how is a man to act, Sir?  Though firmly convinced of the truth of his doctrine, may he not think it wrong to expose himself to persecution?  Has he a right to do so?  Is it not, as it were, committing voluntary suicide?’ Johnson.  ’Sir, as to voluntary suicide, as you call it, there are twenty thousand men in an army who will go without scruple to be shot at, and mount a breach for five-pence a day.’  Goldsmith.  ‘But have they a moral right to do this?’ Johnson.  ’Nay, Sir, if you will not take the universal opinion of mankind, I have nothing to say.  If mankind cannot defend their own way of thinking, I cannot defend it.  Sir, if a man is in doubt whether it would be better for him to expose himself to martyrdom or not, he should not do it.  He must be convinced that he has a delegation from heaven.’  Goldsmith.  ’I would consider whether there is the greater chance of good or evil upon the whole.  If I see a man who had fallen into a well, I would wish to help him out; but if there is a greater probability that he shall pull me in, than that I shall pull him out, I would not attempt it.  So were I to go to Turkey, I might wish to convert the Grand Signor to the Christian faith; but when I considered that I should probably be put to death without effectuating my purpose in any degree, I should keep myself quiet.’  Johnson.  ’Sir, you must consider that we have perfect and imperfect obligations.  Perfect obligations, which are generally not to do something, are clear and positive; as, “thou shalt not kill?’ But charity, for instance, is not definable by limits.  It is a duty to give to the poor; but no man can say how much another should give to the poor, or when a man has given too little to save his soul.  In the same manner it is a duty to instruct the ignorant, and of consequence to convert infidels to Christianity; but no man in the common course of things is obliged to carry this to such a degree as to incur the danger of martyrdom, as no man is obliged to strip himself to the shirt in order to give charity.  I have said, that a man must be persuaded that he has a particular delegation from heaven.’  Goldsmith.  ’How is this to be known?  Our first reformers, who were burnt for not believing bread and wine to be Christ’—­Johnson. (interrupting him,) ’Sir, they were not burnt for not believing bread and wine to be Christ, but for insulting those who did believe it.  And, Sir, when the first reformers began, they did not intend to be martyred:  as many of them ran away as could.’  Boswell.  ’But, Sir, there was your countryman, Elwal, who you told me challenged King George with his black-guards, and his red-guards.’  Johnson.  ’My countryman, Elwal, Sir, should have been put in the stocks; a proper pulpit for him; and he’d have had a numerous audience.  A man who preaches in the stocks will always have hearers enough.’  Boswell.  ‘But Elwal thought himself in the right.’  Johnson.  ’We