Heman Gurney was born on January 28, 1818. He initially encountered William Miller’s writings in 1838. Two years later, Joseph Bates shared with him a copy of the Millerite periodical, Signs of the Times. After careful study, Heman S. Gurney, a blacksmith by trade, accepted William Miller’s teachings that Christ was coming soon. Heman was a young man when he first heard Ellen Harmon speak, and he never did anything without careful deliberation and planning.
After careful investigation, he was convinced of Ellen Harmon’s divine call and readily accepted her visions as being of God. Impressed by God that He had called her as His messenger, Brother Gurney paid half the printing costs of the broadside relating her first vision. The other half was paid by a young preacher named James White.
I would like to relate two experiences that Brother Gurney made at sea, which clearly show that the angels were protecting him in dangerous situations.
Ellen Harmon and her sister Sarah, and another Sister Ashely were visiting Fairhaven, Massachusetts, when Brother Gurney suggested that they all go and visit West Island. It is a small island where only two families lived. When Heman arrived at the home where they were staying, Sarah told him they could not go as Ellen was sick. He went back to work, returning about the middle of the afternoon, but was told that she was still sick. Heman asked if there was any other reason they could not go. The answer was no, so he suggested they pray and ask the Lord to heal Ellen. They did so, and she was immediately healed.
Soon they were sailing down the river towards West Island. They were cheerful and happy, singing their favorite hymns. A while later young Gurney looked up at the sky in concern. “It looks like a squall could come up any time,” he said.
Sure enough, they had not gone much farther when a ferocious storm broke over the water. The waves went wild, and their small boat seemed surrounded by a roaring bowl of thunder. Frantically Heman tried to adjust the sails, and they all looked for something with which to bail out the water pouring over the sides of the boat. It seemed certain that they all would be lost if the Lord did not work a miracle.
Kneeling in the bottom of the sailboat, Ellen began to pray that God would save them. Enormous waves washed over them. Brilliant forks of lightning crackled all around them. When it seemed as there was no hope, Ellen was taken into vision. Relating the scene afterward, she said, “I saw that every drop of water in the ocean would be dried up before anything would happen to us, for my work has just begun.”
After her vision, their fears vanished. The wind carried their songs of praise to the dark skies as their little boat was tossed about by the frothy waves. At last, the storm began to subside, and the boat drifted to the island. It was late as they called out for help. Everyone was asleep except a little girl and when she heard the cries for help, she went to wake up her father who came to rescue the four young people. They spent the rest of the night in thanksgiving and praise to God.
On another occasion Heman Gurney was back on West Island helping the families with some work. Brother Sherman told young Gurney that he was free to borrow his boat anytime he wanted to go home to visit.
Feeling homesick one afternoon he got Brother Sherman’s permission to take the little boat and go visit his parents. He planned to go the next day. Fog had settled in over the water, but he knew the way so well, he was not afraid of getting lost. After sailing for what he thought was about 5 km he suddenly heard a voice yelling, “Hard up your helm! Hard up your helm!” Which means, “get out of the way quickly.”
Looking up, Gurney saw a large boat practically on top of him. He tried to get clear but was not able to move fast enough. His mast and rigging were swept away, and the boat was overturned. The sailors on the other boat fished him out of the sea. Poor Heman. How embarrassed he was as he tried to explain what he was doing out on a foggy day in a little boat. The sailors tried to tow the little sailboat, but after a short distance the rope broke, and they had to leave it to the mercy of the wind and waves. Gurney felt sick. He was convinced that if the boat was found at all, it would be at the lower end of West Island, dashed to pieces on the rocks.
The large boat had taken him to New Bedford. Heman then realized that his friends on West Island may find the boat and be worried about him. He quickly stopped by home, to greet his parents. His homesickness now turned into dread and fear as he tried to think of what he would say to Brother Sherman. How would he explain that his friend’s prized sailboat was lost or dashed to pieces on the rocks?
He left his parent’s home and went back to the beach. It was getting dark now, but he was able to find a local boat owner who was willing to take him over to West Island.
After safely arriving, Heman was not sure why he bothered, but he decided to check the boat dock before going into the house. There was the little sailboat, neatly tied up and secure in its usual place. He could not believe his eyes. How could it be? Slowly he examined it from stem to stern. It seemed impossible, but there was no damage at all. It was a bewildered, but grateful Heman Gurney who slept soundly that night in spite of his harrowing day.
The next morning, he knew he had to face Brother Sherman. After exchanging greetings, he managed to stammer. “Well, I see you found your boat all right.”
“Found my boat?” the man asked puzzled. “What do you mean? It’s right there.”
Heman then explained the entire episode. There was no doubt in his mind that an unseen angel took care of the boat where he had left it. He was awed and humbled to think that heavenly angels should be charged to care for him. Years, later his thankful comment was, “I can only account for it from the fact that angels are all ministering spirits sent forth to minister to them who should be heirs of salvation.”
Heman Gurney was a man of prayer as well as action. Several times in her writings Ellen White mentions that he was present when prayer was offered for healing of the sick. The main theme of his life was to tell others of the coming of the Lord, and to help them be ready. He also had a fine singing voice that often rang out when he worked in his blacksmith shop. In Adventist circles he was known as the singing blacksmith, and he was in great demand as a soloist for evangelistic meetings.
On May 15, 1853, Gurney married the widow Anne “Eliza” Elizabeth Randall. .
For 30 years he was a local church elder in Memphis, Michigan and he served as president of the Michigan conference in 1869.He was loved by both the church and the community. His favorite song was “I’m a Pilgrim, and I’m a Stranger.” He also had taken a missionary trip to the south with Brother Bates at a time when it was dangerous to travel there. Brother Heman was the only one Bates could find who was willing to go because southerners would suspect them as being abolitionists. Heman also financed the Sabbath Pamphlet that Brother Bates was printing, although Brother Bates never knew who donated the funds.
Eventually his health declined, and on August 4, 1896, he was laid to rest with the assurance of “the blessed hope” of meeting his Lord when He comes to claim His own.
The life story of this dedicated pioneer is a reminder that the strength of the work of the Lord lies in the work of the “little” people —those who are unknown but go quietly about their Father’s business of winning souls for His kingdom. May you be one of those.