1187. And the voice of the millstone shall not be heard in thee any more signifies no more any understanding of truth from the will of good. This is evident from the signification of "millstone," as being the production of truth from good (See n. 1182); thus also the understanding of truth from the will of good, since the understanding is the recipient of truth, and the will the recipient of good.
(Continuation)
Now as the end, which is the love of man's will, provides or acquires for itself through the understanding the means through which the final end may exist, to which the first end advances through the means, and this is the end coming into existence, which is the use, it follows that the end loves the means when they promote that use, and does not love them when they do not promote it, but then rejects them, and through the understanding provides or acquires for itself other means. This makes clear the quality of a man whose chief end is the love of eminence, or the love of glory and honor, or whose chief end is the love of wealth, or love of money or possessions, namely, that he regards all means as servants that are serviceable to him for his final end, which is love coming into existence, and this love is use to himself.
[2] Take, for example, a priest whose chief end is love of money or possessions, his means are the ministerial office, the Word, doctrine, learning, preaching from these, and instruction of men of the church and their reformation and salvation by means of these. These means are valued by him according to the end and for the sake of the end, and yet they are not loved, although with some they appear to be loved; for wealth is what is loved, since this is the first and the final end, and that end, as has been said, is everything in the means. Such assert, indeed, that their desire is that men of their church be taught, reformed, and saved; but as wealth is the end from which this is said, it is not said from their love, but only as means of acquiring reputation and gain for the sake of the end.
[3] The same is true of a priest whose chief end is a love of eminence over others, as will be seen if gain or honor is separated from the means. It is wholly different when instruction, reformation, and salvation of souls is the chief end, and wealth and eminence are the means; for a priest is then a wholly different man, for he is a spiritual man, while the former is a natural man. With a spiritual priest wealth and eminence are blessings, but with a natural priest wealth and eminence are curses. This has been made evident by much experience in the spiritual world. Many have been seen and heard there who asserted that they had taught, had written, and had reformed men; but when the end or love of their will was disclosed, it was clear that they had done all things for the sake of self and the world, and nothing for the sake of God and the neighbor, and that they even cursed God and did evil to the neighbor. Such are meant in Matthew 7:22-23; and in Luke 13:26-27.
