Westminster's Pyx Chamber

This dank-looking room is found at London’s Westminster Abbey and is known as the Pyx Chamber. It is one of the oldest parts of the Abbey and for much of the Middle Ages and afterwards, it served as a strong-room containing valuables belonging to the king. The thick walls, double doors and thick window-bars were intended as a safeguard against burglary, though we all know a determined thief will find entry if he has determination enough, sufficient wit and one or two friends on the inside. It may have been from this room that the English crown jewels were stolen in 1303. So whether the security features were installed after the theft or were bypassed during, we cannot be sure. One of the thieves, Richard Puddlicote, was hanged for having been found with over £2000 worth of royal treasure, but the crowns and regalia were never recovered. A legend says his skin was flayed and boiled to provide the treasury door with an extra covering. I am not planning to lose my skin anytime soon, but scripture urges me to guard my crown:

Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. (Rev. 3:11)

I believe in eternal security, yet also in heeding scriptural warnings. My crown is far safer than Edward I’s ever was, and it is lodged is a far more secure place than Westminster’s Pyx Chamber, yet I shall venture to guard it even more so than he.