93 XJ no-start?

Ok, this question is on a 1993 Jeep Cherokee 4.0L.
I was told this XJ was running down the road & died, never to start again.

You turn the key & "nothing".
I hear the fuel pump prime & some relays click & that's it.
I jumped the positive terminal to the starter & it turned right over, still didn't start/run though. I don't have spark from the coil to the dist & the starter doesn't work from the key.

What is my problem?
Will the CPS cause the starter not to crank over?
What else will cause the XJ not to start?

My 89 XJ had a starter relay that caused similar problems, but I always had fire from the coil when starting.

The CPS will not prevent it from cranking. Either the CPS or the cam position sensor (inside the distributor) will prevent it from firing. When the cam sensor on my stepson's 93 went out, it lit the check engine light and threw an identifiable code.

A bad neutral safety switch will prevent it from cranking, but with ignition on, it should start if you bypass it, and it won't kill the engine while you're running.

You might consider the ignition switch itself.

But also don't discount the possibility of more than one thing being wrong at once, so you would probably do well at least to test the CPS with an ohmmeter, and check all your plugs and connections, etc. and also if you haven't yet, check for codes.

starter may be bad. I have had several go out due to excess oil from leaks (oil filter adapter directly over starter). CPS would also cause the aditional symptoms. You can try unplugging it and then plugging it back in-to reset it. Make sure to check all the power and ground connections and you might want to replace the starter relay and look at the NSS. If you can start it by jumping the starter and not by the key, that would point to NSS.