Pillars of salt. An history of some criminals executed in this land, for capital…

There have been some, whom our Churches have laid under the Highest Censure, for their Wickedness; our Churches have in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, pronounced upon them, a Dreadful Sentence, of Excommunication, as a Token of a more Dreadful Sentence, to be passed in the Day of God, upon the Workers of Iniquity; our Churches have Chased them out of the Camp, for the Leprosy of their Iniquity found upon them. Now, the Censured Sinners, I think, generally make this Confession, That they made little Conscience of Secret Prayer; long before they fell into the Sins, that brought the Censures upon them. 'Tis often seen, That when Christians grow Dull, and Cold, in Secret Prayer, 'tis not long before they fall into some Sin, that lays their Souls a bleeding, fainting, Dying before the ⟨p. 52⟩Lord. Grievous Falls from God, and Falls into Sin, They usually, if you mind it, begin at the Closet Door. Would you not be Punished, with Armies of Sin prevailing over you? O keep the Hands of Secret Prayer lifted up. You'll shortly fall into some horrid Sin else, and then have cause to Lament with Origen, My Secret Prayers, were poorly, if at all, performed in the morning of the Black Day, when God left me to my self! Yea, some, that have Dyed not long since upon the Gallows, there Cried out, That their Living without Prayer in their Families Laid them open to all the Wickedness, for which they were now to Die so Tragically.

There have been some, whom our Churches have laid under the Highest Censure, for their Wickedness; our Churches have in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, pronounced upon them, a Dreadful Sentence, of Excommunication, as a Token of a more Dreadful Sentence, to be pass'd in the Day of God, upon the Workers of Iniquity; our Churches have Chased them out of the Camp, for the Leprosy of their Iniquity found upon them. Now, the Censured Sinners, I think, generally make this Confession, That they made little Conscience of Secret Prayer; long before they fell into the Sins, that brought the Censures upon them. 'Tis often seen, That when Christians grow Dull, and Cold, in Secret Prayer, 'tis not long before they fall into some Sin, that layes their Souls a bleeding, fainting, Dying before the ⟨p. 52⟩Lord. Grievous Falls from God, and Falls into Sin, They usually, if you mind it, begin at the Closet Door. Would you not be Punished, with Armies of Sin prevailing over you? O keep the Hands of Secret Prayer lifted up. You'l shortly fall into some horrid Sin else, and then have cause to Lament with Origen, My Secret Prayers, were poorly, if at all, performed in the morning of the Black Day, when God left me to my self! Yea, some, that have Dyed not long since upon the Gallows, there Cryed out, That their Living without Prayer in their Families Laid them open to all the Wickdness, for which they were now to Dy so Tragically.