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MENTAL CHARACTERISTICS.

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acter of Mr. Woodbridge may frankly admit that "he was too soon angry," and that his excitable temper sometimes broke out in injurious words, without at all impeaching his Christian character, which those who knew him longest and best regarded as singularly pure and elevated.

He had a strong, penetrating intellect, capable of wide ranges of thought, of acute analysis, of comprehensive combinations, and of logical discussion; a retentive memory that seldom relaxed its hold on what it once seized; an acquisitive power easily mastering any subject in philology, philosophy, or theology, to which he gave his attention; a command of language which rarely hesitated for the needed word, and a fertile imagination refined and chastened by classical culture.

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His emotional nature was as powerful as his intellectual. His mind could not only traverse the broadest fields of thought, but glow along its pathway. His sensibilities were as quick as profound; easily fanned to a flame, which sometimes enwrapped and vitalized his whole being. Such an emotional nature is essential to the highest efficiency of even powerful minds, especially for their noblest productions poetry and eloquence. Without these the soul never burns and glows. It is as dependent on the sensibilities as the locomotive on the fire within. The handiwork of the pure, sharp intellect, unenergized with emotions, is dry and cold, accurate and demonstrative it may be as mathematical evolutions, and highly instructive, but never beats with the inspiration of passion, or sparkles with those ornaments of speech which charm and sway alike the polished and the rude. But the came pure, sharp intellect, piercing to the lowest depths of moral truths, tracing their multiplied relations, analyzing with acuteness, and combining with logical precision, all that falls within its scope of vision, inflamed with intense sensibilities, possesses those elements of power which, by cultivation, may electrify a nation or the world with the rhapsodies of song, or the fiery

vehemence of eloquence. True, while such a soul, filled to overflowing with these intense sensibilities, liable at any moment to swell and heave with the waves of passion, is a rich, it is also a dangerous possession. It bears within an explosive material. It is a car carrying glycerine. While subject to the iron rule of reason, or to the more decisive influences of divine grace, it is munificent as the ocean in blessings to mankind, and genial as the fire in the grate, diffusing a delightful temperature through our dwellings; but, when breaking from its heaven-appointed control, like the ocean terrible in its lawless might, and like the fire leaping from its proper confinement, it rages to waste and to destroy. One thus constituted needs to grasp the hand of his Saviour more firmly than ordinary men. It is emphatically true of him that he can do nothing without Christ. With Christ strengthening and guiding, he may become a Luther, a Whitefield, a Chalmers, or just such a pastor and pulpit orator as the lovers of pungent exhibitions of gospel verities desire; but if left to himself, or with but feeble glimmerings of grace, to tread the stormy sea of life, he will be almost sure to fall into indiscretions, bringing reproach both upon himself and the cause he serves. Indeed, when all the currents of influence which he shall have started are seen sweeping over the plains of immortality, he may perhaps be chargeable with having done not less evil than good. While such a man may be inexcusable for his indiscretions and faults before God, and if filled with the spirit of his Master will never seek to exculpate himself from blame before him ; will rather weep in secret places, and show his humility by increased watchfulness and prayer; yet he has special claims on the charity of his fellow-Christians; and if a pastor, on the forbearance of his parishioners Both he and they, removed farthest possible from a boastful spirit, may well attribute the good he does to the superintending control of long-suffering love; and unitedly exclaim, "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give

HIS EMOTIONAL NATURE.

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glory." That Mr. Woodbridge had this strong emotional power, fertile for good and dangerous for evil, will be admitted by those who knew him best.

His susceptibilities were not only quick and powerful, but bent in specific directions, an emotional proclivity attended with peculiar perils. When the feelings begin to flow in one of these idiocratic directions, they usually move with great strength. When, cherished by thought, or inflamed by opposition, they have worn a deep channel in the soul, they rush on with still greater impetuosity. The volitions growing out of them become resistless. Arguments and persuasions the most powerful are as little regarded as "the shaking of a spear" by the war-horse. Their course is onward over all obstacles but those which sovereign grace throws in their way. It is not strange that one thus carried forward on the strong current of his feelings should be sometimes thought self-willed, while, perhaps, conscious to himself of only adhering to the right or of defending the true; that he should appear to those whose feelings are less interested, as impetuous, or as the very statue of obstinacy. That Mr. Woodbridge was liable to such fixedness of purpose which some might choose to denominate unfounded prejudice, and others perverse obstinacy, we do not doubt. Whether he ever became thus wrongheaded and self-willed relative to important truths and duties, there may be differences of judgment, varying with the strong, fixed prejudices of those making the charge. Obstinate people usually think others, especially opponents, exceedingly obstinate.

