piety and hereditary

From my notebooks this piece from Thomas Fuller (1608-1661):

Lord, I find the genealogy of my Savior strangely checkered withfour remarkable changes in fourgenerations.

• Rehoboam begat Abia: a bad father begat a bad son.
• Abia begat Asa: a bad father and a good son.
• Asa begat Jehoshaphat: a good father and a good son.
• Jehoshaphat began Joram: a good father and a bad son.

I see, Lord, from hence,that my father's piety cannot be entailed; that is bad news for me. But I see also that actual impiety is not hereditary; that is good news for my son.