a waste of time to "look unto Him."
Looking is a most needful part of our daily discipline. "What I say unto
you, I say unto all, _Watch_!"

And because Josiah saw the holiness of the Lord he saw the uncleanness of
the people. He had a vision of God's holy place, and he therefore saw the
defilement of the material worship.

"_In the twelfth year he began to purge Judah._" Yes, that is the
sequence. The reformer follows the seer. We shall begin to sweep the
streets of our own city when we have gazed upon the glories of the holy
city, the New Jerusalem.

JULY The Twenty-third

_A GREAT SOUL AT PRAYER_

2 CHRONICLES vi. 12-21.

Let me reverently study this great prayer in order that, when I go to the
house of God, I may be able to enrich its ministry by the wealth of my own
supplications.

Solomon prayed that the eyes of the Lord might be open toward the house
"day and night." Like the eyes of a mother upon her child! Like the eyes
of a lover upon his beloved! And therefore it is more than protective
vision; shall we reverently say that it is _inventive_ vision, devising
gracious surprises, anticipating needs, preparing love-gifts; it is sight
which is both insight and foresight, ever inspecting and prospecting for
the loved one's good.

And Solomon prayed that God's ear might be open to the cry of His people's
need. "_Hear Thou from Thy dwelling-place._" He prayed that the house of
God might be the place of open communion. That is ever the secret of
peace, and therefore of power. If I know that I have correspondence with
the Holy One, I shall walk and work as a child of light. If God hear me,
then I can sing!

And Solomon prays for the grace of forgiveness. He prays for the sense of
sweet emancipation which is the gift of grace. It is the miracle of
renewal, and it ought to happen every time we open the doors of the
sanctuary.

JULY The Twenty-fourth

_LOVE OF THE SANCTUARY_

PSALM lxxxiv.

Gracious is the strength of this man's desire for the holy place. He
covets the privilege of the very sparrow which builds its nest beneath the
sacred eaves! When he is away from the Temple its worship and music haunt
his mind and soul. It wooes him in the market-place. Its insistent call is
with him by the fireside. Yes, "in his heart are the highways to Zion!"

And the permanency of this devotional mood transfigures every place. It
turns "_the valley of weeping_" into "_a place of springs_." The co