St Peter at Prayer, from the circle of Hendrick Bloemaert (1601/1602–1672).
Almighty God, Unto Whom All Hearts Be Open
This short prayer came near the start of the Sarum missal, the predominant Mediaeval communion service in England, just after a hymn to the Holy Ghost. It survived the cutting table of the Reformation and opened the communion service of the 1549 Prayer Book too, in an English translation of surpassing elegance and restraint.
A Collect.
ALMIGHTY God, unto whom all hearts be open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid; Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Translated from the Latin of the Sarum Use of the Roman Missal by Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, for the Prayer Book of 1549.