1187. And the voice of the mill shall be heard in thee no more.- That this signifies no longer any understanding of truth from the will of good, is evident from the signification of a mill (mola), as denoting the production of truth from good, concerning which see above (n. 1182); thus also the understanding of truth from the will of good, because the understanding is the recipient of truth, and the will the recipient of good.

Continuation.- Now, since the end, which is the love of man's will, provides or procures for itself through the understanding the means by which the ultimate end may exist, and this end to which the first end advances by means is the existing end; and since this is use, it follows that the end loves the means, when they perform this use, and that if they do not perform it, it does not love them, but rejects them, and by the understanding provides or procures for itself others. It is therefore evident what a man's quality is, if his principal end is the love of eminence, that is the love of glory and honours, or if his principal end is the love of opulence, that is the love of money and possessions, namely, that he regards all means as subservient to him for the attainment of the ultimate end, which is the love existing, and this is use to himself.

[2] Take as an example the case of a priest, whose principal end is the love of money or possessions. His means are the ministry, the Word, his doctrine, his erudition, and his preaching founded on them, and by these the instruction of the members of the church, their reformation and salvation. These means are estimated by him according to the end and for the sake of the end, but still they are not loved - although with some it appears as if they were loved - for opulence is the object of his love, because it is the first and ultimate end, and this end, as was observed, is altogether in the means. He says, indeed, that his desire is that the members of the church should be instructed, reformed, and saved; but because he says those things with opulence as an end, they form no part of his love; they are only the means of his acquiring reputation and gain on their account. It is similar with a priest, whose principal end is the love of preeminence. Let profit or honour be separated from the means, and you will see.

[3] The case is entirely different if the instruction, reformation, and salvation of souls are the principal end, while opulence and eminence are the means; for the priest is then of an altogether different character. In the latter case he is spiritual, while in the former case he is natural. With a spiritual priest opulence and eminence are blessings, but with a natural priest they are curses. That this is the case can be proved from much experience in the spiritual world. Many have been seen and heard there, who said that they had taught, and written, and had brought reformation about, but when the end or love of their will was made manifest, it was then clear that they had acted in everything for the sake of themselves and the world, and in nothing for the sake of God and their neighbour, yea, in fact, that they had cursed God and injured their neighbour. Such are those meant in Matthew 7:22, 23; and in Luke 13:26, 27.

The words "ask" and "question" are used a number of different in natural language, and a number of different ways in the Bible. The spiritual meaning of the terms generally relates to the idea of gathering knowledge or, in some cases, acquiring the desire to do what is good.Finally, there are several instances, in the New Testament in particular, where the Lord promises that true believers can have anything they ask for. This ius a spiritual statement: Those who truly believe in and follow the Lord will want only what is spiritually good, will ask only for what is spiritually good, and will get what is spiritually good. Thus they do, indeed, get everything they ask for.When people ask for objects from others – such as when the women of Israel were told to borrow precious things from Egyptian women before the final plague and the flight into the wilderness – it means acquiring knowledge the desire for good (in that particular case stripping those things away from evil people). Asking more general questions means seeking instruction, to bring light to the knowledge you have; at the highest level this rises to the perception of truth arising from the love of the Lord.When the questions are asked by someone in a higher position of someone in a lower position – a master asking servants, and expecially the Lord questioning anyone – it illustrates the Lord perceiving what's inside us, and helping us to see it as well.