5370. About 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 use it to favor everyone, depending on their loves and fundamental ideas, to obtain their goodwill by supporting them using the Word in its letter. For in this way they excuse all the evils of whomever they want, even if these evils were robberies, thefts, murders, and adulteries, and also excuse those who show favor to themselves and their way of life. So they act and do as they choose, supporting what is evil and false in themselves. Those like this are for the most part sensual and merely superficial, distinguished from others only by the fact that they read the Word, but without doctrine as a lamp.
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.
5370. De Dracone
Illi intelliguntur per Draconem in Verbo, qui nullam doctrinam volunt, sed solum Verbum in litera, et qui per id favent omnibus secundum eorum amores et principia ad captandam benevolentiam, confirmando illa per Verbum in litera, sic enim excusant omnia mala apud quemcunque volunt, si vel forent latrocinia, furta, neces, adulteria, et quoque qui sibimet suaeque vitae similiter favent, sic agendo ex lubitu, et confirmando apud se mala et falsa: tales sunt plerique sensuales et mere externi homines, distinguuntur solum ab aliis per id quod legant Verbum, sed absque doctrina pro lucerna.