advantages in point of influence, it has a tendency to put to shame the indolence of more advanced years, and to impress more forcibly the minds of those who are yet young and tender. Whilst then we say to all, " Remember your Creator in the days of your youth," we would exhort all, from the first moment that they feel the value of their own souls, to exert themselves with all diligence to benefit the souls of others ]
II. He proceeded in his career with extraordinary zeal and diligence —
[It seems almost incredible that tliis yomig monarch should eflEect so much as he did in so short a time. He first began to root out idolatry from those tribes which were under his own dominion; and then set himself (by the connivance or permission of the Assyrian monarch) to effect the same changes among the remnant of the ten tribes. Not choosing to devolve these labours on others, he proceeded himself " throughout all the land of Israel," that he might see his orders carried into execution. The means he used to produce a reformation were of the most extraordinary kind ; breaking in pieces all the images that he could find, strewing the dust of them on the graves of those who had sacrificed unto them; and burning on the altars the bones of the priests who had placed their offerings upon them*'.
Here we see how justly he deserved the character given him in our text : he entered into his work " with all his heart, and all his soul, and all his might." And this is the spirit which we also should manifest in all our services for God. We should not indulge a lukewarm spirit, but " be zealously affected always in a good cause." " Whatever our hand findeth to do, we should do with all our might" ]
III. He was as zealous in promoting piety as in suppressing vice —
[Wlien he had put down the reigning abominations, he endeavoured to establish the worship of the true God: he repaired the temple, which had fallen into decay ; he convened all his subjects, " the priests and Levites, and all the people both small and great," and himself read to them the word of God, and made a covenant with the Lord both for himself and them to serve the Lord God with their whole hearts ; and " he caused all the people to stand to the covenant." After this he kept a passover, such as had not been kept even from the time of Samuel to that hour: and toward the expenses of it he himself very largely contributed.
^ See 2 Chron. xxxiv. 3 — 7.