Baine was the son of the parish minister of Bonhill, Dumbartonshire, and born in the manse there in 1710. Having been licensed as a preacher of the gospel, he was presented by the Duke of Montrose to the church of Killearn, the parish adjoining his father"son
He had a brilliant career there and graduated Master of Arts
His elementary education was received at the parish school. He afterwards proceeded to the university of Glasgow. Baine supported evangelical doctrine, as opposed to what came to be known as moderatism.
In 1745 he was promoting revival in the west of Scotland.
Called before the General Assembly, Baine made a statement, vindicating both himself and Gillespie. He foresaw the issue, viz.
He published, on his deposition, "Memoirs of Modern Church Reformation, or the History of the General Assembly, 1766, with a Brief Account and Vindication of the Presbytery of Relief." This rare book takes the form of letters to a ministerial friend. His sketches of the "moderates" are in the vein made famous later by Witherspoon.
On 13 February 1766, he was inducted into the ministry of the first Relief congregation erected in Edinburgh — in College Street.
He was soon surrounded by a vast and devoted body of adherents. Prior to his deposition and induction — the latter of which was conducted by Thomas Gillespie, of Carnock and Dunfermline — a tradition runs that he and his people worshipped in Old Greyfriars under the venerable Doctor John Erskine, and sat down together at the sacrament of the Lord"s Supper there. Baine had remarkable popular gifts, and even at Killearn his musically modulated voice had earned for him the name of the "Swan of the West." His sermons were eloquent and convincing.
He was plain-spoken in denunciation of the vices of the day.
He came into collision with Foote in 1770 by preaching and publishing a sermon entitled "The Theatre Licentious and Perverted." Foote"s memorable ridicule of the great evangelist, George Whitfield, stung him. John Kay, the caricaturist portrait-taker, introduced him into his gallery.
In 1777 he published a volume of sermons of fairly representative character, though, as is frequently the case, it is very evident that they needed his eye and voice to interpret them. By her he had a large family, and representatives remain till now of varied distinction.
He died on 17 January 1790, aged eighty.
In the General Assembly and Presbytery, and from his pulpit, he defended the church"s spiritual freedom against "ecclesiastical tyranny".
