Reformed & Hardshell Baptist Premise Refuted

Reformed Baptists say, out of one side of their mouths, that they believe that the word of God or gospel is the means or instrument of regeneration or rebirth. But, out of the other side of their mouths, they say that one must be regenerated in order to be able to believe the gospel. That is a contradiction and yet, it is very difficult to get them to see it. 

Recently I have been having a private discussion with another Reformed Baptist, who I would call a Hyper Calvinist, because he says that people are regenerated before believing or repenting, and he said that the soil being good in the parable of the sower and the seed (or parable of the soils) was good before the seed was sown, showing that regeneration occurs before believing the word. This is the same argument that the Hardshells have been making for decades now. The Hardshells, at least most of them, will say that the soil can be good and never have the seed planted in it (meaning one can be born again and yet not a believer or Christian). The Reformed Baptists generally argue, however, that there is no gap in time between the time when the soil is made good and seed is planted and germinates. Also, the Reformed Baptists want to insist that the word of God is a means in regeneration. They are blind to the fact that their position forces them to deny that the word is a means. I will just ask this one question --

How was sowing the seed in the soil a means to making it good? 

By saying the soil was good (regenerated) before the seed was sown is to say the seed being sown had nothing to do with making the soil good. 

How blind can one be not to see that? At least the Hardshells are more consistent in their Hyper Calvinism than are Reformed Baptists who want to say the word is a means but regeneration precedes faith. 

Recall that Abraham Booth, the five point Calvinist, and endorsed by Spurgeon, said

"But it is impossible for us to conceive of the mind being enlightened, of the conscience being relieved, of the will being regulated, and of the affections being purified by the word of truth, any further than it is believed. It may therefore be concluded, that regeneration is not, in order of time, prior to faith in Christ, and justification by him." 

Further, although this Reformed Baptist brother wants to say that faith is simultaneous with regeneration, his position on the parable and the good soil will not let him do that. Anyone knows that the soil is good a long time before seed is sown in it. In the parable the soil did not become good the split second before the seed came to rest upon it. Further, what makes it good is tilling, cultivating, fertilizing, etc. 

Further, "good" soil means "productive" soil. But, how is it productive if there is no produce? 

The soil is good by the pre regeneration work of the Spirit, and of the law.