N00729:256
Pillars of salt. An history of some criminals executed in this land, for capital…
Pillars of salt. An history of some criminals executed in this land, for capital crimes. : With some of their dying speeches; collected and published, for the warning of such as live in destructive courses of ungodliness. : Whereto is added, for the better improvement of this history, a brief discourse about the dreadful justice of God, in punishing of sin, with sin. : [Two lines from Deuteronomy]
printed by B. Green for Samuel Phillips, 1699
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
(XI.)
IN the Year, 1698. Was Executed at Springfield, one Sarah Smith.
Her Despising the continual Counsels and Warning of her Godly Father in law laid the Foundation of her Destruction. When she was married, she added unto the Crime of Adultery, that o• Stealing; which latter Crime occasioned her to fly unto New Jersey. Afterwards, coming to Reside in Deerfield, her (second) Husband, was carried captive unto Canada: But the woman, in Grievous Horror of mind, for the Breaches of the Seventh and Eighth Commandment, received many most suitable counsels, from Mr Williams, the […] Minister of that place. In conformity to his Counsels and Warnings, ⟨p. 104⟩for a while she led a Reformed life, and se•med much affected with the word of God, in t•e public Dispensations of it. But ere it was l•ng. she lost her Seriousness, her Tenderness, her Convictions; and Relapsed into the Sin of Adultery Her m•st Relapse into that Sin was attended with a Conception, which, tho' she endeavoured for to render it an Abortive, the Holy providence of God would not suffer i to be so She did, with much Obstinacy, Deny and Conceal her being with Child: and when the Child was Born, she smothered it: but the Neighbours found it ou immediately. She then owned the matter, but made the usual pretence, That the Child was Dead Born: and remained as poor Sinners undone by the Sins of unchastity use to be, under extreme Hardness of Heart. Mr Williams rarely visited he, but found her guilty of New Lies: tho' sometimes violent pangs of Horror would come upon her, wherein she detected her own Lying, and seemed greatly to Bewail it. The Honourable Judges, desired Mr Williams' to go down unto Springfield, (which was the place,) at the Time of her Execution; who then found her under an astonishing stupidity of Soul: and yet not pretending to Hopes of Happiness in another world. He found her guilty of more Lies! which afterward she confessed so to be; she slept both at the Prayer and the Sermon: in the public