156. (6) The spirit of man is his mind and whatever proceeds from it. In the concrete, man's spirit means simply his mind; for this it is that lives after death, and it is then called a spirit-if good, an angelic spirit and afterwards an angel, if evil, a satanic spirit and afterwards a satan. The mind of everyone is his internal man, which is actually the man, and resides within the external man which constitutes his body; consequently when the body is cast off, which is effected by its death, the internal is in a complete human form. Therefore they err who believe that man's mind resides only in the head; it is there in principles only, from which everything that man thinks from his understanding or does from his will first proceeds; but in the body it is in derivatives, which are formed for sensation and action. And because the mind invariably adheres to the bodily structures it imparts to them sensation and motion; and it also inspires them with a perception that the body thinks and acts of itself, although this latter is a fallacy, as every wise man knows. Since, then, the spirit of man thinks from the understanding and acts from the will, and since the body acts not from itself but from the spirit, it follows that the spirit of man means his intelligence and his love's affection and whatever goes forth and operates from these. That "the spirit of man" signifies such things as pertain to the mind is evident from many passages in the Word. That this is their meaning anyone can see as soon as they are presented. The following are a few passages from among many:
Bezaleel was filled with the spirit of wisdom and understanding and knowledge (Exod. 31:3).
Nebuchadnezzar said of Daniel that an excellent spirit of knowledge and understanding and wisdom was found in him (Dan. 5:11, 12).
Joshua was full of the spirit of wisdom (Deut. 34:9).
Make you a new heart and a new spirit (Ezek. 18:31).
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for of such is the kingdom of the heavens (Matt. 5:3).
I dwell in the contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble (Isa. 57:15).
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit (Ps. 51:17).
I will give the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (Isa. 61:3). (And elsewhere.)
That "the spirit" signifies also such things as pertain to a perverse and wicked mind is evident from the following:
He said to the foolish prophets that go away after their own spirit (Ezek. 13:3).
Conceive chaff, bring forth stubble; as to your spirit, fire shall devour you (Isa. 33:11).
A man who is a wanderer in spirit and uttereth falsehood (Micah 2:11).
A generation whose spirit is not constant with God (Ps. 78:8).
The spirit of whoredoms (Hos. 5:4; 4:12).
That every heart may melt, and every spirit faint (Ezek. 21:7).
That which ascendeth upon your spirit shall never come to pass (Ezek. 20:32).
In whose spirit there is no guile (Ps. 32:2).
Pharaoh's spirit was troubled (Gen. 41:8);
So also was Nebuchadnezzar's (Dan. 2:3).
From these and numerous other passages it is clearly evident that the "spirit" signifies the mind of man and such things as pertain thereto.