BATES-D. DYKE. 235 Bates's imprisonment he wrote a book, entitled, " Medita- tions whilst he was prisoner in the Gatehouse, Westminster," which shews him to have been a person of great humility and piety. It discovers a mind strongly attached to the author's views of christian doctrine and church discipline. His views of the latter appear to have been a compound of presbyterianism and independency, as some of his expres- sions favour the one, and some the other form of church government. DANIEL DYKE, B. D.-This excellent divine was born at Hempstead in Hertfordshire, where his father was a worthy minister, and silenced for nonconformity.. He received his education at Cambridge, and became a most faithful and useful preacher; but, like his honoured father, was exceedingly persecuted by the intolerant prelates. He was for some time minister of Coggeshall in Essex ; but, upon the publication ofWhitgift's three articles, in1583, he was suspended by Bishop Aylmer, and driven out of the county.e Afterwards he settled at St. Albans, in his native county, where his ministry was particularlyacceptable and profitable to the people. He united with his brethren in attempting to promote a more pure reformation of the church, and, with this object in view, assembled with them in their private associations$ But in this, as in his former situation, the watchful eye of Aylmer was 'upon him, and he was involved in fresh troubles. Because he continued a deacon, and did not enter into priests' orders, which the bishop supposed he accounted popish ; and because he refused to wear the surplice, andtroubled his auditory, as his grace sig- nified, with notions which thwarted the established religion, he was again suspended, and at last deprived. Thiswas in the year 1589.§ The distressed parishioners being con- cerned for the loss of their minister, petitioned the Lord Treasurer Burleigh, who had been Mr. Dyke's great friend, to intercede with the bishop in their behalf. This petition sets forth, " That they had been without any ordinary preaching till within this four or five. years ; by the want ofwhich they were unacquainted with their duty to God, their sovereign, and their neighbours : and so ignorance and disorder had greatly prevailed among them, for want of Fuller's Worthies, part ii. p. 28. 1. MS. Register, p. 741. t Baker's MS. Collee. vol. ay. p. 79. § MS. Register, p. 555.--Strype's Aylmer, p. 159. [11
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