In the first paragraph what does the reader learn about the puritans belief regarding sin and punishment?

A throng of bearded men, in sad-coloured garments and grey steeple-crowned hats, inter-mixed with women, some wearing hoods, and others bareheaded, was assembled in front of a wooden edifice, the door of which was heavily timbered with oak, and studded with iron spikes.

From this short section, we can infer that punishment for sin was not only public but a spectacle.