This widely-known philosophical triad of concepts — ends, causes, and effects - is used spiritually by Swedenborg to express a pattern that is behind everything that we do.
An "end" is a love, desire, or affection that motivates us. A "cause" is the knowledge or skill that we can use to accomplish this "end." An "effect" is the action we take that brings completion. In other words, when we are motivated by a goal (an end), and have the knowledge necessary to accomplish it (the cause), the goal will be achieved (the effect).
These motivations don't have to be grandiose. The end also may not always describe something we really want; it may be that we want to avoid the consequences of not doing it, e.g. getting scolded or losing our job. But regardless of whether the end is positive or negative, every action has some kind of motivating desire. Consequently, these three words can explain why and how we do anything.
On a spiritual level, it works the same way. We love things (ends), and we know truths (causes). We act on our loves, using our truths (or false ideas, if that's what we've cultivated), and those acts are effects.
(Referencat: Arcana Coelestia 1318, 5608, 5711-5726; Divine Providence 108)
