5961. THE DRAGON All those are dragons who confirm falsities by the Word. Those constitute the head who are in external piety and not in internal, or who place the all of salvation in external worship; those the body, who affirm that charity is the chief essential of salvation and do not live a life of charity; those its hinder part who postulate faith as the sole means of salvation; those its tail who merely read the Word, and place salvation in that, and are not in any doctrine, saying that the Word in the letter is doctrine, but are thus able to defend whatever they wish. I spoke with those who placed the only means of salvation in reading the Word. They were overhead, and said that they take great care that all in their society are diligent in reading the Word. But I told them, that this does not save, but that they must live according to the Word, and that nobody can live according to the Word except he be in the doctrine of truth from it; otherwise, they do not know how they are to live, for, from the sense of the letter of the Word, they are able to defend everything that belongs to their life, be it what it may, and this to protect falsities. It was shown also what is the nature of the Word in the letter, but that those who are in doctrine from the Word, see the Word and read it, quite differently; they consequently understand it, and are thus able to become rational: otherwise, this cannot take place. It was shown, also, that the reading of the Word is not attended to by the Lord, and therefore does not promote salvation, unless they are in the life of truth; and that they cannot be in the life of truth, except they be in doctrine from the Word; for the Lord regards man's heart and soul, or love and faith, and according as these are, or as is the quality of the man, in such a manner is the Word attended to and received. The reading of the Word, apart from these, is mere sound destitute of rational or spiritual thought. This they perceived at the time, because it was declared to them by means of spiritual ideas. It was said, that it is these who constitute the dragon's tail. They said that they derived their opinion from this, that they knew that every single thing of the Word has conjunction with heaven. But it was replied that they have that conjunction with the man who reads it, and such a conjunction as is his quality from the Word, as they may know from the fact that the Word upon a table has no conjunction; consequently, not with one who reads it, any otherwise than according to its quality in his understanding, and affection of life from it. Moreover, there were others who made charity the only means of salvation, but yet did not know what charity is, and did not live the life of charity. These occasioned pain in the right arm. There were also some who made both charity and faith means of salvation, as they also explained, but yet did not live the life of charity. These corresponded to the adultery of a sister and brother. All such as are dragons correspond to filthy adulteries, of which in Moses. They who make faith the only means of salvation, correspond, perhaps, to the skin [of the dragon].