Chapter 4 traces the influence of theological oikonomia – God’s providential governance of the world – on Herbert’s two major works: The Temple (1633) and The Country Parson (1652). For Herbert, human agency is a problem because it enables us to deviate from divine rule. As an alternative to the vicissitudes of human life, Herbert posits nonhuman creatures, particularly plants, as the ideal recipients of divine governance. In “Providence,” “Affliction (I),” and “Employment (II),” God is the agent of arboreal care. When Herbert characterizes his poetry as “my first fruits” in “The Dedication” – the opening poem in The Temple – he positions himself as a tree, passively producing fruit for God. The oeconomy of production thus comes full circle as the fruits return to God, their ultimate source. The poet, a tree in the service of God, is subsumed within the oeconomy of divine providence.