404. (vi) After the nuptials, the first conjunction comes through an affection for knowing, from which springs an affection for truth. By nuptials is to be understood man's state after birth, from a state of ignorance to a state of intelligence, and from this to a state of wisdom. The first state of mere ignorance is not here meant by nuptials, since at that stage there is no thought from the understanding, but only a dim affection of the love or will. This state is the first step towards the nuptials. But in the second state, which is of man in childhood, it is well known that there is an affection for knowing, by which the infant child learns to talk and to read, and later gradually acquires knowledge which belongs to the understanding. It cannot be doubted, that it is love, belonging to the will, that effects this. For if love or the will did not set it in motion, it would not be done. That every man has, after birth, an affection for knowing, and through it acquires the knowledge by which his understanding is gradually formed, enlarged, and perfected, everyone acknowledges if he looks to experience with the aid of reason. That from this comes affection for truth is also clear; for when man has become intelligent from an affection for knowing, it is not so much that affection by which he is led, as an affection for reasoning, and forming conclusions on matters in which he takes delight, whether they be economic, civil, or moral. When this affection is raised yet more to spiritual things, it becomes an affection for spiritual truth. That its first or introductory state was an affection for knowing may be evident from the fact that an affection for truth is an exalted affection for knowing; for to be affected by truths is to wish to know them from affection, and when he discovers them, to drink them in from the joy of affection. (vii) The second conjunction comes through an affection for understanding from which springs perception of truth. This is clear to anyone who desires to study it from rational insight, which insight makes it plain that affection for truth and perception of truth are two faculties of the understanding, that in some persons are united and in some are not. They are united with those who love to perceive truths with the understanding, and not with those who only wish to know truths. It is clear also that everyone has as much perception of truth as he has affection for understanding. Indeed, take away affection for understanding truth and there will be no perception of truth; but grant affection for understanding truth, and its perception will correspond to the degree of affection for it. For the perception of truth is never lacking in a man of sound reason, provided he has the affection for understanding truth. It has been shown above that every man has this faculty of understanding truth, which is called rationality. (viii) The third conjunction comes through an affection for seeing truth, from which springs thought. Affection for knowing is one thing, affection for understanding another, and affection for seeing truth another. This is but dimly seen by those who are unable to perceive the mind's workings separately, but is perfectly plain to those who can. The reason that the former see these distinctions dimly, is that the mind's workings are simultaneous in the thought with those who have both affection for truth and perception of it, and when simultaneous, they cannot be distinguished. Man is in manifest thought when his spirit thinks in the body, especially when in company with others; but when he has an affection for understanding, and thereby enters into the perception of truth, he is then in the thought of his spirit, which is meditation. This does indeed sink into bodily thought, but into silent thought; for it is above bodily thought and sees the things which belong to thought from the memory, as it were, below itself, for he draws therefrom either conclusions or confirmations. But affection itself for truth is perceived only as a striving of the will from something delightful that lies within meditation as its life, to which little attention is paid. From these things it can now be established that these three, affection of truth, perception of truth, and thought, follow in sequence from love, and exist only in the understanding. For when love enters into the understanding, which it does when their conjunction is effected, it first begets affection for truth, then affection for understanding what it knows, and finally affection for seeing in bodily thought that which it understands, for thought is nothing else than internal sight. Because it belongs to the natural mind, thought does indeed exist first, but thought, in accordance with perception of truth coming from affection for truth, exists at the last. This thought is wisdom's thought, but the other is thought by means of the natural mind from the memory. All the workings of love or the will outside the understanding relate to affections for goodness, and not to affections for truth.