4432. About order, that it is of order that they cast the blame for evils upon the Lord
Nothing is more common with spirits than to think that all the blame, even the punishment [for evil], thus the evil itself, is from the Lord, because He permits it, but I spoke with them on this matter, saying that it so appears, while the order itself from the Lord is that evil punishes itself, thus that evil and falsity returns to them in countless ways, and thus that it is of order and of the laws of order, and because they act contrary to order, and think contrary to order, and therefore imagine it is right to love themselves and their own, they thus cast the blame for evil back upon the Lord, whereas they themselves are to blame. That it so appears to them is a fallacy, for everyone wishes to have order as he or she conceives of order, while the order from the Lord is that it may be well with all. This would be like the case of one who acts against just laws: one whose will is against the laws becomes indignant and angry at the law, and casts blame on the legislator for having made the laws, one differently from another, when yet the legislator had nothing else in view than the common good. Therefore one who sins against the laws is at fault, and unable to look any farther to see how much the common good is in a given endeavor, but only how much personal benefit it offers agreeable with himself.
4432. CONCERNING ORDER, AND THAT ON ACCOUNT OF ORDER THEY THROW THE BLAME OF EVILS UPON THE LORD.
Nothing is more common with spirits than to think that all blame, nay, punishment, thus evil, is of the Lord, because he permits; but I spoke with them on the subject, saying that so indeed it appears, but that in reality from the Lord is order itself, that evil punishes itself, thus that evil and the false return to the perpetrators in innumerable ways; that this is of order and the laws of order, and that because they act against order and think against order, and consequently esteem it just to love themselves and their own, they thus throw the blame of evil upon the Lord, when yet they themselves are in fault. That it so appears to them is a fallacy; for everyone wishes to have order observed, according to the order in which he himself is; whereas the order from the Lord is, that it may be well with all; it is like the case of one who acts against just laws, who, as he wills against them, is indignant and angry at them, and throws the blame upon the legislator because he has so made the laws, consequently one otherwise than another; when yet with the legislator, there was no other end than the common good, wherefore he who sins against the laws is the one in fault; he cannot look beyond himself [or know] how much of the common good there is in his conduct, but only how much particular good agreeable to himself.
4432. De ordine, quod propter ordinem culpam malorum in Dominum conjiciant
Nihil communius est apud spiritus quam cogitare quod omnis culpa imo poena ita malum esse a Domino, quia permittit, sed loquutus cum iis de eo, quod ita appareat, ipse ordo est a Domino, quod malum se puniat, ita quod malum et falsum redeat ad eos innumeris modis, et sic quod sit ordinis, et legum ordinis, et quia agunt contra ordinem, et cogitant contra ordinem, et putant ex eo quod se et sua ament hoc justum esse, ita culpam mali rejiciunt in Dominum, cum tamen ii in culpa sint; quod ita iis appareat est fallacia, nam quisque vult habere ordinem, secundum ordinem in quo est; cum tamen ordo a Domino sit ut omnibus bene sit; hoc foret sicut qui contra leges justas agit, qui contra leges vult, indignetur et irascatur legi, et culpam rejiciat in legislatorem, quod ita fecit leges, ita unus aliter quam alius; cum tamen apud legislatorem nihil aliud fuit quam commune bonum, quare qui peccat contra leges is in culpa est, non prospicere ultra potest, quantum commune in eo sit, sed quantum particulare quod sibi congruit.