'His marvellous work in the worthy receivers of the sacraments': Cranmer's 'Answer to Gardiner' and our wonder at the sacraments

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But from the beginning the mystery of the sacrament hath been with wonder marvelled at, how Christ made bread his body, and wine his blood, and under the figure of those visible creatures, gave invisibly his precious body and blood presently there. 

Gardiner's critique of Cranmer's sacramental theology is familiar. In Anglicanism, it was increasingly voiced by Tractarians as they parted ways with the Old High tradition. In the 20th century, Gregory Dix became is chief proponent - aided, ironically, by evangelicals such as Colin Buchanan, who shared an interest in denying the rich and vibrant sacramental vision of the founder of the Prayer Book tradition. Gardiner's view of Cranmer is still to be heard amongst those who regard the 1662 Holy Communion as insufficiently 'catholic'. 

Cranmer's response, in his Answer to Gardiner (1551) powerfully sets forth why such impoverished readings of his sacramental theology should be banished. The sacraments are indeed "with wonder" to be "marvelled at", not because of what happens to water, bread, and wine, but because of what happens to the faithful who receive the water, bread, and wine:

For the wonder is not, how God worketh in the outward visible sacrament, but his marvellous work is in the worthy receivers of the sacraments. The wonderful work of God is not in the water, which only washeth the body, but God by his omnipotent power worketh wonderfully in the receivers thereof, scouring, washing, and making them clean inwardly, and as it were new men, and celestial creatures. This have all old authors wondered at, this wonder passeth the capacities of all men's wits, how damnation is turned into salvation, and of the son of the Devil condemned into hell, is made the son of God and inheritor of heaven. This wonderful work of God all men may marvel and wonder at: but no creature is able sufficiently to comprehend it. And as this is wondered at in the sacrament of baptism, how he that was subject unto death, receiveth life by Christ, and his Holy Spirit: so is this wondered at in the sacrament of Christ's holy table, how the same life is continued and endureth for ever, by continual feeding upon Christ's flesh and his blood. And these wonderful works of God towards us, we be taught by God's holy word and his sacraments of bread, wine, and water, and yet be not these wonderful works of God in the sacraments, but in us.

Receiving the water of Baptism, we are those who are made children of God and inheritors of heaven. Receiving the bread and wine of the Supper, we are those who feed upon the Lord's Body and Blood. Here is the root of Hooker's famous dictum:

The real presence of Christ’s most blessed body and blood is not therefore to be sought for in the sacrament, but in the worthy receiver of the sacrament (LEP V.67.6).

This is no 'low' sacramental theology, no 'mere receptionism'. As Hooker goes on to declare regarding our partaking of the Eucharist:

whereupon there ensueth a kind of transubstantiation in us, a true change of both body and soul, an alteration from death to life (V.67.11).

Or, as Cranmer put it, "his marvellous work is in the worthy receivers of the sacraments". Our wonder, then, is to pour forth "in the sacrament of Christ's holy table".

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