Noteworthy is it that Cotton Mather, bitter as was his orthodoxy regarding witchcraft, accepted, in 1721, the modern astronomy fully, with all its consequences.
In the following year came an even more striking evidence that the new scientific ideas were making their way in England.

In 1722 Thomas Burnet published the sixth edition of his Sacred Theory of the Earth.

In this he argues, as usual, to establish the scriptural doctrine of the earth's stability; but in his preface he sounds a remarkable warning.
He mentions the great mistake into which St.Augustine led the Church regarding the doctrine of the antipodes, and says, "If within a few years or in the next generation it should prove as certain and demonstrable that the earth is moved, as it is now that there are antipodes, those that have been zealous against it, and engaged the Scripture in the controversy, would have the same reason to repent of their forwardness that St.Augustine would now, if he were still alive." Fortunately, too, Protestantism had no such power to oppose the development of the Copernican ideas as the older Church had enjoyed.
Yet there were some things in its warfare against science even more indefensible.

In 1772 the famous English expedition for scientific discovery sailed from England under Captain Cook.

Greatest by far of all the scientific authorities chosen to accompany it was Dr.Priestley.