3751. CONCERNING THE QUAKERS. Concerning the Quakers it was said and perceived that they are of such a quality that they cannot be instructed in the doctrinals of faith. They cleave to their phantasies more perniciously than any other people, not only from their thinking many things and thus being confirmed, but also because [some kind of] spirit continually flows into their thoughts and thus confirms them in the idea that the Holy Spirit speaks with them. They thus reject all doctrinals; and when they hear them spoken of by others, they say, "What does this mean?" and "what this?" as a certain one with me, whatever word I might utter, would say, "What does this mean? I do not understand this;" and he held on a long time, saying [the same thing]. Thus they are unwilling to be instructed; they reject immediately what is proposed by others, and they cannot understand it; therefore they are called by other spirits what the heathen are called by Christians. They are especially obstinate in an aversion to having the things made public which are known only among them, and also what they think. They strove with me and with the spirits which desired - but in vain - to know their secret things, and when certain representations were shown, setting forth their secrets of life, and when the spirits, as they are wont, would fain conjecture what they were, they brought forward the most abominable objections, the drift of which was that they should desist [from the investigation].