252、④当照着这种观察，即：胜利在谨慎的一方，有时不在公义的一方；指挥官是否是一个义人无关紧要而进行思想时，拜自己和自然的人就确认反对圣治。胜利之所以似乎在谨慎的一方，有时不在公义的一方，是因为人基于表象进行判断，并倾向于这一方，而不是那一方；他能通过推理为他所偏向的那一方辩护。殊不知，一个原因的公义性在天堂是属灵的，在世界是属世的，如刚才所述，这两个层面通过过去与未来之间的一种联系，一种唯有主知道的联系而被联结在一起。
指挥官或领袖是否是一个义人无关紧要，原因如前所述（250节），即：恶人与善人一样能发挥功用，恶人因自己的火甚至比善人更有热情，尤其在战争中，因为在诡计多端方面，恶人更狡猾、更精明；他出于对荣耀的爱，比善人更乐于杀戮和掠夺他所认识并视为敌人的那些人。善人只关心和喜欢防御或保卫，几乎不怎么关心和喜欢攻击。地狱灵和天堂天使大致一样：地狱灵进行攻击，而天使则保卫自己。由此得出的结论是：任何人都可以保卫自己的祖国和同胞，抗击入侵的敌人，甚至利用邪恶的指挥官；但毫无原因的成为敌人是不可以的。当原因是人自己的荣耀时，那么它本身是属魔鬼的，因为它来自自我之爱。
252. (4) That the worshiper of self and worshiper of nature confirms himself against Divine providence when he considers in accordance with his perception that victories occur on the side of prudence, and not always on the side of justice; and that it makes no difference whether the commanding officer is an upright person or not: Victories seem to occur on the side of prudence and not always on the side of justice because a person judges in accordance with the appearance and favors one side more than the other, and whatever he favors he is able with reasonings to justify. Nor does he know that the justice of a cause is, in heaven, a spiritual justice, and in the world a natural one, as we have just said in the preceding discussion, and that the two are joined together by the chain of past events and at the same time of future ones, which are known to the Lord alone.
[2] It makes no difference whether the commanding officer is an upright person or not for the same reason as established in no. 250 above, that evil people perform useful services just as well as good people, and owing to their fervor, more ardently than good people. Especially is this the case in war, because an evil person is craftier and more wily in contriving stratagems than a good one, and owing to his love of glory takes pleasure in killing and plundering those whom he knows or declares to be his enemies, whereas a good person is moved only by prudence and a zeal to protect, and rarely by the measure of prudence and zeal required to invade.
The case is the same as with spirits of hell and angels of heaven. Spirits of hell attack, and angels of heaven defend themselves.
From this issues the following conclusion, that everyone is allowed to defend his country and fellow citizens against invading enemies, even through the agency of evil commanders, but it is not allowable for someone to become himself a foe without cause. A cause found solely for the sake of glory is in itself diabolical, being the contrivance of a love of self.
252. 4. People who worship themselves and the world justify their rejection of divine providence when they base their thinking on the observation that victories come to the prudent side and sometimes not to the just side. It does not matter, either, whether an officer is a person of integrity or not. The reason it seems as though victories come to the prudent side and sometimes not to the just side is that we judge by appearances. We lean toward one side rather than the other, and we justify the side we prefer by rationalizations. Then too, people do not know that the rightness of a cause is spiritual in heaven and earthly in this world, as has just been explained, and that these two levels are united by a connection between things past and things to come, a connection known only to the Lord.
[2] The reason it makes no difference whether the leader is a person of integrity or not is the same as the reason argued in 250, namely, that evil people are just as useful as good people and because of their fire are more avid than good people. This is true especially in wars because evil people are more skilled and ingenious than good people in devious strategizing, and because of their love for glory they find more pleasure in murdering and plundering people they recognize and identify as enemies. Good people have only care and passion for protecting, and rarely any care and passion for aggression.
It is much the same with spirits of hell and angels of heaven. Spirits of hell attack, and angels of heaven protect.
We may conclude, then, that it is appropriate for all to protect their country and their fellow citizens against invading enemies, even using evil officers; but it is not appropriate to make enemies for no cause. When the cause is one's own glory, that is essentially diabolical, since it comes from self-love.
