After settling in North Carolina and establishing Sandy Creek Church, Shubal Steams and Daniel Marshall soon entered adjacent Virginia, where they preached the gospel and baptized believers among whom was Dutton Lane. A revival followed, and Elder Marshall baptized forty-two persons at one time. It was not long until Dutton Lane began preaching, and Samuel Harriss, a man of distinction in that area, was converted. People far and wide began requesting someone to come preach to them, even as far as Culpeper and Spotsylvania Counties.¹

In August of 1760, the first Separate Baptist church in Virginia was organized at Dan River. Dutton Lane became its pastor, and by 1772 he had established five different preaching stations with five assistants. The success of the Baptists brought the wrath of Satan down upon them. The hand of the Lord was revealed as "James Roberts was going for a warrant in 1769 against Richard Elkins (one of Lane’s assistants). As Roberts and another man were traveling for the warrant in the night a strong glare of light shone about them so much that the horses squatted on the ground; and was succeeded by such thick darkness that they could not see anything. Roberts concluded it was a warning to him and thence forth ceased to be an opposer."²

As the Dan River Church grew, the opposition rose in great fury. "One Wm. Cocker had conceived such a malignity against the Baptists that he was wont to say, ‘He had rather go to hell than heaven if going to the latter required his being a Baptist;’ but coming accidentally to hear Dutton Lane this same malignant fell to the ground roaring, ‘Lord, have mercy upon me! I am a gone man! What shall I do to be saved?’ In this manner went he on for an hour."³ He later became a pious Baptist.

No one opposed Dutton more strongly than his father, who carried out a threat to horsewhip his own wife, Dutton’s mother, because she slipped out to hear their son preach. He then pursued Dutton with gun in order to murder him. His wife courageously challenged her husband, pointing out that he, as a sporting man, gave a bird a chance at flight before he shot it. She proposed that he should hear his son preach before shooting him. Dutton’s father accepted the challenge, and he fell under the conviction of the Holy Spirit and soon was made alive in Jesus Christ. He was baptized by that same son whom he purposed to slay.