The younger part of his reign no doubt was agreeable to his childhood, but very tender and imperfect in divine things; yet what an interesting account the Holy Ghost hath given of Josiah, in that while he was yet young we are told, he began to seek after the God of David his father. What an unspeakable mercy it is, and I cannot forego the opportunity which here presents itself of noticing it, that in this land of bibles our children are from their youngest years taught, as far as the outward teaching of the scriptures can lead, the things which concern the Lord God of our fathers. O thou Holy Spirit! whose gracious office it is to illumine the understanding within; do thou condescend to be the Almighty teacher of our youth, and let the rising generation be a seed to seek the Lord, and to serve the Lord from their earliest years.
2 Chronicles 34:3-7
3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images.
4 And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images,a that were on high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strowed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.
5 And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.
6 And so did he in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their mattocksb round about.
7 And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.