Looking for synecdoche and paradox in George Herbert's "The Pulley."As I understand it, paradox is a statement that at first seems contradictory...

George Herbert (1593-1633) the Anglican priest poet who
belongs to the Metaphysical School of poetry published in 1633 "The Temple: Sacred Poems
and Private Ejaculations." This poem "The Pulley" is one of the popularly anthologized
poems from that collection. The synecdoches in this poem
are:

1. The pulley as we all
know is a simple machine which is useful for lifting heavy loads. It is a device which
enables a person to pull and control  the rope at the end of which is the load to be
lifted. The pulley represents God's
loving nature by which he draws mankind close to his bosom where man can find rest. It
is the synecdoche-a trope which represents the entire divine life force by which God the
Creator holds on to and controls his creation,
Man.

2. Similarly, "breast" -
the last word of the poem - is another synecdoche.
"Breast" represents not just the
physical bosom of God but represents the comfort and consolation which only God and not
the secular blessings can give Man.  It is a 'part' which represents the 'whole' of the
goodness of God.

The Paradox,
of course, lies in the fact that God who is so benevolent and
generous and fills Man to the overflowing with all the wonderful secular
gifts,

Let us
(said he) poure on him all we can :
Let the
worlds riches, which dispersed lie, 
Contract into a
span. 

So strength first made a way ;

Then beautie flow’d, then wisdome, honour,
pleasure :

withholds from
him the most precious gift - the jewel - rest.

The fact that God did not give
'rest,' the most precious gift to man seemingly detracts from his benevolent and
generous nature, but God has done this for Man's own good -  to compel him always to
worship and adore only God and to seek comfort and solace only in God's bosom and not in
"Nature":

For
if I should (said he) 
Bestow this jewell also on my creature, 
He
would adore my gifts in stead of me, 
And rest in Nature, not the God of
Nature :

By
denying man the most precious jewel, "rest," God has not been unkind to Man but he has
only been all the more good to him. It is this denial of "rest" which acts as the
"pulley" which always draws restless Man to God and also helps God to keep ambitious and
wayward  Man under His control.  If God had not been kind enough to deny Man "rest" then
Man would not seek God and he would lose eternity and consequently God would also lose
Man to the eternal fires of hell: "So both should losers be.
Paradoxically, God the 'giver' by refusing to give the most
precious gift proves himself to be all the more generous and
kind.

Another paradox can be found in the line,
"Rest in the bottom lay." The most
precious gift is at the bottom of the "glass" and not at the
top.