels? You may not be a missionary or martyr; you may have just driven to church in poor weather or wrestled with temptation. Whatever your call and ministry, do it, and do it well. Do not enter heaven with nothing to show.