WhileLutheranismwasthuscondemningthetheoryoftheearth’smovement，otherbranchesoftheProtestantChurchdidnotremainbehind。Calvintookthelead，inhisCommentaryonGenesis，bycondemningallwhoassertedthattheearthisnotatthecentreoftheuniverse。Heclinchedthematterbytheusualreferencetothefirstverseoftheninety-thirdPsalm，andasked，“WhowillventuretoplacetheauthorityofCopernicusabovethatoftheHolySpirit？”Turretin，Calvin’sfamoussuccessor，evenafterKeplerandNewtonhadvirtuallycompletedthetheoryofCopernicusandGalileo，putforthhiscompendiumoftheology，inwhichheproved，fromamultitudeofscripturaltexts，thattheheavens，sun，andmoonmoveabouttheearth，whichstandsstillinthecentre。InEnglandweseesimilartheologicalefforts，evenaftertheyhadbecomeevidentlyfutile。Hutchinson’sMoses’sPrincipia，Dr。SamuelPike’sSacredPhilosophy，thewritingsofHorne，BishopHorsley，andPresidentForbescontainmostearnestattacksupontheideasofNewton，suchattacksbeingbaseduponScripture。Dr。JohnOwen，sofamousintheannalsofPuritanism，declaredtheCopernicansystema“delusiveandarbitraryhypothesis，contrarytoScripture“；andevenJohnWesleydeclaredthenewideasto“tendtowardinfidelity。”[51]
[51]OntheteachingsonProtestantismasregardstheCopernicantheory，seecitationsinCanonFarrar’sHistoryofInterpretation，preface，xviii；alsoRev。Dr。Shields，ofPrinceton，TheFinalPhilosophy，pp。60，61。
AndProtestantpeopleswerenotawhitbehindCatholicinfollowingoutsuchteachings。ThepeopleofElbingmadethemselvesmerryoverafarceinwhichCopernicuswasthemainobjectofridicule。ThepeopleofNuremberg，aProtestantstronghold，causedamedaltobestruckwithinscriptionsridiculingthephilosopherandhistheory。
Whythepeopleatlargetookthisviewiseasilyunderstoodwhenwenotetheattitudeoftheguardiansoflearning，bothCatholicandProtestant，inthatage。Itthrowsgreatlightuponsundryclaimsbymoderntheologianstotakechargeofpublicinstructionandoftheevolutionofscience。Soimportantwasitthoughttohave“soundlearning“guardedand“safescience“taught，thatinmanyoftheuniversities，aslateastheendoftheseventeenthcentury，professorswereforcedtotakeanoathnottoholdthe“Pythagorean“——thatis，theCopernican——ideaastothemovementoftheheavenlybodies。Asthecontestwenton，professorswereforbiddentomakeknowntostudentsthefactsrevealedbythetelescope。SpecialorderstothiseffectwereissuedbytheecclesiasticalauthoritiestotheuniversitiesandcollegesofPisa，Innspruck，Louvain，Douay，Salamanca，andothers。DuringgenerationswefindtheauthoritiesoftheseUniversitiesboastingthatthesegodlessdoctrineswerekeptawayfromtheirstudents。Itistouchingtohearsuchboastsmadethen，justasitistouchingnowtohearsundryexcellentuniversityauthoritiesboastthattheydiscouragethereadingofMill，Spencer，andDarwin。NorweresuchattemptstokeepthetruthfromstudentsconfinedtotheRomanCatholicinstitutionsoflearning。Strangeasitmayseem，nowherewerethefactsconfirmingtheCopernicantheorymorecarefullykeptoutofsightthanatWittenberg——theuniversityofLutherandMelanchthon。
AboutthemiddleofthesixteenthcenturytherewereatthatcentreofProtestantinstructiontwoastronomersofaveryhighorder，RheticusandReinhold；bothofthese，afterthoroughstudy，hadconvincedthemselvesthattheCopernicansystemwastrue，butneitherofthemwasallowedtotellthistruthtohisstudents。NeitherinhislectureannouncementsnorinhispublishedworksdidRheticusventuretomakethenewsystemknown，andheatlastgaveuphisprofessorshipandleftWittenberg，thathemighthavefreedomtoseekandtellthetruth。Reinholdwasevenmorewretchedlyhumiliated。Convincedofthetruthofthenewtheory，hewasobligedtoadvocatetheold；ifhementionedtheCopernicanideas，hewascompelledtooverlaythemwiththePtolemaic。Eventhiswasnotthoughtsafeenough，andin1571thesubjectwasintrustedtoPeucer。Hewaseminently“sound。”anddenouncedtheCopernicantheoryinhislecturesas“absurd，andunfittobeintroducedintotheschools。”