10541. 'And I shall know what I am to do to you' means that, this being so, it is possible for something to be established among them. This is clear from the train of thought in the internal sense; for outward holiness, devoid of any inward holiness, could exist with that nation. And since for this reason the external aspect of the Church could exist with that nation even though nothing of the internal did so, 'I shall know what I am to do' means that, this being so, it is possible for something to be established among them.

686. It is the Lord's mercy - that is, His love towards the whole of heaven and towards the whole human race - thus it is the Lord alone, that organizes every single thing into communities. It is the same mercy which gives birth to conjugial love, and from this to the love of parents towards children, which loves are the basic and prime loves. From these stem all other kinds of love existing in unending variety which are ordered quite distinctly and separately into communities.