For, as the philosophers
said very well of old, "virtue standeth in things of hardness and
difficulty." And then, as I told you, it is much less hard and less
difficult, by a great deal, to be content and conform our will to
God's will and to give him thanks, too, for our ease than for our
pain, for our wealth and for our woe. And therefore the conforming
of our will to God's and the thanks that we give him for our
tribulation are more worthy of thanks in return, and merit more
reward in the very fast wealth and felicity of heaven, than our
conformity and our thanksgiving for our worldly wealth here.
And this thing saw the devil, when he said to our Lord of Job that
it was no marvel if Job had a reverent fear unto God--God had done
so much for him, and kept him in prosperity. But the devil knew
well that it was a hard thing for Job to be so loving, and so to
give thanks to God, in tribulation and adversity. And therefore was
he glad to get leave of God to put him in tribulation, and trusted
thereby to cause him to murmur and grudge against God with
impatience. But the devil had there a fall in his own turn, for the
patience of Job in the short time of his adversity got him much
more favour and thanks of God, and more is he renowned and
commended in scripture for that, than for all the goodness of his
long prosperous life.
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