John Calvin Commentary Hebrews 6:7

"For the land which hath drunk the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receiveth blessing from God:" — Hebrews 6:7 (ASV)

For the earth, and so on. This is an analogy most fitting to stir up a desire to make progress at the proper time. For just as the earth cannot produce a good crop at harvest unless it causes the seed to germinate as soon as it is sown, so if we desire to produce good fruit, then as soon as the Lord sows His word, it should take root in us without delay; for it cannot be expected to bear fruit if it is either choked or perishes. But as the analogy is very suitable, so it must be wisely applied to the Apostle's purpose.

The earth, he says, which by absorbing the rain immediately produces a shoot suitable to the seed sown, eventually by God’s blessing produces a ripe crop. So those who receive the seed of the Gospel into their hearts and produce genuine shoots will always make progress until they produce ripe fruit.

On the contrary, the earth, which after cultivation and irrigation brings forth nothing but thorns, offers no hope of a harvest. Indeed, the more its natural produce grows, the more hopeless the case becomes. Hence, the only remedy the farmer has is to burn up the noxious and useless weeds. So those who destroy the seed of the Gospel, either by their indifference or by corrupt affections, so that they manifest no sign of good progress in their life, clearly show themselves to be reprobates, from whom no harvest can be expected.

The Apostle, then, not only speaks here of the fruit of the Gospel, but also exhorts us to embrace it promptly and gladly. He further tells us that the shoot appears soon after the seed is sown, and that growth follows the daily irrigations. Some translate βοτάνην εὔθετον as “a seasonable shoot,” others as “a suitable shoot;” either meaning fits the context, the first referring to time, and the second to quality. The allegorical interpretations with which interpreters have amused themselves here, I will pass over, as they are quite foreign to the writer's purpose.