5370. CONCERNING THE DRAGON. By the Dragon, in the Word, are meant those who have no desire for doctrine, but only for the Word in the letter, and who, by it, justify all people in their loves and principles in order to obtain their good-will, confirming those things by the Word in the letter - for they thus excuse all evils to whomsoever they will, whether they be robberies, pilferings, murders or adulteries; and who also justify themselves and their own life in like manner, thus living according to their own pleasure and strengthening evils and falses in themselves. Such are mostly sensual and merely external men. They are distinguished from others only by the fact that they read the Word; but they do it without doctrine for a lamp to enlighten them.