CLOUD OF UNKNOWING (14th century)
Others might tell you to withdraw all your powers and thought within yourself, and worship God there, and they would be saying what was absolutely right and true. But I do not care to put it that way, because of my fear of a wrong and physical interpretation of what is said. But what I will say is this: see that in no sense you withdraw into yourself. And, briefly, I do not want you to be outside or above, behind or beside yourself either! (ch. 68)
Take care not to interpret physically what is intended spiritually, even though material expressions are used, like up, down, in, out, behind, before, this side, that side,. The most spiritual thing imaginable, if we are to speak of it at all (speech is a physical action of the tongue, which is part of our body) must always be spoken of in physical words. But what of it? Are we there for to understand it physically? Indeed not, but spiritually. (ch. 61)