Jonathan Edwards on God bringing good out of evil

[Reformed Covenanter]

... And again, God sometimes makes their own sins and falls an occasion of their good. When they have committed sin, they are more humble and place their confidence more in God and less in themselves. And when they have recovered themselves, they are more careful to avoid sin for the future, and more diligent to clear themselves of the remains of sin; 2 Corinthians 7:11, “This selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves.” Peter, when he was converted after his fall, was stronger and more firmly fixed in grace and holiness than he was before. Therefore Christ bids him when he is converted to strengthen his brethren [John 21:15–17].

God oftentimes turns those things to his people’s good that seem to them to tend only to their hurt. They can’t see which way they can tend to any good. It seems to them that it only hinders the progress of grace in their souls and hinders them in their work; they can’t serve God with that advantage that otherwise they might do. It seems to them as unlikely that any good should be got by it, it may be, as that they should get honey out of a rock. But yet God, that sees further than they do, knows how to turn it to their advantage. ...

For more, see Jonathan Edwards on God bringing good out of evil.

 

[chuckd]

John Owen had a similar thought in Mortification of Sin, Ch. 8. And uses the same example of Peter.

Now, canst thou think that God will set in with such hypocritical endeavours, — that ever his Spirit will bear witness to the treachery and falsehood of thy spirit? Dost thou think he will ease thee of that which perplexeth thee, that thou mayst be at liberty to that which no less grieves him? No. Says God, “Here is one, if he could be rid of this lust I should never hear of him more; let him wrestle with this, or he is lost.”
...
As I said, God oftentimes suffers it to chasten our other negligences: for as with wicked men, he gives them up to one sin as the judgment of another, a greater for the punishment of a less, or one that will hold them more firmly and securely for that which they might have possibly obtained a deliverance from; so even with his own, he may, he doth, leave them sometimes to some vexatious distempers, either to prevent or cure some other evil. So was the messenger of Satan let loose on Paul, that he “might not be lifted up through the abundance of spiritual revelations.” Was it not a correction to Peter’s vain confidence, that he was left to deny his Master? Now, if this be the state and condition of lust in its prevalency, that God oftentimes suffers it so to prevail, at least to admonish us, and to humble us, perhaps to chasten and correct us for our general loose and careless walking, is it possible that the effect should be removed and the cause continued, — that the particular lust should be mortified and the general course be unreformed? He, then, that would really, thoroughly, and acceptably mortify any disquieting lust, let him take care to be equally diligent in all parts of obedience, and know that every lust, every omission of duty, is burdensome to God, though but one is so to him.