The Spiritual Man, CFP white covers, by Watchman Nee
There is a problem you should know about.
"Soulical"
does not necessarily mean the proper attributes of the soul that are acceptable.
It can equally mean fleshly. I have read TSM many times now, and this is the
finding. I explain it here under "Spirit, Soul, Body".
Simply stated, "soulical" refers to the area of man, whether fleshly
or unfleshly, being lived by. "Soulish" refers to the person and his
behavior, living in that area of his being. While soulish pertains to the person'
living, the word soulical pertains to
the area of man's being that is neither the spirit or the body.
Do you see the difference? Strictly speaking the definition the editors of CFP have
provided in
the Explanatory Notes
is wrong in reference to the word "soulical". It is not terribly wrong, it is only wrong in
that it misrepresents particular things Nee says such as on page 180, volume 1,
"committing our soulical affection to death". This affection needs to be put to
death because in it contains some good flesh of the good self, yet it is still
the flesh.
While it is true that which is soulical can be completely appropriate and legitimately functioning in this area of man's being, no doubt there is some flesh involved or mixed in. This takes humility to accept. This is why this area of man needs to die on the cross since you just can't determine otherwise which is of the flesh and which is not. That which is not held down by death is raised up to resurrection life.
Another instance is found on page 194, volume 1, "In the excitement of soulical emotion the spirit suffers great loss in freedom and sensation. Joy and sorrow may imperil the believer's self-control and set self-consciousness on a rampage. The mind, if overly active, may affect and disturb the quietness of the spirit..."
The point being, if this emotion was truly legitimate and appropriate, then it ought not to disturb the spirit of man. They therefore ought not allow "their soulical energies to mix in with spiritual experiences" (p.194).
Troy