我們之前曾說，有很多人認為復興是多餘的和無關痛癢的，今天我們會談論引致他們有這種想法的另一個原因──在復興中被激起的感情並非純粹的屬靈經驗。有批評指出復興不單將人性屬靈的一面引發出來，同時也顯露出人性的卑劣和慾念的一面。

我們在嘗試回應這個問題以前，需要再聽清楚這個批評背後的真正意思。在復興中，屬靈的事情的確是與屬肉體的事情混合在一起。英國作曲家威廉斯（William Williams）這樣說：「當我們的靈魂嘗到天上的筵席時，肉體亦要爭取分一杯羹，以致由恩典所喚醒的本能都喧鬧起來了。」在循道公會的復興正處於高峰的時候，沒有人能否認聖靈有力的工作，但是復興並不能一次過除下肉體的慾念或本性上的缺憾。

在五旬節聖靈大大澆灌以後的數年間，有明顯的證據顯示人的慾念很活躍，保羅的書信亦勸告信徒要抵抗慾念、克制情慾。偉大的復興領袖愛德華滋（Jonathan Edwards）曾說，在使徒時代，儘管聖靈明顯地在哥林多教會作工，使徒又稱他們為「神的教會……蒙召作聖徒的」（林前一2）；但如果讓他們自行處理問題的話，教會肯定還是會支離破碎。

我們不能明白復興是怎麼回事，除非能夠先理解它的主要目的。那是甚麼呢？復興的目的不是要使聖徒在一夜之間變得完美，而是要喚醒沉睡的人。

We examine one more reason why some people regard revival as unnecessary and irrelevant - the fact that emotions kindled in revival are not unmixed spiritual experiences. Critics point out that revival brings to the fore not only the spiritual side of human nature but the baser and more carnal side too.

Here again we must listen to the truth in this criticism before attempting to answer it. It is true that in revival the spiritual is often mixed with the carnal. Williams put it like this: "When our soul came to taste the feasts of heaven, the flesh also insisted on having its share, and all the passions of nature aroused by grace were rioting tumultuously." And this was at the high point of the Methodist revival when none can deny that the Holy Spirit was mightily at work. Revival does not abolish in one fell swoop human carnality or the defects of our nature.

In the years immediately following the great outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost there were clear evidences of carnality at work. Paul's letters are full of exhortations to resist carnality and subdue the works of the flesh. The great revivalist Jonathan Edwards said that if the Corinthian Church had been left to themselves they would have torn themselves to pieces - yet clearly the Spirit was at work in their midst. The apostle greets them as "the church of God...called to be saints" (1 Cor. 1:2, AV).

We will never understand revival until we understand its primary purpose. And what is that? It is not to bring saints to perfection in a day, but to wake up the drowsy.