Did Imam Malik describe the hadith sciences as "this science is a religion"?

This question is related to https://islam.stackexchange.com/q/39328/17163 , and was prompted by the answer to https://islam.stackexchange.com/q/36137/17163 which was discussing the hadith sciences ('ilm al-hadith ): > Imam Malik said something like: "This science is a religion so examine from whom you take it from" ... -- Medi1Saif Basically, I want to verify this quote (or something similar) is accurate, and seek a reliable reference. **Question**: Did Imam Malik describe the hadith sciences as "this science is a religion"?