But should we not believe the men,
Who their own graces testify?
No: or ye make the scriptures vain:
Believe them not—before ye try!
Their sufferings, works, and tempers weigh;
Wait for the fruits their words to prove,
Not in a moment, or a day
Pronounce them perfected in love.
But should we not believe the men
Hymnal/Album: Originally titled “Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits.”—[1 John] iv. 1. Introduced in Charles Wesley, Short Hymns on Select Passages of the Holy Scriptures, Vol. 2 (Bristol: Farley, 1762). Published in The Poetical Works of John and Charles Wesley, Collected and Arranged by G. Osborn, Vol. 13 (London: Wesleyan-Methodist Conference Office, 1872), page 208.
Publishing: Public Domain