252. 4. The worshipper of himself and of nature confirms himself against the Divine Providence when he reflects according to his perception that victories are on the side of prudence and sometimes not on the side of justice, and that it makes no difference whether the general is an upright man or not. Victories seem to be on the side of prudence, and sometimes not on the side of justice, because man judges from the appearance; and he favours one side more than the other, and that which he favours he can confirm by reasonings; nor does he know that the justice of a cause is spiritual in heaven and natural in this world, as has just been stated in what has gone before, and that these are joined together by means of a connection between things past and at the same time things to come that are known to the Lord alone.
[2] It makes no difference whether the general is an upright man or not because, as was established above (n. 250) the wicked perform uses as well as the good, and the wicked from their own zeal with more ardour than the good. Especially is this the case in wars because the wicked man is more crafty and cunning in contriving devices; and from a love of glory he takes more delight than a good man in killing and plundering those whom he knows and declares to be his enemies. The good man is prudent and zealous only in defence, and rarely does he exercise his prudence and zeal in attacking others. It is the same with spirits of hell and angels of heaven; the spirits of hell attack while the angels of heaven defend themselves. Hence is deduced this conclusion, that it is allowable for anyone to defend his country and his fellow-citizens against invading enemies, even by means of wicked generals, but that it is not allowable to make oneself an enemy without cause. When the cause is to seek glory alone it is in itself diabolical, for it springs from the love of self.
252. (4) The worshiper of himself and of nature confirms himself against Divine providence when he reflects according to his perception that victories are on the side of prudence, and sometimes not on the side of justice; and that it makes no difference whether the commander is an upright man or not. Victories seem to be on the side of prudence, and sometimes not on the side of justice, because man judges from the appearance, and favors one side more than the other, and that which he favors he is able to confirm by reasonings; nor does he know that in heaven there is a spiritual justice to a cause and in the world a natural justice, as has just been said, and that these are conjoined by means of a connection between things past and things future that are known only to the Lord.
[2] It makes no difference whether the commander is an upright man or not, for the same reason as was set forth above (250), namely, that the wicked perform uses equally with the good, and the evil from their fire with more ardor than the good, especially in wars, because the evil man is more crafty and shrewd in contriving devices; and from a love of glory he takes more delight than a good man in killing and plundering those whom he knows and declares to be his enemies; for a good man is prudent and zealous only in defending, and rarely is prudent and zealous in any degree in attacking. It is the same as with spirits of hell and angels of heaven; the spirits of hell attack, while the angels of heaven defend themselves. From this comes the conclusion that it is allowable for any one to defend his country and his fellow-citizens against invading enemies, even by means of wicked commanders, but that it is not allowable to become an enemy without cause. A cause that looks to glory alone is in itself diabolical, for it is of the love of self.
252. IV. Quod cultor sui et cultor naturae se confirmet contra Divinam Providentiam, cum secundum suam perceptionem cogitat, 1quod victoriae stent a parte prudentiae, et quandoque non a parte justitiae: tum quod non aliquid faciat, sive praefectus sit probus, sive sit improbus. Quod videatur sicut victoriae stent a parte prudentiae, et quandoque non a parte justitiae, est quia homo judicat ex apparentia, ac favet parti uni plus quam alteri, et id cui favet per ratiocinia potest confirmare, nec scit quod justitia causae sit in Coelo spiritualis, et in mundo naturalis, ut in mox antecedentibus dictum est, et quod conjungantur per nexum rerum praeteritarum et simul futurarum, quae Soli Domino notae sunt.
[2] Quod nihil faciat sive praefectus sit probus sive sit improbus, est ex eadem causa, quae supra 250 confirmata est, quod mali aeque ac boni usus faciant, et mali ex suo igne ardentius quam boni; imprimis in bellis, quia malus callidior et astutior est in machinandis dolis, et ex amore gloriae in voluptate occidendi et depraedandi, quos scit et declarat hostes, quam bonus; hic solum est in prudentia et zelo tutandi, ac raro in aliqua prudentia et zelo invadendi. Hoc simile est sicut cum spiritibus inferni et cum angelis coeli; spiritus inferni aggrediuntur, ac angeli coeli se tutantur. Ex his hoc conclusum fit, quod cuivis liceat tutari suam patriam et consocios contra invasores hostes, etiam per praefectos malos, sed quod non liceat absque causa se hostem facere: causa propter solam gloriam, est in se diabolica, nam est amoris sui.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: cagitat,