The Autobiography of William Jay Review
A few weeks ago we looked at William Jay's The Christian Contemplated, and this week it's another of his books, his autobiography.
The book and the author
It's 580 pages, 590 with the index and appendix. I believe it's clothbound (it's hard to tell, but the grain looks like cloth), Smyth-sewn, and I believe printed in the USA.
I won't say much about Jay here, partly because this is his autobiography and I don't want to spoil it, and partly because I covered him in the last review. But briefly: he was born in 1769 and died in 1853. He began preaching the gospel at 19 and preached until the ripe age of 84, from the same pulpit for over 60 years.
What it's like
Banner of Truth describes it as a personal narrative of old-world charm combined with valuable spiritual comment on the Christian life and ministry. That pretty much sums up everything I could say. A few more notes:
- It's written as letters to his children. Each is fairly short and easy to read, comprehensive but understandable. It's like he's talking to you.
- The editors occasionally insert material into the letters. A letter might be three or four pages, and then an eight-page insert adds context. It's very helpful, but it interrupts the flow, so I read each letter straight through and then went back for the insert.
- The editors add a closing section on Jay as a preacher and as an author, which helps you see him from the outside, not just in his own words.
The contents: a general introduction; Part 1, the autobiography itself in 18 letters, from his earliest memories through meeting his wife, his children and his long pastorate; Part 2, a supplement to the autobiography; Part 3, reminiscences of 23 distinguished contemporaries, a fascinating section; Part 4, selections from his correspondence, to his wife, his friends and many others; and the editors' concluding observations.
Are there better books on this topic?
I've read Ryle's autobiography, which compares, and I'm reading Hobson's now. They're all very good. What sets Ryle and Jay apart is that both wrote to their children, so they write the way they would have spoken to their children. I find biographies in that style especially dear and heartwarming. So are there better books? No. But also yes, probably. But I really like this one.
Would I buy it?
Absolutely. Like The Christian Contemplated, this edition is from Sprinkle Publications, which is going out of business or has already, so you can only buy it while copies last. When I made this video it was only $10 from Reformation Heritage Books. I'd make that investment as quickly as possible.
A few things I marked
- "They are best prepared to rule and govern who have previously learned to obey and serve" (p. 40). No one should be in government, or in a pastoral or eldership position, without first having learned to obey and serve.
- Recalling Johnson's Life of Watts, Jay notes the remark that the ancients surpassed the moderns by their greater modesty, a juster sense of the limits of human powers (p. 47). Humility and modesty are really important, especially in theology.
- From his farewell sermon to the young people of his chapel: "Beware of the snares of the world... give up yourselves to the Lord by an early dedication, and you will find that His ways are ways of pleasantness, and all His paths are peace... Remember your Creator in the days of your youth; seek Him early, and you shall find Him." Jay truly had a passion for the youth of his time.
- "Holiness is necessary to present peace and future glory; without it no man shall see the Lord" (p. 83). Ryle says very similar things in Holiness.
- On denominations (p. 161). We get into so many arguments about the superiority of doctrine and denomination, and as long as the gospel is there, secondary issues are secondary for a reason. Jay says we may view denominations as we view individual Christians: none absolutely perfect, none entirely defective. Like members of one body, they may be compared but not opposed, "checking each other's extremes, and supplying each other's defects." Together, in balance, they produce a comparative perfection in the whole.
- In his sketch of John Ryland (p. 300), Jay quotes Ryland: "It is perilous to read any impure book," because you'll never get it out of your faculties until you die. We may not read many impure books today, but we watch YouTube videos and movies that are filthy and corrupt our imagination. I'm guilty of this too. That's strong language, and it applies to our entertainment today, if not more so.
- And on marriage, Jay says it's desirable to marry within your own religious community, and if not, at least to hold your differences with moderation as subordinate, and to agree to attend the same place of worship, which "cherishes and promotes social and devout affections." I include myself in this: if you're looking to be married, look for someone with the same convictions, or at least follow those two conditions.
I filled a whole sheet of paper, front and back, with quotes from this book, so these are just a few.
Soli Deo Gloria!
