# William Jenkyn



## VirginiaHuguenot (Aug 22, 2006)

William Jenkyn, English Puritan (1612 - January 19, 1685), was one of many brilliant lights during the Puritan era. He was married to the granddaughter of John Rogers, another famous martyr for Christ.

He wrote a large and highly-regarded commentary on Jude; preached funeral sermons for Lazarus Seaman and Thomas Gouge; and, among other works, published three sermons in the _Morning Exercises_: _Now is the Time; or, Instructions for the present Improving the Season of Grace_, _How we ought to bewail the Sins of the Places where we live?_, and _No Sin is in its own Nature venial; but every Sin is deadly, and deserves eternal Damnation_. He was also a signer of the Commendatory Epistle to the Westminster Confession.

He spent time imprisoned in the Tower of London for Christopher Love's "Plot," was ejected in 1662, and died in Newgate Prison after months of confinement for the cause of Christ. His last arrest was notable in that he with praying with John Flavel and others when the king's men came to arrest them and while Flavel, et al. escaped, Jenkyn was caught because he would not step on a lady's dress on the staircase which was their only exit. 

Some of his famous sayings:

"Grace is not native but donative."

"Praise shall conclude that work which prayer began."

"As the wicked are hurt by the best things, so the godly are bettered by the worst things."

[Edited on 9-5-2006 by VirginiaHuguenot]

[Edited on 10-6-2006 by VirginiaHuguenot]


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## Mayflower (Aug 31, 2006)

> _Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot_
> William Jenkyn, English Puritan (1612 - January 19, 1685), He wrote a 4000 page commentary on Jude; [Edited on 8-23-2006 by VirginiaHuguenot]



Are you sure a 4000 pages ?, how many volumes is it gonne be ?


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Aug 31, 2006)

> _Originally posted by Mayflower_
> 
> 
> > _Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot_
> ...



I was quoting from the Webmaster:



> _Originally posted by C. Matthew McMahon_
> Jude is great. William Jenkyn wrote a 4000 page commentary on that one chapter (how can you not love the Puritans?).



However, I see that elsewhere he gave a different figure:



> William Jenkyn wrote 1500 pages on the single chapter of Jude.


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## Don Kistler (Aug 31, 2006)

Jenkyn on Jude was reprinted by Soli Deo Gloria in the late 1980's. It was one volume, tiny print. You may still be able to find copies on abebooks.com.


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## Mayflower (Aug 31, 2006)

> _Originally posted by Don Kistler_
> Jenkyn on Jude was reprinted by Soli Deo Gloria in the late 1980's. It was one volume, tiny print. You may still be able to find copies on abebooks.com.



Solid ground is gonne reprinted again, see: 
http://www.solid-ground-books.com/search.asp?searchtext=William+Jenkyn


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Aug 31, 2006)

According to Walter Wilson's _Memoirs of the life and times of Daniel De Foe, containing a review of his writings, and his opinions upon a variety of important matters_ (1830), William Jenkyn and Daniel Defoe (also a Presbyterian) were fellow-prisoners together as a result of the Crown's persecution of dissenters.


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Oct 6, 2006)

William Jenkyn was among the signers of the 1673 Puritan Preface to the Scottish Metrical Psalter.


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Oct 16, 2006)

William Jenkyn preached the funeral sermon for William Gouge.


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Jan 18, 2007)

William Jenkyn was arrested on September 2, 1684. He spent the remainder of his life in Newgate Prison, "where, as he said a little before his death, a man might as well be effectually murdered as at Tyburn" (Calamy's Account). 

Joel Beeke's bio:



> In September 1684, officers stormed the house where Jenkyn was preaching. All the other ministers escaped, including John Flavel and Edward Reynolds. However, Jenkyn did not escape because he was busy helping a lady out of the house. At age seventy-one, Jenkyn was imprisoned at Newgate under severe restrictions. He was forbidden to pray with any visitors, even his own daughter, and was not allowed to leave prison even to baptize his own grandchild. He lamented, "A man might be as effectively murdered in Newgate as at Tyburn."
> 
> Jenkyn's health rapidly deteriorated in prison. The royal court showed no mercy. "Jenkyn shall be a prisoner as long as he lives," was the response to the petition sent to the court for his release.
> 
> Four months after his imprisonment, Charles playfully asked his musicians to play Jenkyn's Farewell one evening at Whitehall Palace. "Please, your majesty," said a nobleman in waiting, "Jenkyn has got his liberty." Surprised, the king responded, "Aye, and who gave it to him?" The man replied, "A greater than your Majesty, the King of kings--Jenkyn is dead." The date was January 19, 1685.


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Feb 22, 2007)

William Jenkyn's commentary on Jude is now available at Reformation Heritage Books.


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