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The Wisdom of John Pordage [editor Arthur Versluis]

In the outward court, the eye of eternity is shut; in the holy place, the eye is dilated; and in the holiest of all, the state and majesty of the trinity is displayed.  The contraction of the eye is God shutting himself up in his own mystery; here the eye of eternity only appears as the point and centre of the globe of eternity.  The whole fullness of the Deity is contained and as it were locked up in this contracted eye, which gives being to the outward court

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As long as the eye is shut, the whole globe of eternity is the outward court, but as soon as the eye is opened, it is the inward court, for the Deity manifesting himself makes the outward court to disappear, and presents the inward.  No spirit can pass at will from the outward court to the inward, but must await the opening of the eye.

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This contracted eye or centre represents the Deity as he hides himself in his own mystery, for he is the most absolute and first unity, invisible, indivisible, without organs, shape, or figure.  What can be more proper to represent such a being than the point or centre of a circumference, which in itself is invisible and without parts, shape or figure?

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This sight of God’s attributes from the opening of the eye in the abyssal globe is both a ravishing and amazing sight, for you do not behold ideas or similitudes of things, but the things themselves intellectually, which causes most inexpressible joys, and ecstasies in the spirit of the soul to which nothing in the world can be compared.  Nor can any letters, words or images describe these attributes to us, but themselves only are the revealers of themselves, and the spirit of God alone has the key to unlock the eye, at the opening of which they are clearly and lively manifested.  So this writing can do no more than point you to the place where they may be intellectually seen and discerned.