Chapter CXVII. Of the revelation made to him by God concerning the state of the Order; and that the Order shall never fail

158. But he was greatly comforted by visitations of God, whereby he was assured that the foundations of his Religion would ever remain unshaken. And it was also promised to him that the number of those who were perishing would undoubtedly be made good by the substitution of elect brethren. For once when, distressed by evil examples, he betook himself in his distress to prayer, he brought back this rebuke from the Lord: "Why, thou mannikin, art thou distressed? Have I so set thee as shepherd over My Religion that thou knowest not that I am its chief Protector? I set thee, a simple man, over it to the end that those who will may follow after the things that I do in thee for the others to copy. It is I who have called [the brethren], I who will keep and feed them, and who will repair the falling away of some by the substitution of others, so that even where a substitute is not born I will cause him to be born. Be not therefore distressed but ' work out thy salvation,' for even though the Religion were reduced to the number of three, it shall ever, through My gift, remain unshaken." Thenceforth he said that a multitude of imperfect brethren were overpowered by the virtue of one holy man, for that the thickest darkness yields to the ray of a single light.