In a few days Parley P. Pratt arrived and united with these brethren in directing the affairs of the Church. The council meetings of these apostles were held at the house of Elder Taylor, in order that he might take part in them, being still confined to his room by his wounds. About the time Elder Pratt reached Nauvoo Sidney Rigdon, one of the counselors to the martyred Prophet, arrived from Pennsylvania. He was invited to join them in their movements, but this he declined, as he had his own selfish ambition to gratify. He was determined to become the leader of the Church; and to accomplish this, he began in an underhanded way to work up a feeling in his own favor. Afraid to put in a claim to be made President outright, he sought to be appointed "guardian" to the Church, to build it up to Joseph. He held secret meetings among those favorable to his plans, circulated wonderful "revelations" among them, and ordained men to offices heretofore unheard of in the Church; and at last appointed a day for the Church to assemble and select a "guardian." The day appointed was the 8th of August. By that time President Young and a majority of the Twelve had arrived. Elder Rigdon had full opportunity to present his claims to the people, but they rejected him, and almost unanimously chose the apostles to preside over the whole Church. Disappointed in his ambitious designs, Elder Rigdon sought to divide the people; but as his influence in Nauvoo was limited, he did not succeed further than to induce a very few to accompany him to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where he gathered about him a few other followers. He was shortly afterwards excommunicated from the Church, as he manifested no disposition to repent of his course. Other restless, ambitious characters, among them James J. Strang and James Emmet sought to divide the Church, since they could not preside over it, and did lead some away; their vaulting ambition overleaped itself, however, and they miserably failed. The Twelve being sustained as the presiding authority, they took the direction of affairs and issued a general epistle to the Church, in which they expressed a determination to carry on the work so well begun by the Prophet Joseph. Nauvoo must be enlarged, the temple completed and the gathering of Israel go on. "The gospel in its fullness must now roll forth," said they, "through every neighborhood of this wide-spread country, and to all the world, * * * until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ."