Of the
valuelessness of the one, Cain, Ham, and Esau are types; of the
supreme worth of the other, Abraham, who is set up as the model of the
excellent man brought up among idolaters, but led by the Divine
oracle, revealed to his mind, to embrace the true idea of God. If the
founder of the Hebrew nation was himself a convert, then surely there
was a place within the religion for other converts. Remarkable is the
closing note of the book:
"We should, therefore, blame those who spuriously
appropriate as their own merit what they derive from others,
good birth; and they should justly be regarded as enemies
not only of the Jewish race, but of all mankind; of the
Jewish race, because they engender indifference in their
brethren, so that they despise the righteous life in their
reliance upon their ancestors' virtue; and of the Gentiles,
because they would not allow them their meed of reward even
though they attain to the highest excellence of conduct,
simply because they have not commendable ancestors. I know
not if there could be a more pernicious doctrine than this:
that there is no punishment for the wicked offspring of good
parents, and no reward for the good offspring of evil
parents. The law judges each man upon his own merit, and
does not assign praise or blame according to the virtues of
the forefathers.
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