Note, 1. It is folly to be credulous, to heed every flying report, to
give ear to every man's story, though ever so improbable, to take
things upon trust from common fame, to depend upon every man's
profession of friendship and give credit to every one that will promise
payment; those are simple who thus believe every word, forgetting that
all men, in some sense, are liars in comparison with God, all whose
words we are to believe with an implicit faith, for he cannot lie. 2.
It is wisdom to be cautious: The prudent man will try before he trusts,
will weigh both the credibility of the witness and the probability of
the testimony, and then give judgment as the thing appears or suspend
his judgment till it appears. Prove all things, and believe not every
spirit.