counsels of perfection

Noun

counsel of perfection (plural counsels of perfection)

1. Advice as to a means of striving for moral perfection.
   • The main biblical foundation for this distinction between commandments and counsels of perfection is in the story of the encounter between Jesus and the rich young ruler. There, once the young man declares that he has obeyed all the commandments, Jesus tells him that if he wishes to "be perfect" he...2005, Justo L. González, Essential Theological Terms, page 40
   1. (specifically) Any of the virtues of obedience, chastity, and charity, or other ascetic practices, especially in monastic vows.
      • There are many counsels of perfection. The frequent and fervent reception of the Sacraments is a counsel of perfection, and one of the principal of attaining perfection—Confession producing purity of soul, and Holy Communion a closer union between the soul and His Divine majesty.1874, Herbert, Bishop of Salford, “Preface”, in On The Choice of a State of Life, by the late Bishop of Bruges, page xix
2. (broadly) Noble but impractical idealistic advice.
   • To a practical statesman that will seem perhaps a counsel of perfection; and, certainly, it is a counsel that, at every stage, will encounter acute difficulties of practical operation.1919, Harold Joseph Laski, Authority in the Modern State, page 55