1oe6 Chap. 42. An Expofition upon the Bodtof J o 1. Verf. 4. names imported.Vertuousnames,or names of vet tue,fhouldmind us to do vertuoufly. ' fis alfa a piece of fpiritual prudence and. policy, to put, as the names of excellent things, of graces and vertues, fo of excellent perfons, fuchas have excelled in grace andvertue,upon our children, that theymay be provoked to imi- tate and follow their examples, whefe names they bear. The good wifhes and delires of parents concerningchildren, may be filent- ly (if I may fo fpeak) cxpreed in their names. They who would dnos 1oti_ have their children excel in fuch a grace or good way, may do dpu va d saftob well to fix it in their names, as prophecying or hoping, at leaft, virtutis aufpi they will really be what they are inname, or what their names titan ponuntur promife. One of the Ancients reports this praEtice of the An- vocabulafc: dents ; We give names ((aith he) wherein we bold forth our wifbes Vieloris,cafli, and defires, and pray to God that our children may anfwer thefgni- apudr ebret fcation of their names. Many Scripture -names have myfierious apud Hebrxos, ilicheas 77 meanings in them. Hofea, fignifieth a Saviour, his parents there- Habdiaseg. Za- in prophecying (as it were)and (hewing their faich,that he would chariosease be a Prophet, and prove inilrumental for the falvation of others. rag; hisfimilis Obadiah, fignifieth thefervant of God ; his parents gave him that eta virzutem i h i and would, h i h f f May ( name we uppoe) op ng e ou w(hing e might vocaufolibe a a r>ùàparentibur be a faithful fervent of God. Zachariah, fignifieth the memory or imponuntur. remembrance of god;his parents tarneftly denting, that God would Theron. in both remember him (which is all mercy to anan) or that he might mroæm.Com- alwayes remember God (which is all duty to God) Remember now Mict.n lib. th Creator in theda es of thy youth that is Mich. 7' y f y y , , perform all duty to God. Nomina atone We fee then, it bath been ufual among godly parents, to give quaffomina vet fignificant names to their children, either that they might be anonitavol ve. minded of the mercies of God to them, or of the duties which to ref future. they were to perform toGod. I 1l'hall only adde for the clofe of the point, this (bort admo- nition to all, to women efpeciaily (becaufe the Text fpeaks of them) than, as it is ufeful and eefual for parents to give good names to their children, fo children fhould have a gracious ambi- tion to make good the fgnification of their names. What will it advantage a man tobe called john, which fignifieth grace, if him- fclf be gracelefs ? or to called Obadiah, which fignifieth a fer- vant of God, if he neglc& -to ferve God ? or to be called Ze- chariah, which fignifieth the Remembrance of God, if he forget God?
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