Chap Expofrtionupon the Book of J o B. Verf. 14. obfcureft mapbath a name, by which he is known and diflinguifht from other men. And as by names we dirîinguith perfons at prefent, fo we preferve the memory of perfons, and of their a&i- ons, andof their fayings, whether good or bad for hereafter. How can it be told who did, or who faid,this or that, unlefs we bad their names who Paid or did it. Secondly, Hecalled,,that isjob called thename of, &c. Hence-note It se the fathers priviledge to give the name to hie children. Togive a name is an a& of power ; and therefore the Lord, as I. alerted before, brought all the creatures toAdam as their Lord: Having Paid (gen. i . 28.) Nave thon dominion over the beafts of the earth, and the fowls of the air, and the Po of the lea, He brought them to Adam, as their Lord, to receive their names (Gen.2. tg,) It is an a& of great power either to giveor to change names. When Sant (Ass 9.) was converted or changed, the In , nuraberi=, Lord changed his name, he was no more-called Saul, but Paul ; hiree a e beingnowbecome the Lords fervant, and (as it were) one of his p° % menial or houfhold fervants, he gave bim a new name. The Prince of the:Esenucbs changed thenames of Daniel and his three companions; He gave *into Daniel the name of B:lte(hazzar, and to Hanantab of Sbadracb, &c. (Dan. s.'.)Yet we read in Scripture that women very-often-gave namesto their children. Tis conceived that Eve gave the name toCain, I havegotten a man from the Lord (Gen. 4, r.) yea,as tome expound her mean- ing in chafe words, (he thought (he had gotten, That man the Lori,even the Lord Jens Chrtfa,tbe premifed feel (Gen. 3.15.) and then (he had gotten fomewhat indeed, a pofeffion to purpofe, as the name Cain fignifieth. In the hifiory of Pacob, we find the mothers, Leah andAgcbel, Rill giving the name (Gen. 29. 3 2, ;3, ;4, 35. chap. 3x.6, 8. &c. r Sam. 1. 2o.) But as it is well difüngurfhed, though the nominationwas often from the Dloonatioc3. mother, yet the impofition or confirmation of the name, was al- matte, ímp ways from the father : the mother defiled the name, the father rronomirtw d ratified it ; as is plain in the cafe of John the Baptift (Luke r. potro. 59;Eo,61,62) 63.) Friends prefent at hiscircumcifion called km Zacharias, after the nameof his father ; hie mother.anfwered,¡not ¡q, 999
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