walls," could not be sold in perpetuity: because such houses
are built merely with a view to the cultivation and care of
possessions; wherefore the Law rightly made the same prescription in
regard to both (Lev. 25).

Reply Obj. 4: As stated above (ad 1), the purpose of the Law was to
accustom men to its precepts, so as to be ready to come to one
another's assistance: because this is a very great incentive to
friendship. The Law granted these facilities for helping others in
the matter not only of gratuitous and absolute donations, but also of
mutual transfers: because the latter kind of succor is more frequent
and benefits the greater number: and it granted facilities for this
purpose in many ways. First of all by prescribing that men should be
ready to lend, and that they should not be less inclined to do so as
the year of remission drew nigh, as stated in Deut. 15:7, seqq.
Secondly, by forbidding them to burden a man to whom they might grant
a loan, either by exacting usury, or by accepting necessities of life
in security; and by prescribing that when this had been done they
should be restored at once. For it is written (Deut. 23:19): "Thou
shalt not lend to thy brother money to usury": and (Deut. 24:6):
"Thou shalt not take the nether nor the upper millstone to pledge;
for he hath pledged his life to thee": and (Ex. 22:26): "If thou take
of thy neighbor a garment in pledge, thou shalt give it him again
before sunset." Thirdly, by forbidding them to be importunate in
exacting payment. Hence it is written (Ex. 22:25): "If thou lend
money to any of my people that is poor that dwelleth with thee, thou
shalt not be hard upon them as an extortioner." For this reason, too,
it is enacted (Deut. 24:10, 11): "When thou shalt demand of thy
neighbor anything that he oweth thee, thou shalt not go into his
house to take away a pledge, but thou shalt stand without, and he
shall bring out to thee what he hath": both because a man's house is
his surest refuge, wherefore it is offensive to a man to be set upon
in his own house; and because the Law does not allow the creditor to
take away whatever he likes in security, but rather permits the
debtor to give what he needs least. Fourthly, the Law prescribed that
debts should cease together after the lapse of seven years. For it
was probable that those who could conveniently pay their debts, would
do so before the seventh year, and would not defraud the lender
without cause. But if they