But this tendency of the sensibilities to flow in specific directions has also its beneficial results on character. When the strong idiosyncrasy of emotion flows forth toward God's glory; the recognition of his immutable purposes; the maintenance of his moral government; the progress of the redemptive scheme and Christian experience, it tends to establish one firmly in his convictions of scriptural truth. If

clear and intelligent in thought, he will become rooted in principle, and stand as the mountain ribbed with granite, resisting unmoved all the storms of error, sweeping around him and carrying thousands to destruction. That the gov erning idiocrasy of Mr. Woodbridge's emotional nature was in the direction of morals and religion, is evident from his whole life, not less before than after his conversion. He earnestly desired to be a preacher of righteousness before he felt himself spiritually qualified for the sacred work; and through the entire course of his ministerial labors he never evinced special interest in anything aside from the spiritual elevation of man, and the glory of the divine character and government. The whole structure of his mind was religious, as the Germans say, before he actually became religious by the regenerating power of the Spirit. His natural susceptibilities, when the great God, his boundless perfections, the limitless extent of his dominions, and the wonders of the redemptive scheme in its interminable progress, were brought to view, quickly swelled with reverence and awe; and the pure and affectionate character of Jesus, the touching scenes of Gethsemane and the cross, naturally thrilled him with moral beauty. When, therefore, these inborn susceptibilities were made alive by the infused life of Christ; the exceeding glory of the divine character and law, the riches of salvation through the blood of the Redeemer, were unfolded to him by the Holy Ghost, he became, as every thoughtful mind would have predicted, a decided Christian, true to his convictions. Add to these original tendencies to religious thought and to moral beauty his quickness and strength of conscience interpenetrated with holy love, and we have the elements of an inflexible defender of "the faith once delivered to the saints," a minister of the New Testament, never intentionally deviating from the true and the right. Hence Mr. Woodbridge was just as fixed in his purpose of loyalty to the Bible, to welcome all its truths, to follow wherever they lead, and to publish them boldly

PROFESSIONAL SPIRIT.

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to the world, on the day that he entered on his labors in Hadley, as on the day that he retired from his ministerial duties nearly fifty years afterwards. Decision was part of the man, emphatically of the renewed man.

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He had another proclivity which conspired to strengthen his firmness in the utterance of his convictions. Ile was remarkably frank and straightforward. He had no disposition to conceal his thoughts, much less to dissemble or equivocate; he was perfectly guileless, transparent as crystal a tendency which, coupled with great moral courage, rendered him peculiarly unreserved, even fearless, in the proclamation of truth. Like Lord Chatham, who said of himself, "When once I am up, everything in my mind. comes out," Mr. Woodbridge was prone to utter all that was in his heart. He never cherished any plan or policy, any opinions regarding doctrine or duty, which he was unwilling that those associated with him should know.

Without a trace of grovelling ambition he had high aspirations. He determined to do his work thoroughly and well; and thus by hard labor and strict fidelity to his trust, to excel in his profession. He had much self-respect, and a consciousness of mental power, which he had repeatedly measured in conflict with vigorous and brilliant intellects both in college and theological studies. An independent thinker, and reposing confidently on his conclusions, particularly when the result of patient investigation, he felt that he might justly claim for them respectful consideration. Believing that he was called of God to defend his truth, he would have charged himself with cowardice, had he given its adversaries within the compass of his field of labor exemption from exposure; and with a deep under-current of sarcasm, quickened. with a tinge of imperiousness, and at times sharpened with a little impatience towards those who saw not truths which seemed so clear to his own mind, he was not only disposed to overthrow an adversary, but to hold him down till he felt the sting of defeat a disposi

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