Keeping Your Word

Keeping Your Word

This is a story about the Quakers, who never take an oath because they say that their word is as good as an oath.

In the year 1662 the people of London saw a procession of 30 prisoners walking along a street with no policemen guarding them. They had been imprisoned because Quakers they had refused to take an oath, saying that any man's word is binding as any oath can be

Now they were proving it. They were being moved from one jail to another and the jailer sent them off with these words "You are to go Bride-well Prison and you know the way there your word is trustworthy. There is no need of my going with you. You may go alone, as long as you get there before suppertime."

Everyone of them arrived in good time despite this excellent chance for them to escape. Their leader said: "No worries the word we have given is our keeper. We'll never escape."

You cam imagine he surprise of the crowd to see Thomas Elwood and the 30 men march by. Where were they going? why? And with no keeper? Would they escape? Here's the chance! But Thomas Elwood replied proudly. "No; for our word, which we have given, is our keeper."

Just how binding is your word?

  

                                   William Barclay