What is the relationship between God and man in "The Pulley" by George Herbert?

Herbert
is using a pulley as afor the relationship between God and man. A pulley is a simple mechanical
device which you use to lift something up by pulling down on it. God lifts us up by withholding
the gift of rest and drawing us closer to Himself. The mechanical metaphor neatly encapsulates
the reciprocity of the relationship between man and God.

The central conceit
of the poem is God's act of creating human beings. God has a glassful of blessings he wishes to
pour into us as he puts us together:

So strength first
made a way; 

Then beauty flowed, then wisdom, honour,
pleasure.

The most important blessing, the gift of
rest, lies at the bottom of the glass. When God has finished bestowing the other blessings upon
us, he hesitates. Perhaps it might not be a good idea, God muses, to include this particular
blessing in the making of human beings:

'For if I should,' said he, 

'Bestow this jewel also on my
creature, 

He would adore my gifts instead of me, 

And rest in Nature, not...

href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44370/the-pulley">https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44370/the-pulley

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