Anne Dutton (1692–1765) was an English poet and

Calvinist Baptist Reformed Baptists (sometimes known as Particular Baptists or Calvinistic Baptists) are Baptists that hold to a Calvinist soteriology (salvation). The first Calvinist Baptist church was formed in the 1630s. The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith ...

writer on religion. She published around 50 titles and corresponded with

George Whitefield George Whitefield (; 30 September 1770), also known as George Whitfield, was an Anglican cleric and evangelist who was one of the founders of Methodism and the evangelical movement. Born in Gloucester, he matriculated at Pembroke College at th ...

and

John Wesley John Wesley (; 2 March 1791) was an English people, English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The soci ...

Life

Born in

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

, she survived a near-fatal childhood illness, from which "she acquired an acute sense of sin."Virginia Blain, Patricia Clements and Isobel Grundy: ''The Feminist Companion to Literature in English. Women Writers from the Middle Ages to the Present Day'' (London: Batsford, 1990), p. 321. She was given a religious education. Aged 22 she married a Mr Coles, living in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...

, before being widowed five years later. She married again to Benjamin Dutton, a clothier who entered the

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

ministry. They settled at Great Gransden, Huntingdonshire, in 1732, and paid for a chapel to be built there. A desire to give "service to the Cause of Christ" gradually overcame her ill health. In 1747 her husband travelled to America to raise money, but she became widowed again when his return ship was lost at sea.

Tracts

Dutton's ''Narration of the Wonders of Grace'' (1734) was a 1500-line poem in heroic couplets, complete with marginal references to Scripture, reviewing redemption history from the point of view of Calvinist Baptists. (A modern scholar has called it "execrable verse, interesting only as testimony to the mental tilt of a particular kind of zealot".) In her correspondence with Wesley she differed with him over the question of

Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...

. ''A Brief Account of the Negroes Converted to Christ in America'' was one of 13 tracts and letters she published in 1743 alone. George Whitfield was another recipient of her work. Selections from her work were republished in six volumes in 2003–2009.Joann Ford Watson, ed., ''Selected Spiritual Writings of Anne Dutton'', 3 vols, 2003–2009.

Works

*''A narration of the wonders of grace in verse. Divided into six parts. I. Of Christ the Mediator, as set up from Everlasting in all the Glory of Headship. II. Of God's Election and Covenant-Transactions concerning a Remnant in his Son. III. Of Christ's Incarnation and Redemption. IV. Of the Work of the Spirit, respecting the Church in general, throughout the New Testament Dispensation, from Christ's Ascension to his second Coming. V. Of Christ's glorious Appearing and Kingdom. VI. Of Gog and Magog ; together with the last Judgment. To which is added, A poem on the special Work of the Spirit in the Hearts of the Elect. As also, sixty one hymns composed on several Subjects. With An Alphabetical Table'', 1734 *''A discourse upon walking with God in a letter to a friend. Together with Some Hints upon Joseph's Blessing, Deut. 33. 13, &c. As also a brief Account how the Author was brought into Gospel-Liberty'', 1735 *''A discourse concerning God's act of adoption To which is added, a discourse upon the inheritance of the Adopted Sons of God'', 1737 *''A discourse concerning the new-birth to which are added two poems ; the one on salvation in Christ, by free-grace, for the chief of sinners: the other on a believer's safety and duty'', 1740 *''A letter to all the saints : on the general duty of love: humbly presented, by one that is less than the least of them all, and unworthy to be of their happy Number'', 1742 *''A letter to the Reverend Mr. John Wesley In vindication of the doctrines of absolute, unconditional election, particular redemption, special vocation, and final perseverance'', 1742 *''A letter from Mrs. Anne Dutton, to the Reverend Mr. G. Whitefield'', 1743 *''A Letter to Such of the Servants of Christ, who May have any Scruple about the Lawfulness of PRINTING any Thing written by a Woman'', 1743 *
Letters on spiritual subjects, and divers occasions, sent to relations and friends. By one who has tasted that the Lord is gracious
', 1743 *''A brief account of the gracious dealings of God with a poor, sinful... creature'', 1750 *''Divine, moral, and historical Miscellanies'', 1761

References

External links

Neglected Theologians #4 Anne Dutton
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dutton, Anne 1692 births 1765 deaths English women poets English religious writers Writers from Northampton History of Baptists English women non-fiction writers 18th-century English women writers 18th-century English people