"A throng of bearded men, in sad-colored garments and gay, steeple-crowned hats, intemixed with woman, 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"
Hawthorne is opening his book revealing in one sentence his criticism to the society: a group of people, not different one from the other, standing in front of a building.
But beyond the words, we can see what H. is trying to say: the confomity of the people, who did not tell their ideas, but they would just accept what they were supposed to believe and say, is actually criticized. This might be an anticipation to the contrast which will put Anne Hutchinson (defined a bright bush, "sainted") next to the uniformed society (black building).
Good! A lot of good insight from this observation. Now, keep this in mind as you read.
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