In The Crucible, what details of the confession procedure convince Proctor that it is evil and cause him to recant?

John Proctor is only prompted to sign the confession after
talking with his wife, Elizabeth. They come to a new understanding of their love, and he
suddenly wants to live--something he was not interested in doing once he realized his
actions caused his wife's imprisonment and possible
death.

That being said, it is clear to the audience that he
is falsely confessing to witchcraft because he thinks he's already a vile sinner and one
more sin could not make a difference.  He continues to think that until the confession
process begins.

Proctor is willing to
sign his own name to a lie for the reasons given above.  He is not
willing to implicate others, knowing full well they are innocent of these crazy
charges.  He is not willing to have his confession posted on the
church door for all to see.  He is not willing for his children to
know he sold his friends to save his own life.  When asked the reasonable question--if
your confession is an honest one, why does it matter who sees it?--John Proctor speaks
some of the most moving lines of the play:

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"Because it is my name! Because I cannot have
another in my life!...Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How
may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my
name!"

John Proctor,
adulterer and sinner, understands that true penitence need not be public. He knows that
while men may punish behavior, only God may judge the heart.