Background
He was the son of John Woodbridge (1582–1637), rector of Stanton Fitzwarren, Wiltshire, and his wife Sarah (1593–1663), daughter of Robert Parker.
He was the son of John Woodbridge (1582–1637), rector of Stanton Fitzwarren, Wiltshire, and his wife Sarah (1593–1663), daughter of Robert Parker.
Harvard University.
Benjamin was the first graduate of Harvard College, commencing Bachelor of Arts in 1642. Returning to England, he re-entered Magdalen Hall, and proceeded Master of Arts on 10 November 1648. In 1652 he attempted to refute two ministers of Salisbury, Thomas Warren and William Eyre, in a sermon on Justification by Faith, which was published and commended by Richard Baxter.
Eyre responded, Baxter upheld his own and Woodbridge"s views and Woodbridge himself issued a reply.
Woodbridge was one of the assistants for the ejection of scandalous ministers in 1654. In 1657 the trustees for the maintenance of ministers granted an assistant for him at Newbury.
At the Restoration he was made one of the king"s chaplains and had the canonry of Windsor offered him, but he hesitated and it was given to another. He was one of the commissioners at the Savoy conference in 1661, but was silenced by the Acting of Uniformity 1662.
Subsequently he preached in private in Newbury, but was frequently disturbed and imprisoned.
Eventually he consented to conform and take holy orders from John Earle, bishop of Salisbury, at Oxford in October 1665. But regretting his inconsistency he returned to his quiet preaching in Newbury until the indulgence of March 1675 enabled him to act with fuller publicity. On the allegations of the Popish Plot in 1678 he was encouraged to greater efforts, and preached a place of worship every Sunday at Highclere in Hampshire.
In 1683 he retired to Englefield in Berkshire, where he died 1 November 1684, and was buried in Newbury on the 4th.