Who has made you to differ?

(J. C. Ryle, "Our Hope!" 1877)

If you are truly saved--be thankful for it, and give
God daily praise. Who has made you to differ
from the perishing world around you? Why have
you been taught to feel your sins and nothingness
--while others are ignorant and self-righteous? Why
have you been taught to look to Jesus--while others
are looking to their own goodness, or resting on
some mere form of religion? Why are you longing
and striving to be holy--while others are caring for
nothing but this world?

Why are these things so?

There is but one answer--Grace, grace, free grace,
has done it all! For that grace praise God. For that
grace be thankful.

Go on, then, to your journey's end, rejoicing in the
thought that though you are a poor sinner--Jesus is
a most gracious Savior; and that though you have
trials here for a little season--heaven shall soon
make amends for all!

Go on! A few more tossings to and fro on the waves
of this troublesome world--a few more battles and
conflicts with our spiritual enemy--a few more years
  of tears and partings,
  of working and suffering,
  of crosses and cares,
  of disappointments and vexations,
and then--then we shall be at home! There we
shall find all that we have hoped for, and find
that it was a million times better than our hopes!
There we shall find . . .
  no sin,
  no cares of this world,
  no money,
  no sickness,
  no death,
  no devil.

There, above all, we shall find Jesus, and
be forever with the Lord!