ThestrongestmindsinbothbranchesoftheProtestantChurchinGreatBritaindevotedthemselvestomaintainingthesuperstition。
Thenewerscientificmodesofthought，andespeciallythenewideasregardingtheheavens，revealedfirstbyCopernicusandGalileoandlaterbyNewton，Huygens，andHalley，weregraduallydissipatingthewholedomainofthePrinceofthePoweroftheAir；butfromfirsttolastalonglineofeminentdivines，AnglicanandCalvinistic，strovetoresistthenewthought。OntheAnglicanside，intheseventeenthcentury，MericCasaubon，DoctorofDivinityandahighdignitaryofCanterbury，——HenryMore，inmanyrespectsthemosteminentscholarintheChurch，——Cudworth，byfarthemosteminentphilosopher，andDr。
JosephGlanvil，themostcogentofallwritersinfavourofwitchcraft，supportedtheorthodoxsuperstitionintreatisesofgreatpower；andSirMatthewHale，thegreatestjuristoftheperiod，condemningtwowomentobeburnedforwitchcraft，declaredthathebasedhisjudgmentonthedirecttestimonyofHolyScripture。OntheCalvinisticsidewerethegreatnamesofRichardBaxter，whoapplaudedsomeoftheworstcrueltiesinEngland，andofIncreaseandCottonMather，whostimulatedtheworstinAmerica；andthesemarshalledinbehalfofthiscruelsuperstitionalonglineofeminentdivines，themostearnestofall，perhaps，beingJohnWesley。
NorwastheLutheranChurchinSwedenandtheotherScandinaviancountriesbehinditssisterchurches，eitherinpersecutingwitchcraftorinrepressingdoubtsregardingthedoctrinewhichsupportedit。
Butinspiteofallthesegreatauthoritiesineveryland，inspiteofsuchsummarypunishmentsasthoseofFlade，Loos，andBekker，andinspiteofthevirtualexclusionfromchurchprefermentofallwhodoubtedtheolddoctrine，thenewscientificviewoftheheavenswasdevelopedmoreandmore；thephysicalsciencesweremoreandmorecultivated；thenewscientificatmosphereingeneralmoreandmoreprevailed；andattheendoftheseventeenthcenturythisvastgrowthofsuperstitionbegantowitheranddroop。Montaigne，Bayle，andVoltaireinFrance，ThomasiusinGermany，CalefinNewEngland，andBeccariainItaly，didmuchalsotocreateanintellectualandmoralatmospherefataltoit。